AQA GCSE Religious Studies Paper 1 Buddhism 2025 Qp

Download the official AQA GCSE Religious Studies (Short Course) Section 1 Buddhism question paper for the June 2025 examination series (8061/1). This authentic examiner-set PDF contains the complete Buddhism section of the GCSE Religious Studies assessment sat on Wednesday 21 May 2025 and covers key Buddhist beliefs, teachings, ethical principles, and evaluative essay-writing skills required by the AQA specification.

The paper assesses core Buddhist topics including the Six Perfections, Siddhartha Gautama’s renunciation of luxury, impermanence (anicca), dependent arising (paticcasamuppada), compassion (karuna), and Buddhist teachings about moral behaviour and relationships with others. Students are required to explain Buddhist beliefs, apply sacred teachings, analyse religious concepts, and evaluate different viewpoints using reasoned arguments and justified conclusions.

Question types include multiple-choice questions, short-answer responses, explanation questions, source-based references to sacred writings, and a 12-mark evaluative essay with SPaG assessment. The extended-response question explores whether compassion (karuna) is the most important Buddhist teaching about behaviour towards others, requiring students to present balanced arguments supported by Buddhist teachings and evidence.

This June 2025 Buddhism question paper is ideal for students preparing for the 2026 AQA GCSE Religious Studies examinations, particularly learners developing knowledge of Buddhist beliefs and practices, evaluative writing skills, religious analysis, and exam technique under timed conditions. Teachers, tutors, homeschool educators, revision providers, and intervention programmes can use the paper for mock examinations, classroom assessment, retrieval practice, essay-planning exercises, and examiner-style revision using authentic AQA formatting and mark allocations.

The paper contains 12 pages and follows the official AQA 8061 specification for GCSE Religious Studies (Short Course). It provides realistic exam practice for Buddhism topics using official command words, structured response formats, and SPaG-assessed evaluative writing tasks. Fully optimised for desktop and mobile revision with instant PDF access.

This document is designed for Year 10 and Year 11 students studying AQA GCSE Religious Studies (Short Course), especially learners preparing for Buddhism examination topics in the 2026 exam series. It is particularly valuable for students improving understanding of Buddhist beliefs, sacred teachings, ethical principles, religious evaluation, and structured essay-writing under realistic exam conditions.

It is also highly useful for GCSE Religious Studies teachers, private tutors, revision centres, homeschool educators, intervention programmes, and schools delivering the AQA Religious Studies specification. Teachers can use the paper for timed mock exams, retrieval practice, examiner-style assessment, essay-planning activities, and classroom revision using official June 2025 exam-standard questions.