New
New
Year 11
AQA

Exploitation of people living in poverty; fair pay and interest on loans

I can explain how unfair wages and high-interest loans exploit people and responses to this.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Exploitation of people living in poverty; fair pay and interest on loans

I can explain how unfair wages and high-interest loans exploit people and responses to this.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Workers face poverty wages, poor conditions and exploitative loans trapping them in debt.
  2. Cases like Rana Plaza (2013) and 5,000% APR loans show widespread abuse.
  3. The Bible condemns unfair wages and exploitative lending, urging justice and compassion.
  4. Groups like Christian Aid and Fairtrade fight for fair pay, ethical trade and debt relief.
  5. Christians can respond through ethical choices, advocacy and supporting the vulnerable.

Keywords

  • Exploitation - the unfair treatment or use of individuals or groups, often for profit, by taking advantage of their vulnerability, limited resources or lack of power

  • Fair pay - payment that is appropriate for the work done

  • Interest - money paid back on loans in addition to the original amount borrowed

  • Loan - amount of money borrowed from a lender, usually paid back in installments with interest

Common misconception

Poverty is always the result of personal choices, so people just need to work harder or manage money better.

Poverty isn’t just about personal choices; systemic factors like low wages and predatory lending trap people despite hard work.


To help you plan your year 11 religious education lesson on: Exploitation of people living in poverty; fair pay and interest on loans, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Include up-to-date information on the living wage for different age groups in the UK and around the world, and look at how this compares with a living wage.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each term to the correct description.
Correct Answer:Liberation Theology,a Christian movement challenging injustice

a Christian movement challenging injustice

Correct Answer:Oscar Romero,a priest who spoke out against oppression

a priest who spoke out against oppression

Correct Answer:Universal Declaration of Human Rights,a document outlining fundamental rights

a document outlining fundamental rights

Q2.
What is a key cause of poverty that is linked to employment?
a lack of access to clean water
poor community relationships
Correct answer: low wages and unemployment
Q3.
Why is education important for tackling poverty?
Correct answer: it helps people to access better jobs
it guarantees that people will become rich
it removes the need for financial support
Q4.
How does conflict contribute to poverty?
it strengthens economies
Correct answer: it destroys homes and jobs
it reduces the cost of living
Q5.
How does Christian Aid help fight poverty?
by only offering food to those in crisis
by focusing only on spiritual guidance
Correct answer: by providing both emergency aid and long-term support
Q6.
Why do some Christians support Liberation Theology?
Correct answer: because it promotes justice for the poor
because it focuses only on spiritual guidance
because it avoids involvement in social issues

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each term to the correct description.
Correct Answer:Fairtrade,a movement ensuring fair wages and conditions

a movement ensuring fair wages and conditions

Correct Answer:Christian Aid,a charity that fights poverty and injustice

a charity that fights poverty and injustice

Correct Answer:usury,charging excessive interest on loans

charging excessive interest on loans

Correct Answer:Salvation Army,a Christian group offering debt advice

a Christian group offering debt advice

Q2.
What is a major problem faced by sweatshop workers?
Correct answer: low wages and unsafe conditions
a lack of demand for their products
too much government support
Q3.
How does Christian Aid help people in poverty?
by only offering food and clothing
by promoting payday loans
Correct answer: by providing microloans and debt relief
Q4.
What does the Bible say about fair pay?
that employers should pay as little as possible
Correct answer: that workers deserve fair wages
that only the wealthy should set wages
Q5.
Why are payday loans often criticised?
Correct answer: they trap people in debt with high interest rates
they help people save money
they offer fair financial support
Q6.
How can Christians respond to financial exploitation?
by ignoring economic issues
Correct answer: by supporting fair trade and ethical banking
by investing in payday loan companies

Additional material

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