Summer Exam 2026 (Religion)

Palm Sunday

Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey and people throw palm leaves and welcome him as king

Monday

Jesus clears the temple because people were using it for trading and making money rather than praying.

Tuesday

Jesus preaches in the temple and the Pharisees try to trick him into saying something that would get him into trouble.

Spy Wednesday

Judas and the Pharisees arrange a plan to betray Jesus for 20 silver coins.

Holy Thursday

Jesus and his disciples celebrate the Passover. This meal is known as the Last Supper. He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane and is betrayed by Judas and is arrested.

Good Friday

Jesus faces two trials: religious and Roman. In the religious trial before the Sanhedrin, he is found guilty of blasphemy and in the Roman trial it is of treason. He is then nailed on a cross and dies.

Holy Saturday

Jesus’s body rests in the tomb.

Easter Sunday

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb to prepare Jesus’s body with spices and incense. She opens it and sees that the body is gone. She asks who she thinks is the gardener where Jesus’s body went, but the gardener reveals that he is Jesus and that he had resurrected.

Religious trial

Jesus was interrogated by Caiaphas the high priest. He was asked if He was the Messiah and He said He was. They found Him guilty of blasphemy.

Roman Trial

Jesus was brought here to decide his fate. Pontius Pilate asks Him if He is the King of the Jews and He says, ‘So you say.’ Pilate doesn’t think He deserves to die, but because of the pressure from the crowd and the Pharisees, he announces Jesus guilty of treason and crucifies Him.

Ascension

Jesus appeared to his disciples 40 days after his resurrection, then returned to heaven.

Pentecost

Occurred 10 days after the Ascension where the tongues of fire came down on the disciples heads and gave them the ability to speak any language.

Development of the Gospels

Jesus’ life, the apostles passing on his message by word of mouth, and the Evangelists writing it down.

Q Source

A collection of Jesus' sayings that Matthew and Luke are believed to have used alongside Mark.

Gospel of John

A Gospel that focuses more on explaining who Jesus was, using a poetic style, rather than repeating the same stories as the others.

Oral tradition in Christianity

Before writing was common, Christians shared the good news by telling stories aloud.

Evangelists

The writers of the four Gospels who recorded the key messages about Jesus.

Council of Jerusalem

Early Christian leaders agreed that becoming a follower required repentance and baptism.

Impact of Paul

Paul travelled widely, taught new communities, and wrote letters to guide Christians.

Apostle to the Gentiles

Paul spread the message to non‑Jews and taught that they didn’t need to follow all Jewish laws first.

Conversion of Saul

Saul experienced a blinding light, heard Jesus speak, was healed by Ananias, and chose to be baptised, beginning a new life.

Day 1

God created light

Day 2

God seperated the sky from the waters

Day 3

God created dry land

Day 4

God created the sun, moon and stars.

Day 5

God created the birds in the sky and animals in the sea

Day 6

God created land animals and the first man, Adam

Day 7

God rested

Scientific creation story: The Big Bang theory

The universe began about 14 billion years ago when all matter and space were packed tightly together in one tiny mass. This mass suddenly expanded and exploded, and as it spread out, atoms formed. Over time, gravity pulled these atoms together to create planets, solar systems and galaxies.

Difference between science and religious creation stories

Science explains how the universe began through evidence and discoveries, while religion focuses on why the world exists and its deeper meaning or purpose.

Describe how human evidence of search for meaning is seen in something archaeological

Newgrange shows this because it was built around 3200 BCE as both a burial site and a place where people celebrated the power of the sun, showing early humans were searching for meaning in life, death and nature.

Holy Week

The week leading up to Easter and a time to remember important events in the life of Jesus

Passion

Refers to the suffering of Jesus before his death

Blasphemy

Insulting God or a religion

Eucharist

Literally means 'thanksgiving'; the Christian commemoration of the Last Supper

Sanhedrin

The Jewish court of law that the Pharisees and Sadducees were in charge of

Stations of the Cross

Fourteen images that show the last hours of Jesus's life

Crucifix

A cross with Jesus on it

Resurrection

The term Christians use to describe Jesus rising from the dead

Ascension

The Christian belief in the bodily return of Jesus to heaven

Pentecost

The Christian festival celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus fifty days after his resurrection. It marks the beginning of the Christian Church

Synoptic

Means 'from a similar point of view' and is used to describe the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke

Natural world

Refers to all animals, plants and other things existing in nature that were not made or caused by humans

Creation

Refers to how something came into being in the first place

Myth

A story passed down through generations that is traditionally used to explain complex ideas and help answer complicated questions

Evolve

To develop or change gradually

Fundamentalist

Someone who believes in a strict literal interpretation of a sacred text

Climate justice

A term used to highlight the climate crisis as a moral issue

Interfaith

Something that involves people from more than one religion

Encyclical

A letter from the Pope normally sent to Catholic bishops

Migrant

Someone who moves from one country, place or locality to another

Refugee

Someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group

Asylum

The protection granted by a state or an organisation to someone who has left their home country as a refugee

Racism

Prejudice and discrimination against people of a different race

Xenophobia

Prejudice and discrimination against people from a different country