AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) Past Papers 2026
Download free AQA GCSE Religious Studies A 8062 past papers, mark schemes, Foundation & Higher tiers. 7 exam sessions from 2018–2026.
June 2024
Latest Session
7
Sessions
2018–2026
62
Question Papers
62
Mark Schemes
100% coverage
0
Inserts
36
Specimen Papers
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute shows how fast you have to work — the higher the number, the tighter the time pressure in that paper.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 8062/1X — The Study of Religions: Beliefs, Teachings and Practices | 96 | 1h 45m | 0.91 | High |
| Paper 2 | 8062/2A or 8062/2B — Thematic Studies | 96 | 1h 45m | 0.91 | High |
Component structure extracted from 14 official AQA documents (2022–2023). Timings and mark totals are taken from the papers themselves.
Yearly Exam Sessions
Specimen Papers
Show all 36 specimen papersHide specimen papers
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806211-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806211-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806211-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806211-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806212-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806212-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806212-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806212-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806213-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806213-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806213-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806213-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806214-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806214-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806214-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806214-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806215-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806215-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806215-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806215-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806216-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806216-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806216-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806216-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806217-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-806217-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806217-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-806217-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-80622A-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-80622A-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-80622A-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-80622A-SQP-S2.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-80622B-SMS-S1.pdf
Specimen Mark Scheme
AQA-80622B-SMS-S2.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-80622B-SQP-S1.pdf
Specimen Question Paper
AQA-80622B-SQP-S2.pdf
Topical Past Papers
AQA Religious Studies A questions organised by specification topic — perfect for targeted revision.
How is AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) examined?
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A is examined through 2 paper components. Understanding each component helps you allocate revision time effectively.
Paper 1
96 marks8062/1X — The Study of Religions: Beliefs, Teachings and Practices
Duration: 1h 45m
Paper 2
96 marks8062/2A or 8062/2B — Thematic Studies
Duration: 1h 45m
What AQA examiners say about Religious Studies A
Verbatim quotes from 14 official AQA examiner reports (2022–2023). Every quote is attributable to a specific paper and session — these are the things AQA markers flag year after year.
Failing to name a source of authority on the 5-mark .4…
'Hindu scriptures / texts teach...' does not achieve the 'source of authority' mark. For this mark, the source must be named, eg Bhagavad Gita, Swami Vivekenanda, etc.
Describing the belief instead of explaining its…
This was an 'influence' question. Answers which responded with a list of teachings about judgement therefore rather missed the point and were unable to demonstrate the detail required to reach full marks.
Writing AO1 description with no AO2 evaluation in the…
A lot of students were able to bring a great deal of AO1 knowledge to this question, but failed to gain the highest level 4, because there was a lack of evaluative skills present in what they presented.
Most Common Mistakes — Religious Studies A (8062)
Based on analysis of 14 official AQA examiner reports (2022, 2023). Avoid these errors to maximise your marks.
Failing to name a source of authority on the 5-mark .4 question
Paper 1 · June 2022 and June 2023, every religion option
Describing the belief instead of explaining its INFLUENCE on followers (the .3 question)
Paper 1 · June 2022 and June 2023, multiple religion options
Writing AO1 description with no AO2 evaluation in the 12-mark .5 essay
Paper 1 · June 2022 and June 2023, every religion option
Producing one-sided answers on the 12-mark statement question
Paper 1 · June 2022 and June 2023, multiple religion options
Confusing key terms with similar-sounding terms
Paper 1 · June 2022 and June 2023, multiple religion options
Topics Students Struggle With Most
Specialist vocabulary outside the most-taught core
Across religions, candidates struggled with terms such as samsara, personal virtues (Hinduism), manmukh / gurmukh (Sikhism), Shoel / Gehinnom / transmigration (Judaism), Sanatana dharma / Varnashramadharma (Hinduism), and Sunyata (Buddhism).
Paper 1
Influence vs description on the .3 question
Students consistently described what a belief IS rather than how it influences a follower's daily life — appears in the 2022/2023 Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism reports.
Paper 1
Naming the source of authority on .4 questions
Across every religion option, large minorities lost the fifth mark by quoting accurately but failing to name the source. The Hinduism 2023 report flagged 'Hindu texts teach' as the most common error.
Paper 1
Confusable pairs of festivals and concepts
Yom Kippur vs Rosh Hashanah (Judaism); Diwali vs Holi (Hinduism, Sikhism); Eid-ul-Fitr vs Eid-ul-Adha (Islam); redemption vs resurrection (Christianity); reincarnation vs rebirth (Buddhism vs Hinduism).
Paper 1
Cross-religion contamination
Christian doctrines (Jesus as Messiah, Sheep-and-Goats parable, CAFOD, heaven/hell/purgatory) appeared in Jewish, Hindu and Sikh answers. Hindu reincarnation appeared in Jewish life-after-death answers.
Paper 1
Practices vs Beliefs balance
Multiple reports (Hinduism 2023, Judaism 2023) noted Practices (Q2) was answered worse than Beliefs (Q1), often because candidates ran out of time on the second .5 essay.
Paper 1
Contrasting questions interpreted as 'similar'
Christianity 2022 and Judaism 2022 reports flagged that students gave two similar reasons rather than two genuinely OPPOSED views.
Paper 1
Justified conclusion on the 12-mark essay
Level 3 was repeatedly capped because conclusions either restated points or simply said 'I think both sides are valid' without weighing them. Catholic Christianity 2023 and Christianity 2023 reports highlighted this.
Paper 1
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) — Full Archive 2018–2026
This page contains all 175 AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) past papers available for free download — 7 exam sessions from 2018 to 2026. Each session includes question papers (QP), mark schemes (MS), and where available, insert materials (INS). No registration or payment required.
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A is graded 9–1, where 9 is the highest grade. Grade 4 is a standard pass and grade 5 is a strong pass. AQA is the UK's largest exam board by entries, so Religious Studies A papers are widely used in schools across England and Wales.
Some AQA GCSE subjects are tiered. Foundation tier (papers ending in F) targets grades 5–1 and covers core content. Higher tier (papers ending in H) targets grades 9–4 and includes more demanding material. Always practise with papers from the tier you are entered for — the question styles, mark allocation, and time limits differ between tiers.
AQA mark schemes use a clear notation: M marks are for method (your working), A marks are for accuracy (correct answer), and B marks are awarded independently. Understanding this system helps you maximise marks even when you don't reach the final answer — showing clear working can earn method marks. After attempting each Religious Studies A past paper under timed conditions, mark it against the official scheme and categorise every dropped mark as a knowledge gap, method error, or misread question. Target your remaining revision at the category where you lose the most marks.
Religious Studies A 8062 at other levels
Questions, answered.
PapersDaddy provides 175 free AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) past papers from 2018–2026. Download question papers and mark schemes as PDF — no registration needed.
We have 175 papers across 7 exam sessions for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062). This includes question papers and mark schemes for both Foundation and Higher tiers, plus 36 specimen papers.
Practise with the tier you are entered for. Foundation tier (8062 papers ending in F) targets grades 5-1. Higher tier (papers ending in H) targets grades 9-4. If you're unsure, ask your teacher which tier you are entered for. Practising with the wrong tier will not prepare you for the correct question style and difficulty.
AQA filenames follow the pattern AQA-[CODE]-[TYPE]-[SESSION]. For example, AQA-80621H-QP-JUN19 means: specification 8062, Paper 1, Higher tier, Question Paper, June 2019. QP = Question Paper, W-MS = Mark Scheme, INS = Insert, SQP = Specimen Question Paper.