IGCSE section A

The first section of the Edexcel Religious Studies IGCSE course looks at various issues to do with the place of human beings in the world.

Below is the specification for each topic area within section A and a link to the specific notes for that topic.

The full specification can be found at the Edexcel website.

Specification for section A

The universe and the place of human beings in it

Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about the origin of the universe and the place of human beings in it; religious beliefs/teachings about its purpose; (differing) views as to why people believe that human beings have a responsibility for the planet; and the different ways in which they can exercise this responsibility. Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about the relationship of human beings to other creatures, including (differing) views about the commonality of all living beings; the dominance of human beings over all other creatures; how human beings should treat animals; and animal rights.  Christian beliefs/teachings about creation; stewardship; and the uniqueness of human beings.

Go to summary notes for the universe and the place of humans in it.

Human nature and the human condition

Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about the nature of human beings. (Differing) views about immortality and the soul; why some people believe that human beings have a soul, while others do not; and why some people believe that the real world is nothing more than the physical world (physicalism).  Christian beliefs/teachings about the nature of human beings, with particular reference to the body, the spirit and the soul.

Go to the summary notes for human nature and the human condition

Selfishness, greed, ignorance and sin

Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about human selfishness, greed, ignorance and sin; selfishness, greed, ignorance and sin as the root causes of human wrongdoing; and whether they can be overcome. (Differing) views about human responsibility for hatred, injustice, violence and war in the world; and whether hatred, injustice, violence and war are inevitable features of a world inhabited by human beings.  Christian beliefs/teachings about selfishness, greed, ignorance and sin, and the nature of sin.

Go to summary notes on selfishness, greed, ignorance and sin.

Free will, determinism and predestination

Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about free will, determinism and predestination.  (Differing) views about whether human beings have free will and its limitations; whether determinism means that human beings’ choices and actions cannot be free; the extent to which human beings should be held responsible (and punished) for their actions; and whether God decides their fate.  Christian beliefs/teachings about human freedom and its limitations, and predestination.

Death and life after death

Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings, and (differing) views about death and human destiny; whether or not there is an afterlife; and why some people believe in life after death, while others do not. Religious beliefs/teachings about the nature of life after death; linear and cyclical views of human existence; resurrection; rebirth; judgement; and the law of cause and effect in relation to life after death. Christian beliefs/teachings about heaven and hell; judgement, resurrection; and the Last Judgement.

Go to summary notes for death and life after death

Key vocabulary for section A

Afterlife: Continuation of existence after death

Animal rights: (The principle of) treating animals fairly

Commonality (of all living beings): (The belief that) all living creatures are part of the same process of development

Cyclical (view of human existence): (The belief that) time has no beginning or end and that the soul of human beings is reborn again and again

Determinism: (The view that) every event has a cause, which may also involve believing that human beings cannot have free will, as their choices and actions are caused

Dominance (of human beings): (The belief that) human beings have been given the right to exercise control over all other living beings

Free will: (The belief that) the human will is free, so human beings can choose and act freely

Greed: An excessive desire for things, such as wealth or food, which bears no relation to actual needs

Human destiny: The future of human beings/what happens to them when they die

Ignorance (in relation to wrongdoing): Not knowing or understanding the difference between right and wrong, or what makes actions wrong

Immortality: The idea that the soul lives on after the death of the body

Judgement (by God): The decision of God about the destiny of human beings

Law of cause and effect (in relation to human actions): (The belief that) every human action has an automatic consequence

Linear (view of human existence): (The belief that) time has a beginning and an end, and that human beings live only once on earth

Physicalism: (The belief that) the real world is nothing more than the physical world

Predestination (by God): (The belief that) God has already decided the fate of human beings

Rebirth: (The belief that) the soul is reborn into another body

Resurrection: (The belief that) after death, the body stays in the grave until the end of the world when it is raised

Selfishness: Self-interest and concern with individual needs/wants which excludes considering those of others

Sin: Behaviour which is against the law of God

Soul: The spiritual or non-material part of a person