Book Review: Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies
At a glance
- Brand new student books combining specification-focused content and skills practice
- Designed with features to help students develop essential exam skills
- Dedicated skills practice pages include exam questions, exemplars and guidance
- Essential digital resources and an ebook are included on Kerboodle
- Endorsed by Eduqas
You might be familiar with the five stages of grief but do you know the five stages of ‘good grief’? These are: gosh, wow, that’s amazing, blimey and I’ve got to buy it; with this resource you’ll experience all five.
Christianity, Islam and Themes Route A is a new student book covering everything students need to study for a GCSE exam in Religious Studies with Eduqas offering clear, comprehensive and focused coverage of the specification.
This colourful and professional resource is divided into three exam papers or components with themes and it includes rich and compelling content that asks provocative questions and stimulates critical thinking.
It is also reassuringly rammed with some terrific features for giving students the edge.
Each chapter begins with a sharp introduction along with key things to remember and concepts covered. These are clearly flagged so nothing is missed and students have a solid start.
The content is presented in very user-friendly double-page spreads with the specification focus shown so students know what is being covered. Quotes from religious texts are shown in yellow boxes and there are handy useful terms boxed out defining some of the specialist language used.
At the end of the essential content, students are given three questions to answer to test their knowledge recall and there is also a brilliant evaluation practice section which ask questions to test their reasoning and argument skills.
At the end of each chapter are skills practice pages which include advice galore, exemplar responses, what students answered well and how to improve further using a ‘must, should, could’ format. These are followed by canny commentaries that show how and why an improved answer is successful.
Helpful hints and tips are included throughout and offer students guidance with real gumption and top support for writing their own answers to real exam questions. There are annotated responses to show what examiners are looking for in a (d) question response.
This book has a clear purpose, it makes positive connections with learners’ knowledge, experience, and identity, it builds knowledge about what is required for achieving exam success and it is very engaging.
It is certainly well crafted and structured too and supremely supports students understanding about how to improve their written responses.
This is a truly blended learning solution because the student books work alongside the brilliant Digital Kerboodle resources which include auto-marked concept and knowledge quizzes.
You get a very clever combination here that helps students build on their existing knowledge and challenges them to achieve their best through a pile of top tips and expert navigation.
What makes a good study resource? One that’s accurate, consistent, useful, efficient, and relevant – with this resource all bases are covered.
The verdict
- offers crystal clear coverage of the Eduqas specifications
- presented in a student-friendly format with clear
- supports effective study for a positive impact on students’ learning
- a stunning focus on how to improve exam responses
- prime nutrition for knowledge-building and revision
- ideal for blended and classroom learning
Upgrade if….
you are looking for a pithy, punchy and purposeful in-depth skills resource for supporting and preparing students throughout their GCSE studies.
Cost: £19.99