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GCSE · Thematic Studies

RS.TE1 Religion and the Causes of Crime

AQA 8062 · Calculators not allowed · about 55 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

This question checks key vocabulary used when discussing religion and the causes of crime.

(a)State what is meant by crime.(1)

(b)State what is meant by sin, in a religious context.(1)

(c)State what is meant by civil disobedience.(1)

(d)State what is meant by a hate crime.(1)

(e)State what is meant by a contributing factor, when discussing why a person might commit a crime.(1)

(Total for Question 1 is 5 marks)

Give three types of crime recognised in England and Wales.

(Total for Question 2 is 3 marks)

Explain two religious teachings about why crime is wrong. Refer to a source of wisdom and authority in your answer.

(Total for Question 3 is 4 marks)

Explain two contrasting explanations, religious and/or non-religious, for why people commit crime. Refer to a source of wisdom and authority in your answer.

(Total for Question 4 is 5 marks)

This question is about religion and the causes of crime. It is the AQA-style 24-mark, five-part question: parts (a) to (d) are worth 12 marks; part (e) is the 12-mark evaluation.

(a)State one type of crime.(1)

(b)Give two factors that sociologists suggest can make it more likely that a person will commit a crime, without this making it certain that they will do so.(2)

(c)Explain two religious teachings on individual responsibility for wrongdoing. Refer to a source of wisdom and authority in your answer.(4)

(d)Explain two contrasting views about whether individuals or wider society bears more responsibility for crime. Refer to a source of wisdom and authority or another source in your answer.(5)

(e)Evaluate this statement: 'Individuals, not society, are always responsible for the crimes they commit.' In your answer you should: refer to religious teaching, refer to different points of view, reach a justified conclusion.(12)

(Total for Question 5 is 24 marks)

Explain two non-religious arguments about the causes of crime. Refer to Humanist or other non-religious beliefs in your answer.

(Total for Question 6 is 4 marks)

Give three reasons why understanding the causes of crime matters for how society responds to it.

(Total for Question 7 is 3 marks)

Mark scheme · RS.TE1 Religion and the Causes of Crime

Question 1

(a) B1 an action or omission that breaks the law of a country and is punishable by that country's legal system, oe
(a) Answer: An action or omission that breaks the law of a country and is punishable by that country's legal system.
(b) B1 an act that breaks a religious law or goes against the will of God, oe
(b) Answer: An act that breaks a religious law or goes against the will of God.
(c) B1 deliberately and openly breaking a law that a person believes to be unjust, as a form of peaceful protest, oe
(c) Answer: Deliberately and openly breaking a law that a person believes to be unjust, as a form of peaceful protest.
(d) B1 a crime motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person because of a characteristic such as their race, religion or disability, oe
(d) Answer: A crime motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person because of a characteristic such as their race, religion or disability.
(e) B1 something that can make an individual more vulnerable to offending, without making it certain that they will offend, oe
(e) Answer: Something that can make an individual more vulnerable to offending, without making it certain that they will offend.

Question 2

B1 theft, e.g. taking someone else's property without permission, oe
B1 murder, e.g. the unlawful killing of another person, oe
B1 hate crime, e.g. a crime motivated by prejudice against a protected characteristic, oe
Answer: Any three: theft; murder; hate crime (also accept, e.g., assault, fraud, criminal damage).

Question 3

B1 point 1: many Christians believe crimes such as theft and murder break God's commandments, oe
B1 development: the Ten Commandments include 'You shall not steal' and 'You shall not murder' (Exodus 20:13-15), oe
B1 point 2: many Muslims believe it is forbidden to take another person's life or property unjustly, oe
B1 development: the Qur'an teaches that whoever kills a soul unjustly is as if he had slain all mankind (Qur'an 5:32), oe
Answer: E.g. the Ten Commandments forbidding theft and murder (Exodus 20:13-15); the Qur'an's teaching that unjustly killing one person is like killing all mankind (Qur'an 5:32).

Question 4

B1 explanation 1: some religious teaching emphasises personal moral responsibility, holding that people freely choose to give in to wrongful desire, oe
B1 development: 'each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then... desire gives birth to sin' (James 1:14-15), oe
B1 explanation 2: many sociologists and Humanists instead point to contributing factors such as addiction or poor mental health that can increase the likelihood of offending, oe
B1 development: this view does not claim any individual factor, or any social group, makes offending certain, only that some circumstances make it statistically more likely, oe
B1 reference to a source of wisdom and authority made accurately, oe
Answer: Contrast: crime explained by individual moral choice and temptation (James 1:14-15) vs crime explained by contributing sociological factors such as addiction or poor mental health, understood as risk factors rather than causes.

