Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Religious Studies · specification 4RS1 · Paper 1 | Section 1: The universe, creation and the place of human beings · Free · no account needed
1.4 Free will, determinism and predestination (4RS1 specification)
Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about free will, determinism and predestination.
Learn it on Incandio
The 6 Incandio pages that teach this — each explained in full, then proved in marked questions, taught back to an AI pupil and defended in a debate. Completely free.
- Free will, determinism and predestination in Buddhism — Buddhism's answer to free will, determinism and predestination — Paper 1, point 1.4.
- Free will, determinism and predestination in Christianity — Christianity's answer to free will, determinism and predestination — Paper 1, point 1.4.
- Free will, determinism and predestination in Hinduism — Hinduism's answer to free will, determinism and predestination — Paper 1, point 1.4.
- Free will, determinism and predestination in Islam — Islam's answer to free will, determinism and predestination — Paper 1, point 1.4.
- Free will, determinism and predestination in Judaism — Judaism's answer to free will, determinism and predestination — Paper 1, point 1.4.
- Free will, determinism and predestination in Sikhism — Sikhism's answer to free will, determinism and predestination — Paper 1, point 1.4.
The teaching routes these belong to: Buddhism · Christianity · Hinduism · Islam · Judaism · Sikhism — the lessons in order, with every gate.
Specification coverage
Paper 1, Section 1 — The universe, creation and the place of human beings, point 1.4
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2. Suggested learning time: 75 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Religious and non-religious beliefs/teachings about free will, determinism and predestination. Different views about whether human beings have free will and its limitations; whether determinism means that human beings’ choices and actions cannot be free; the extent to which human beings should be…
- Non-religious beliefs and teachings on this point, which Paper 1 examines alongside religious ones.
- At least one source of authority from your religion that bears on this point, and what it actually says.
Required skills
- State a teaching accurately, in the religion's own vocabulary, without paraphrasing it into vagueness.
- Develop a point rather than listing more points — the 4-mark tariff pays for development, not quantity.
- Weigh a genuine opposing view, not a weak version of it.
- Reach a justified conclusion that follows from the argument you actually made.
How it is examined
- Identify (3)
- Outline (4)
- Explain (6)
- Evaluate (12)
Common mistakes
- Treating the 12-mark Evaluate as an essay about the religion. It is an argument about the statement printed above it.
- Giving three points on a 4-mark Outline. The fourth mark is for developing a second point; a third point earns nothing.
- Leaving out non-religious belief. Paper 1 examines it throughout, and a question can ask for it directly.
- Naming a source of authority without saying what it says. The name is not the evidence.
This page maps the specification. The pages above teach it, and the Religious Studies units hold the whole course — completely free.