Pearson Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies - Chain of Reasoning Flowchart - Teaching Appraisal

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel

Teaching appraisal resource for Pearson Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies focused on constructing logical chains of reasoning using a flow chart method. Students begin by agreeing or disagreeing with a given statement, then follow staged branches to build an opening sentence, select appropriate arguments, and expand each step using prompts. Guidance emphasizes critical thinking, comprehension of logical progression, and appraising evidence, culminating in a justified conclusion. Includes an example question and sample paragraph.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

About this resource

How to use this resource

The flow chart

Example question

Example paragraph (chain of reasoning)

Pearson Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Teaching Appraisal Chain of reasoning flowchart About this resource: This resource aids GCSE Religious Studies students in developing logical chains of reasoning. By using a flow chart approach, students are guided through various branches, selecting the most suitable method to refine their answers at each stage. This systematic process also promotes their critical thinking at each stage and comprehension of logical progression. How to use this resource: 1. Provide students with a question and a copy of the flowchart. 2. Instruct students to decide whether they want to start by agreeing or disagreeing with the statement and draft their opening sentence accordingly. 3. Once the opening sentence is drafted, guide students to follow the remaining stages of the flowchart, choosing the branches most appropriate and adding to their answer based on the prompts at each stage* . The Flow chart* *The instructions provided at each stage on this Flowchart are provided as suggestions to help students construct a paragraph which contains effective chains of reasoning. You may wish to add to or adapt the instructions at each stage to better suit your teaching groups, offering greater stretch and challenge or to make them more accessible. On the next slide, we have included an example, offering one part of an answer created by following one path through the flowchart. The final slide provides a printable version of the resource which you can provide to your class. *Once students have gone through this process once, they may wish to consider working on a different line of argument, again using the prompts to develop further chains of reasoning. Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies: Chain of Reasoning Checklist Pearson Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Teaching Appraisal Chain of reasoning flowchart Example question: ‘Jerusalem is the only place Christians need to go on pilgrimage'Evaluate this statement considering arguments for and against. In your response you (must): • refer to Catholic teachings • refer to different Christian points of view • reach a justified conclusion. Example Paragraph: (The Flowchart to the right demonstrates the path followed in the example provided below) A disagreement with statement is offered: Some Catholics would disagree because there are many other places such as Lourdes that are equally as significant as Jerusalem to Christians. A reason is provided: Pilgrimage to Lourdes allows Catholics to visit the grotto where Mary appeared to St Bernadette. The reason is expanded upon and explained: Many Catholics now go on pilgrimage here as when the vision of Mary appeared, a sacred spring with healing powers also appeared. Some miracles are claimed to have been performed due to the water. Evidence is provided: The Catechism states that pilgrimage 'evokes our earthly journey to heaven’. The Catechism recognises the importance of pilgrimage as a chance for Catholics to build on their faith. The evidence provided is appraised: This is a persuasive argument as the Catechism states pilgrimage brings salvation but also increases strength in faith. The Catechism is the inspired word of God and holds authority through apostolic tradition through the magisterium. Arguably making Jerusalem not the only pilgrimage a Catholic needs to go on. The chain is concluded by linking back to first point: Therefore, some Catholics believe that pilgrimage to Lourdes is just as significant as going to Jerusalem due to the chance of being healed by the water and as a result not the only place they’re required to go. Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies: Chain of Reasoning Checklist Chain of reasoning flowchart Chain of reasoning flowchart

FAQs

How should students start when using the flow chart?

Students decide whether they agree or disagree with the statement and draft an opening sentence based on that choice.

What do students do after drafting the opening sentence?

They follow the remaining stages of the flow chart, selecting the most suitable branches and adding to their answer using the prompts at each stage.

What must be included in the example response?

The response must refer to Catholic teachings, refer to different Christian points of view, and reach a justified conclusion.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel