Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Religious Studies B · Paper 1 · Area of study 2 · Marriage and the Family Harlington School · RE Course · Support Grade
⌂ Home
Unit 05

Marriage and Relationships

Eight topics, one unit. The divergent Christian views, and the non-religious ones the examiner expects here, set side by side, the key ideas connected, and every source of wisdom and authority in one place.

The
big
question

What do Christians believe marriage, sex and family are FOR, and why do Christians, and their non-religious neighbours, answer so differently?

01

The divergent views explorer

Every (d) in this unit turns on the divergent views · Catholic beside Anglican beside liberal Christian, and beside the non-religious voice this paper expects. Pick a topic, then tap a position to see what it claims. The top-marks move and a 7-minute discussion question travel with each topic.

Tap a circle, or use Tab and Enter, to explore each position.

The thread that ties it together

Top marks are not more content: they are three habits applied to every topic. Spot them and every (d) in this unit opens the same way.

Divergent views, side by side

Never one view at a time. Set Catholic beside Anglican beside liberal Christian, and on this unit beside the humanist or legal view too. Where they agree, and the exact point they part: that comparison IS the analysis the (d) is marked on.

The (d) regulation

Chain each point (claim → because → this means → therefore), steelman the other side, weigh BOTH arguments, a strength AND a limit, then justify the conclusion.

Source-first accuracy

A correctly named source beats a vague paraphrase: Mark 10:9, not 'Jesus said don't get divorced'; Humanae Vitae 1968, not 'the Pope banned it'. One learned line, placed precisely, is what turns a (c) from 3 marks into 5.

02

8 topics, one unit

Each panel is a topic's key idea: the connective explanation that links the key words into one argument, with the source of wisdom and authority the (c) question expects. Learn the chain, not the list.

Topic 1 · MR01

Marriage

What is marriage actually FOR?
LIFELONG UNIONChristians define marriage as the lifelong union of two people, made before God and witnessed publicly, rather than a private arrangement between two individuals.
ONE FLESHGenesis 2:24 says a man leaves his parents and the couple 'become one flesh', a new and permanent unit, not two lives running alongside each other.
THREE PURPOSESFrom that follow the traditional purposes: faithful company, the right setting for a sexual relationship, and the having and raising of children.
SACRAMENT/COVENANTCatholics call it a sacrament that gives grace; most Protestants call it a covenant promise, and that is exactly where the divergence begins.
Source of wisdom & authorityGenesis 2:24 · 'One flesh'
Topic 2 · MR02

Sexual relationships

Who decides what is right in a relationship?
A COMMANDMENTThe seventh commandment forbids adultery, so faithfulness within marriage is not merely good advice but part of God's law for Christians.
WHY IT MATTERSAdultery breaks the 'one flesh' bond and the trust the marriage was built on, harming the partner, the children and the promise itself.
CHASTITYTraditional teaching therefore keeps sex within marriage, chastity before it, fidelity inside it, treating sex as the sign of total, lifelong commitment.
THE MODERN SPLITMost people in Britain now accept sex before marriage, so churches divide over whether to restate the rule or apply it more pastorally.
Source of wisdom & authorityExodus 20:14 · 'You shall not commit adultery'
Topic 3 · MR03

Families

What is a family actually FOR?
HAVING CHILDRENChristians see having and raising children as a purpose of marriage, rooted in the command to 'be fruitful and increase in number' (Genesis 1:28).
SECURITYThe family then provides stability, protection and love, the settled place in which children can grow up safely and be cared for.
UPBRINGINGProverbs 22:6 tells parents to 'start children off on the way they should go', making moral and religious education a parental duty.
MANY SHAPESNuclear, extended, single-parent, blended, same-sex and step-families all exist in Britain, so churches must decide which of them they will support.
Source of wisdom & authorityProverbs 22:6 · 'Start children off'
Topic 4 · MR04

Support for the family

How does the church hold families together?
A NEW COMMANDJesus tells his followers to 'love one another as I have loved you', so practical care for families is obedience rather than optional kindness.
THE PARISHThe parish is the local church community and the area it serves, which makes every family living inside it the church's responsibility.
RITES OF PASSAGEIt supports families across the whole of a life: marriage preparation, the wedding, baptism, confirmation, funerals and bereavement visiting.
WEEKDAY WORKAnd through the ordinary week: Sunday school, youth groups, toddler groups, marriage counselling, debt advice and food banks.
Source of wisdom & authorityJohn 13:34 · 'Love one another'
Topic 5 · MR05

Family planning

Who decides how big a family should be?
OPEN TO LIFECatholic teaching holds that every sexual act within marriage must remain open to new life, because uniting the couple and creating life belong together.
HUMANAE VITAEHumanae Vitae (1968) therefore rejects artificial contraception, the pill, condoms, sterilisation, as deliberately breaking that link between being joined and having children.
NATURAL METHODSIt does permit natural family planning: couples with serious reasons may space births using the infertile times of the cycle, which alters nothing about the act itself.
RESPONSIBLE CHOICEOther churches answer that responsible parenthood, health, income, the children already born, can make contraception the loving and responsible decision.
Source of wisdom & authorityHumanae Vitae (1968) · 'Open to life'
Topic 6 · MR06

