Pearson Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Paper 1 2025

Get the official Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Religious Studies B Paper 1: Area of Study 1 – Religion and Ethics Option 1D Buddhism question paper from the May 2025 examination series (1RB0/1D). This downloadable PDF contains the complete Buddhism assessment used in the Summer 2025 GCSE Religious Studies exams, including Buddhist beliefs, marriage and family, living the Buddhist life, matters of life and death, and evaluation questions exactly as sat by candidates.

Use this paper to practise authentic GCSE Religious Studies exam skills under timed conditions, including topics such as the Wheel of Life, pancha sila, Buddha-nature, paticca-samuppada, the purpose of families, gender roles, marriage, the role of the sangha, meditation, viharas, buddharupas, death ceremonies, euthanasia, sanctity of life, rebirth, and the value of the universe. The paper includes structured 3-mark, 4-mark, 5-mark, 12-mark, and 15-mark evaluation questions designed to improve Buddhist understanding, ethical reasoning, source-of-authority interpretation, and essay-writing skills. Students are required to evaluate arguments for and against statements such as “The most important of all Buddhist beliefs is paticca-samuppada,” “The main role of the sangha is to support families,” “Death and mourning ceremonies are only important for the living,” and “Belief in life after death is more than a source of comfort for those mourning,” making this paper especially valuable for developing critical thinking, balanced evaluation, and extended-response exam technique before the 2026 GCSE exams. The assessment also strengthens understanding of Buddhist teachings, Theravada and Mahayana perspectives, meditation practices, moral decision-making, compassion, and beliefs linked to suffering, rebirth, and enlightenment. Pair it with the matching Edexcel 1RB0/1D May 2025 mark scheme on markscheme.net for full examiner-standard revision and self-assessment. Updated for the 2025/2026 academic year, optimised for mobile and desktop, and instantly downloadable from markscheme.net — your fastest route to top-grade GCSE Religious Studies revision.

This document is designed for Pearson Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B students preparing for the 2026 examination series, including candidates studying Buddhism, retake students improving exam technique, and home-schooled learners following the GCSE (9–1) Religious Studies specification. It is especially valuable for students developing confidence with Buddhist evaluation questions, ethical reasoning, meditation teachings, and extended essay-writing under real exam conditions.

It is also ideal for teachers, tutors, intervention leaders, revision-course providers, and parents supporting GCSE Religious Studies revision at home. Use it for timed mock exams, essay-planning practice, classroom Buddhist studies discussions, ethics revision sessions, independent revision, and identifying common examination challenges before the Summer 2026 examinations.