Question 5

(a) B1 any recognised type of crime, e.g. theft, murder, hate crime, fraud, oe
(a) Answer: E.g. theft.
(b) B1 experiencing addiction to drugs or alcohol, oe
(b) B1 experiencing abuse or neglect during childhood, oe
(b) Answer: E.g. addiction; childhood abuse or neglect (also accept: poor mental health, peer pressure).
(c) B1 point 1: many Muslims believe every person is personally accountable before Allah for their own actions, oe
(c) B1 development: the Qur'an teaches that every soul is held in pledge for what it has earned (Qur'an 74:38), oe
(c) B1 point 2: many Christians believe humans have free will and are personally responsible when they give in to sinful desire, oe
(c) B1 development: 'desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin' (James 1:15), showing sin as a personal choice rather than something forced on a person, oe
(c) Answer: E.g. personal accountability before Allah (Qur'an 74:38); sin as a personal choice arising from desire (James 1:15).
(d) B1 view 1: many religious believers emphasise that each person freely chooses whether to sin, so the individual bears primary responsibility, oe
(d) B1 development: 'You shall not steal' and 'You shall not murder' (Exodus 20:15, 20:13) are addressed to individuals as personal commands, oe
(d) B1 view 2: many Humanists and sociologists argue that reducing crime means addressing the wider social and economic conditions, such as access to mental health support, that make offending more likely, oe
(d) B1 development: on this view, punishing individuals without addressing these underlying conditions is unlikely to reduce crime in the long term, oe
(d) B1 reference to a source of wisdom and authority or another appropriate source made accurately, oe
(d) Answer: Contrast: individual moral responsibility, addressed by commands such as Exodus 20:13/20:15, vs a wider social/sociological view that reducing crime requires addressing conditions that increase risk of offending.
(e) L4 (10-12): A well-argued, balanced answer that considers more than one point of view in a developed way, using accurate and detailed references to religious teaching and/or scripture to support each point, and reaches a clear, justified conclusion.
(e) L3 (7-9): A clear and reasoned answer that considers more than one point of view, supported by relevant references to religious teaching and/or scripture, though the justification of the conclusion may be less developed.
(e) L2 (4-6): A reasoned answer that considers at least one point of view, with some relevant supporting evidence, but with limited or no consideration of an alternative view.
(e) L1 (1-3): One or more relevant points are made, but with little or no supporting evidence and no reasoned conclusion.
(e) L0 (0): No relevant content.
(e) Indicative content:
- Note for markers: this question can be answered with either conclusion; credit any well-supported argument, whether it agrees, disagrees, or takes a middle position.
- Agree: many religious believers hold that humans are given free will, so choosing to break a religious or civil law, such as 'You shall not steal' (Exodus 20:15), is always a personal choice regardless of circumstances.
- Agree: some argue that treating crime as always caused by society removes an offender's moral agency and excuses harmful behaviour, which many religious traditions reject.
- Agree: James 1:14-15 teaches that sin comes from being 'dragged away by their own evil desire', locating the origin of wrongdoing within the individual, not their surroundings.
- Disagree: many sociologists and Humanists point out that some people facing addiction, poor mental health or childhood neglect are statistically more likely to offend, showing that circumstances play a genuine role alongside choice.
- Disagree: most people who experience these contributing factors never commit any crime, so a balanced view holds that such factors influence risk without removing an individual's own responsibility.
- Disagree: the Qur'an's teaching that every soul is accountable for 'what it has earned' (Qur'an 74:38) can be read alongside social context rather than instead of it, since Islamic teaching also emphasises social justice and care for the vulnerable.
- A balanced answer might conclude that religious and sociological perspectives are not simply opposites: most agree that individuals remain accountable for their choices, while also recognising that reducing the conditions that make offending more likely is part of a just response to crime.

Question 6

B1 point 1: many Humanists argue that crime should be understood using evidence, such as studies of what circumstances are statistically linked to offending, rather than through the idea of sin, oe
B1 development: this leads Humanists to focus on practical prevention, such as improving access to mental health and addiction support, rather than blaming individuals as inherently wicked, oe
B1 point 2: some non-religious criminologists argue that opportunity plays a role in crime, e.g. that crime is more likely where it is easier to commit and less likely to be detected, oe
B1 development: on this view, reducing crime is partly about changing situations and environments, such as improved security, rather than only about an individual's character, oe
Answer: E.g. an evidence-based, non-sin-based explanation of contributing factors; an opportunity-based explanation focused on situations rather than character.

Question 7

B1 it can help policymakers design prevention programmes that reduce future offending, oe
B1 it can help courts choose a sentence, e.g. treatment alongside punishment, that is more likely to reduce reoffending, oe
B1 it can help society avoid an unfairly harsh or purely retributive response that does not address why the crime happened, oe
Answer: Any three: informs prevention policy; informs sentencing choices; avoids an unfairly harsh response that ignores the causes.

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