Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Religious Studies · specification 4RS1 · Paper 2 | Section 2: Celebration and pilgrimage · Free · no account needed
2.1 The major festival(s) (4RS1 specification)
The major festival(s) — written out separately for each of the six religions on Paper 2.
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.
- Wesak in Buddhism — Buddhism's answer to wesak — Paper 2, point 2.1.
- Christmas and Easter in Christianity — Christianity's answer to Christmas and Easter — Paper 2, point 2.1.
- Navaratri and Divali in Hinduism — Hinduism's answer to Navaratri and Divali — Paper 2, point 2.1.
- Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha in Islam — Islam's answer to Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha — Paper 2, point 2.1.
- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach in Judaism — Judaism's answer to Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach — Paper 2, point 2.1.
- Baisakhi and the Gurpurbs in Sikhism — Sikhism's answer to Baisakhi and the Gurpurbs — Paper 2, point 2.1.
The teaching routes these belong to: Buddhism · Christianity · Hinduism · Islam · Judaism · Sikhism — the lessons in order, with every gate.
Specification coverage
Paper 2, Section 2 — Celebration and pilgrimage, point 2.1
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2. Suggested learning time: 60 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Your religion's own teaching and practice on the major festival(s), as Pearson's indicative content for your Paper 2 sets it out.
- The named sources of authority your religion draws on for this point.
- How the traditions inside your religion differ here — or, honestly, that they broadly agree.
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.
- Meet all four printed Discuss requirements: teachings, divergent views, your reasoned opinion, and a balanced conclusion.
How it is examined
- Outline (4)
- Explain (6)
- Discuss (10)
Common mistakes
- Answering with a non-religious perspective. Paper 2 has none, and it earns nothing.
- Writing a Discuss answer with no divergent view. The rubric prints it as a requirement, not a suggestion.
- Describing a practice without ever saying what it means to the community that keeps it.
- Reaching a conclusion that restates the statement instead of judging it.
This page maps the specification. The pages above teach it, and the Religious Studies units hold the whole course — completely free.