CRE structured answers and essays: write the response the command requires
An evidence-supported answer matches the command word. The examples below are complete original responses, not an official past paper or marking scheme. Their subject is Amos’s relationship between worship and justice, using Amos 5:10–15 and 5:21–24.
| Command | What the answer does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Identify | Name a relevant detail. | Amos 5:12 condemns bribery. |
| Describe | State the relevant conduct or sequence. | The passage describes bribes and needy people denied justice. |
| Explain | Connect detail and meaning with a reason. | Bribery distorts judgment by making advantage depend on payment rather than justice. |
| Compare | Relate two sources or responses on the same point. | Compare condemned conduct with the change required in 5:15. |
| Assess | Test a claim against evidence and give a qualified judgment. | Judge whether public worship can compensate for exploitation. |
Complete structured response
Prompt: Identify two wrongs in Amos 5:10–12. Explain how 5:14–15 responds to them. Apply one principle to a fictional club.
Answer: The passage condemns hostility to truthful correction in 5:10 and taking bribes while denying needy people justice in 5:12. The call to seek good, reject evil and establish justice in 5:14–15 demands a change in conduct, rather than merely a better public reputation. In a fictional club where organisers reject a fair complaint about access to books, an application would be to hear the complaint, examine the allocation and establish a transparent arrangement. The club is an invented example; Amos does not prescribe its exact lending timetable.
Annotation: The first sentence identifies; the second explains a connection; the third applies. The final sentence keeps the application separate from the ancient text.
Complete original essay
Essay question: Assess the claim that Amos treats impressive worship as sufficient evidence of a just community.
The claim is not supported by the selected passages. Amos evaluates the relationship between worship and conduct, so a description of ceremonies alone cannot establish justice. The answer must read the criticism of worship beside the named injustices.
Amos 5:10–12 identifies hostility to correction, burdens on poor people, bribery and exclusion from justice. These are specific social wrongs rather than a vague statement that the community is imperfect. They explain why a favourable public appearance may conceal unfair treatment.
In 5:21–23 the prophetic message presents rejection of festivals, offerings and music. Verse 24 then demands justice and righteousness through the image of flowing water. The contrast does not establish that every ceremony or song is inherently wrong. It shows that religious activity cannot compensate for conduct that obstructs justice.
The alternative appears in 5:14–15: seek good, reject evil and establish justice. A Christian application could therefore ask whether a fictional club’s praise of generosity is matched by fair access to shared resources. Hearing excluded members and changing an unfair allocation would address conduct; an additional speech without change would not. This is an original analogy, not an event from Amos.
Consequently, impressive worship is insufficient evidence of a just community in these selections. The stronger judgment is that worship and ethical conduct must be read together. The conclusion remains limited to the passage’s argument and should not become a stereotype about any religion or people.
Improve and practise
Weak answer: “Amos hated music, so close every choir.” Improvement: “Amos 5:21–24 contrasts rejected worship with a demand for justice. Read with 5:10–12, it criticises worship alongside injustice rather than issuing a universal ban on music.” The improvement repairs context and scope.
Independent task: Assess “In Luke 6, hearing Jesus is enough even without action.” Write a thesis, evidence paragraph and conclusion.
Model answer: The claim contradicts Luke 6:47–49. Both builders represent hearers, but one acts and the other does not. The first is compared with a deeply founded house; the second lacks a foundation and falls when the stream strikes. Since both encounter pressure, the teaching does not promise an effortless life. It emphasises doing what is heard. The claim should therefore be rejected on the passage’s stated contrast.
Original review rubric: Check a direct response to the command, precise references, explanation rather than a list, a supported conclusion and clear limits. Do not award invented official marks or require personal religious agreement. Sources: Amos 5 and Luke 6, World English Bible Classic; the linked topic lessons retain fuller context.
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