GCSE Religious Studies A Unit 9 405009 Islam: Ethics Report on the Examination 4050 June 2013 Version: 1.0
Further copies of this Report are availab...
REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE RELIGIOUS STUDIES A – 405009 – JUNE 2013
General comment It is very pleasing to report that on the whole the standard of scripts this year were of a higher standard than in previous years. The number of students taking this unit has increased, and the unit is becoming more popular both in the UK and abroad. The topics covered in this summer’s exam were on the whole well answered and this reflects good teaching across schools and colleges. Question A1 – Crime & Punishment A1(a) This question on the causes of crime required two simple causes. The large majority of students gained full marks on this question. A1(b) Aims of punishment This was well answered by most students although the weaker students listed two reasons rather than developing one. A list of reasons did not go above one mark. A1(c) Muslims should forgive people who commit crimes Again this question was well answered by most students; weaker students tended to give a list whereas the more able developed reasons around God’s quality of forgiving. A1(d) The Death penalty should never be used There were mixed answers to this question, many students were able to justify one side of the argument, with few being able to give a balance on either side. There were some very good answers agreeing with the statement. Many students talked about possible mistakes being made for crimes they did not commit. The argument developed against the statement mainly focused on the Shariah and 6:151. Question A2 – Relationships and Lifestyle A2(a) Explain why many Muslims believe that they should care for the elderly This question was very well answered and most students gained full marks. Weaker students listed points and so were capped at level 3. Answers referred to the verses of the Qur’an that command Muslims to be good to their parents. The top level was achieved with development of points made. A2(b) What is failed to gain meant by legal age of consent for sexual intercourse Many students lost marks on this question because they used the word legal in their answer and this was not credit worthy as it was in the question. Some students talked about the age being dictated by the religion i.e. after marriage in Islam, and in some countries there was no legal age other than that of the marriage age. A2(c) Sexual relationships should not be controlled by religion Many students misinterpreted the question and discussed Muslim attitude to sex outside marriage. This was credited but schools and colleges are reminded that students MUST read the question properly before attempting to answer it. Arguments arguing for this talked about a right to a private life and took the view that religion should focus on belief rather than practice.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE RELIGIOUS STUDIES A – 405009 – JUNE 2013
Question A3 – Conflict & Suffering A3(a) Explain why many Muslims think that no country should have nuclear weapons Students answered this question well and talked about having nuclear weapons being wrong as they causes destruction and are a waste of money. Students did not need to develop reasons to achieve the top level although the better students tended to develop their answers. A3(b) Explain the difference between greater jihad and lesser jihad. This was another well answered question on the whole, although some students mixed the two jihads. Students either got full marks or 0 on this question. Most gave examples to support each type of jihad. Greater jihad refers to a battle with the inner self and examples can include practising the 5 pillars, temptations. Lesser jihad refers to holy war to defend Islam. A3(c) ‘Terrorism is always wrong’ The quality of response to this question varied considerably. Most students answered by agreeing with the statement and saying that it goes against the sanctity of life and causes damage to human life and the environment. Many students however struggled to balance this argument and many confused lesser jihad with terrorism. The better students referred to it being a misinterpretation of lesser jihad and this was a good way into balancing the argument. Other approaches including not having any choice, having their voice heard and it being the only way to redress evil. Question A4 – The Environment A4(a) Explain Muslim attitudes to conservation Many students answered by talking about Muslims being khalifahs and indicating they have a duty to care for the earth. Some talked about restoring the mizan (balance). Some students misinterpreted the question and talked about ways that Muslims conserve the environment and this did not gain any marks. A4(b) Describe what Muslims might do to protect the environment This question was answered very well by almost all students. Some students tended to bullet point which is not ideal and a more formal style of writing is better suited to this kind of question. There was a wide variety of answers including recycling, switching off lights, using renewable forms of energy. The more able students talked about praying to God to protect the environment and this was creditable. A4(c) Muslims should not agree with experimenting on animals There was a mixture of answers in this question. Some students argued that humans are more important than animals and so testing on them should be allowed for medical purposes; others talked about improving people’s lives. Many students said that it should not be used to develop cosmetics as this was not essential to life and you should not harm others to develop non-essential things. Those that argued for this said that people were all God’s creatures and as such should be treated equally. Testing harms and hurts animals and this is wrong.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE RELIGIOUS STUDIES A – 405009 – JUNE 2013
Part B B5 – Life & Death B5(a) Explain Muslim attitudes to cloning. There was a mixture of responses to this question. There were some brilliant answers where students clearly knew the two main types – reproductive and therapeutic - and these students usually gained a level 5 or 6. Other students however clearly did not know what cloning was and gave vague answers talking about replicating humans. The better answers argued that Muslims object to the destruction of embryos as it goes against the sanctity of life. Others argued that if it enhances life, then it should be permitted. B5(b) It is wrong to create saviour siblings Again there were a great range of answers with some fabulous answers, talking about playing God and that humans have no right to play God. Others used the analogy of spare parts and argued that humans should not be created for ulterior motives. Students against this talked about preventing suffering and argued that if saviour siblings prevented suffering, then it should be allowed. B5(c) Explain Muslim attitudes to contraception This was answered much better than B5 (a) and (b) on the whole. It seemed that many students chose B5 because of the contraception and abortion question. Many students gave solid reasons, putting both sides of the argument and it was encouraging to see appropriate use of religious text arguing both sides. B5(d) It Is wrong for a woman to have an abortion This was a very well answered question; students clearly knew factual information and had been taught very well. Students arguing for the statement talked about the sanctity of life and life beginning at conception and once created it should never be destroyed. Equally they were able to put the view that abortion can be the lesser of two evils and that the mother’s life is more important. B6 – Wealth & Poverty B6(a) Explain why many Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDC) need help This question was answered well on the whole; some students listed reasons and as a result were capped at level 4. Students mentioned natural disasters, flooding, droughts etc. Poverty was a common theme throughout. B6(b) It is always right to give charity to the poor and needy This was well answered by most students as they mentioned the obligation of zakat and that it is a requirement. The counter arguments were less convincing but the good students talked about creating a dependency. B6(c) Explain how Muslims communities in the UK work to relieve poverty and suffering Most students mentioned fundraising and a religious charity including Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid. Answers varied quite significantly with the better informed students being able to refer to specific case studies.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE RELIGIOUS STUDIES A – 405009 – JUNE 2013
B6(d) People should be able to use their money in any way they want Many students struggled to justify this, other than mentioning free will. The better students talked about ownership and that if someone has earned money then they have the right to keep it. Arguing against the statement, most students mentioned the requirement of giving zakat and it being one of the Five Pillars; they also argued that money should not be spent on haram things like gambling and alcohol. SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) This was introduced in Part B for the first time this year. Most students gained 3 or 4 marks from the 4 marks available. Students should be reminded to use specialist vocabulary where possible write coherently, use paragraphs and appropriate punctuation and ensure that key words are spelt correctly.
Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website.
Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator
