Assessment in R.E.

Assessment and progress in RE (KS3)

• In Religious Education, assessment is carried out in line with the Pan-Berkshire Syllabus, focusing on pupils’ progress across the three key strands of Believing, Living and Thinking. Assessment of Believing explores how well pupils understand religious beliefs, teachings, and sources of wisdom, enabling them to recognise diversity within and between faiths and worldviews. In Living, assessment considers how pupils can identify and explain the ways in which people express their faith and values in practice, including worship, community life, and moral choices. The Thinking strand focuses on pupils’ ability to reflect, question and evaluate, showing how they can make connections between beliefs and practices, and their own ideas and experiences. Together, these three strands provide a balanced framework that supports teachers in identifying pupils’ knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking, while tracking progress over time and ensuring that all learners are developing the skills to engage thoughtfully and respectfully with a range of religious and non-religious worldviews.

Assessment and progress in RE (KS4)

• At Key Stage 4, Religious Education is delivered in accordance with the AQA GCSE Specification A, and assessment is structured to monitor pupils’ attainment and progress in line with the exam board’s assessment objectives. Assessment focuses on two strands: AO1, which requires students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs, teachings and practices, and AO2, which requires them to analyse and evaluate aspects of religion and belief, including their significance and influence. Students are assessed on their understanding of Christianity and Islam, alongside their ability to engage critically with thematic studies such as relationships and families, religion and life, peace and conflict and crime and punishment.
• Assessment takes place through a combination of formative and summative approaches, including low-stakes quizzes, structured practice questions, extended writing tasks and full examination-style assessments. These enable staff to identify gaps in knowledge, monitor progress over time and provide targeted feedback to support improvement.
• Pupils are explicitly taught how to construct clear, coherent and well-substantiated responses that meet the demands of extended exam questions, with particular emphasis on the development of evaluative and critical thinking skills.
• Assessment data is used diagnostically to inform curriculum planning, intervention and differentiation, ensuring that teaching is responsive to pupil needs and that all learners are supported to achieve their potential. Regular moderation of marking within the department secures consistency and fairness, while ongoing reflection on assessment outcomes informs departmental development and the refinement of teaching strategies. Through this approach, assessment not only prepares pupils effectively for their final examinations but also develops their ability to think critically, understand diverse worldviews and engage respectfully with issues of belief, meaning and values.

**Please see the sub-folders for R.E Assessment by year group.