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What topics will the 2022 AQA GCSE Religious Studies Specification A exams cover and when are they happening?

student taking exam

You can get help with your GCSE Religious Studies revision by referring to the advance information released by the exam board AQA

After two years of cancellations, GCSE exams are scheduled to go ahead in 2022. 

They will be slightly different to previous years, though, “to recognise disruption to education during the pandemic and maximise fairness for students,” the Department for Education (DfE) has said. 

This means that, for most subjects, the exam boards have released advance information on the topics covered in specific exams, to help students focus their revision.

Here’s what you need to know about the advance information for the AQA GCSE Religious Studies Specification A exams, as well as when the exams are happening, how to prepare for the exams and when you’ll get your results. 

Quick links to find out more about the 2022 AQA GCSE Religious Studies Specification A specification

Where to find advance information for the AQA GCSE Religious Studies A exams

There are several differences to how AQA GCSE Religious Studies A will be assessed in 2022, compared with other years.

You can be certain of finding the official information by visiting the GCSE Religious Studies A exam changes section on the AQA website here.

Included on that link is a download link for advance information on these exams.

The advance information for this series of exams describes all of the topics that will be assessed..

You can go straight to a download of the advance information for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A by using this link from AQA.

Want to know how to use the advance information? Check out our video:

Do I only need to study the advance information? 

At the start of February, the exam boards released advanced information about the topics covered in most GCSE and A-level exams.

Exams regulator Ofqaul has said the purpose of advance information is to support students in “focusing revision for exams” to make things more fair “given the disruption they have experienced, and many continue to face, due to the coronavirus pandemic”.

Guidance from the exam boards has emphasised that it’s still going to be important to have a broad understanding of everything covered in your exam’s syllabus.

This advice, released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), is clear that “some questions in the examinations…will require knowledge beyond what is included in advance information".

The advance information can help with your revision focus, but to be fully prepared you will still want to have an understanding of the whole syllabus.

Will the exam paper look different to past papers? 

There will not be changes made to the structure of the exam papers for the subjects that have advance information, the exam boards have confirmed. 

“Advance information does not require any changes to a question paper’s usual structure, which means that the examination assessment will be familiar to students” and that past papers will have “continued relevance” to revision, JCQ said in its guidance.

Revision tips from AQA for the GCSE Religious Studies exams

We’ve worked with exam board AQA to create a series of exam advice articles for specific subjects, designed to help you make the most of your revision time and to feel fully prepared for your exams. 

In each of these features, you’ll find advice and easy-to-follow tips written by one of AQA’s subject matter experts.

You can find the AQA article on revising for the GCSE Religious Studies exams on The Student Room here. 

What dates will the 2022 AQA GCSE Religious Studies Specification A exams happen?

AQA: GCSE Religious Studies A: 8062/11-17: 8062/11-17 The Study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices will take place on the morning of Monday 16 May 2022 and will last for one hour and 45 minutes.

AQA: GCSE Religious Studies A: 8062/2A and 2B: Thematic studies will take place on the afternoon of Thursday 26 May 2022 and will last for one hour and 45 minutes.

What time will the exams start at? 

Most centres will start morning exams at 9am and afternoon exams at 1.30pm. 

You should double-check timings with your exam centre in advance though, as they can move the exam time to 30 minutes later or earlier than these times. 

Most exam centres will ask you to arrive at least 10 minutes before the exam starts.

When is GCSE results day 2022? 

GCSE results day is Thursday 25 August 2022. 

What will happen if exams are cancelled in 2022? 

The DfE has said it is “firmly committed to GCSE, AS and A-level exams going ahead in England” in 2022. 

But there is a plan “in the unlikely event that exams in England cannot go ahead next year due to the pandemic”. 

If exams did get cancelled, students would be given teacher-assessed grades. Ofqual has given teachers detailed guidance on how they would decide these grades. 

Our sister site The Uni Gui has more information about what would happen if the 2022 exams were cancelled, including how teacher-assessed grades would work. 

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Article by Tamsyn McLennan on Thursday 03 February 2022
Last edited by Nik Taylor on Monday 17 April 2023