Divorce

Can an unbreakable promise ever be broken?
GOD JOINED THEMMark 10:9: 'what God has joined together, let no one separate.' Jesus quotes Genesis and treats the marriage bond as God's own act.
CANNOT BE ENDEDCatholic teaching follows that strictly: a real marriage, once the couple have had sex, cannot be ended, so remarriage in church while the first partner lives is not possible.
THE EXCEPTIONMatthew 19:9 adds 'except for sexual immorality', and Protestants read this as Jesus himself permitting divorce where the marriage is already broken.
ANNULMENT OR MERCYSo Catholics offer annulment, a declaration that no true marriage ever existed, while other churches allow divorce as the lesser of two evils.
Source of wisdom & authorityMark 10:9–12 · 'Let no one separate'
Topic 7 · MR07

Men and women in the family

Did God design different roles, or equal ones?
EQUAL IN CREATIONGenesis 1:27 says God created humanity male and female in his own image, so both carry exactly the same God-given value from the start.
ONE IN CHRISTGalatians 3:28 goes further: 'there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus', dissolving status differences in the Church.
BUT EPHESIANS 5Ephesians 5 tells wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church: different roles, mutual duty.
TWO READINGSComplementarians read equal worth with distinct roles; egalitarians read equality as sharing every role. Same Bible, two readings, one exam question.
Source of wisdom & authorityGalatians 3:28 · 'All one in Christ'
Topic 8 · MR08

Gender prejudice and discrimination

What should Christians DO about unfairness?
IMAGE OF GODGenesis 1:27 says God created humankind male and female in his own image, giving every person the same God-given dignity.
PREJUDICE → ACTIONPrejudice is pre-judging someone unfairly; discrimination is acting on it: refusing a job, paying less, dismissing a view because it is a woman's.
JESUS' EXAMPLEJesus treated women as full disciples: he taught Mary, spoke openly with the Samaritan woman, and women were the first witnesses of the resurrection.
SO CHRISTIANS ACTChristians therefore challenge sexism at home, at work and in the Church itself, and it is that last one they argue about most.
Source of wisdom & authorityGenesis 1:27 · 'In the image of God'
03

Your resources

Everything for the unit, in one place: each topic's lesson deck and workbook pages, plus the unit-wide documents. The file each button points to is named underneath it.

Teacher setup: links aren't set yet. Open this file in a text editor, find the LINKS list near the bottom, and paste each SharePoint or OneDrive share link once. Buttons with no link show as "Link not set".
04

How to revise this unit

Use the resources in this order: the same loop as the lessons, so revision feels like coming home.

Retrieve before you re-read

Five recall questions from memory: naming which group holds each position, Catholic, Anglican, liberal or humanist, self-scored /5 before opening any notes. Then the same five at +1 week and +1 month.

Re-walk the lesson deck

One deck per topic, MR_L01 to MR_L08. Cover the definitions, say them aloud, then reveal. The deck is the shortest route back into the topic.

Work the workbook pages

The Lesson Companion has the same task numbers as the board. Redo Task 3 (the key source) and Task 5 (the divorce debate) from memory.

Write the (d) the Level 4 way

Chain · steelman · weigh both (a strength AND a limit) · justify. Check yourself against the Model Answer Bank before you look at any mark scheme.

The marks map · (a) (b) (c) · 12 marks · AO1
(a) 3 marks · outline three. Three crisp sentences; no development needed.
(b) 4 marks · explain two. Each point plus one development ("this means that…").
(c) 5 marks · explain two and use a source of wisdom and authority, one learned line, placed exactly.
The (d) · 12 marks (+3 SPaG on two of them) · AO2
What it is · a full evaluation: arguments for, arguments against, both developed, with religious teaching used on each side.
Level 3 (7–9) · logical reasoning across different viewpoints, accurate understanding, a partially justified conclusion.
Level 4 (10–12) · critical deconstruction, sustained and thorough accuracy, and a conclusion fully justified against the strongest counter-argument.
SPaG · 3 extra marks are awarded on two (d) questions per paper. Spell the key words correctly and use them accurately.
05

Watch: the whole unit in one go

A full review of Marriage and Relationships: all eight topics as one argument. Best watched before you revise, then again to check recall.

Video not set

Teacher: paste the YouTube link in the VIDEO_URL line near the bottom of this file. The player then appears here automatically.

06

Flashcards · test yourself

Flip a card to check yourself. Switch between key terms (term → meaning) and divergent views (view → what it claims), and filter by topic.

Tap any card to flip ·