Religious Studies: A-level
Qualification: A-level
Exam Board: OCR
Entry Requirements: Grade 5 or above in GCSE English Language or Grade 5 or above in GCSE English Literature, or Grade 5 in GCSE Religious Studies.
Change the way you think forever
Philosophy, ethics and religion is a popular fascinating course providing a rich and diverse study of the most highly debated questions of all: are we free? Does God exist? What happens when we die? How do we make the correct moral decisions?
Our students consistently achieve A*, and A grades each year. We are keen for students to shape their own learning and welcome independent work, ideas and revision strategies. We believe there must be an element of debate in lessons. In previous years we have introduced diverse learning strategies that include developing philosophically named drinks, lessons outside, music, video making, model building, whole class pictograms and much more to enhance the general classroom experience. We are also very keen to support memory of the key course content, using retrieval activities in every lesson.
This course studies a deep and interesting blend of subject matter and leads to an A-level in Religious Studies. Continuous assessment will be used to inform the student's progression in to Year 13. Assessment is a written examination and there is one paper per unit, each being worth 33.3% of the total marks. They are 2 hours each where students are given four essays and choose three to answer.
Qualities required
An open and enquiring mind with a willingness to examine issues in a rigorous and logical fashion. By the end of the course you will have honed your analytical and deep thinking skills having the ability to process a large amount of complex material in a quick and efficient way.
The course
Philosophy of religion
- Ancient Greek influences on philosophy including Plato and Aristotle
- The nature of the soul, mind and body
- Arguments for the existence and non-existence of God
- Issues in religious language
- The nature and impact of religious experience
- The problem of evil and suffering
Religion and Ethics
- Normative ethical theories such as Kantian ethics, natural law and situation ethics
- The application of ethical theory to euthanasia and business ethics
- Ethical language (metaethics)
- Conscience and free will
- Sexual ethics
Developments in religious thought
- Beliefs, teachings and ideas about human life
- Science and philosophy
- Gender equality
- Tolerance, justice and liberation theology
Beyond the classroom
Past activities have included:
- A trip to Keele University for an intensive revision course
- A debating society, run by students where they compete with their self-chosen topics
- In the future we are planning to run a philosophy trip to Athens, Greece where philosophy began
Examinations
Assessment is by written examination and there is one paper per unit, each being worth 33.3% of the total marks. They are 2 hours each and you are given 4 essays, of which you choose three to answer.
Progression
Students have gone on to have successful careers in law, the civil service, the charity sector, medicine, journalism, the police force, personnel management, education and academia. One former student has gone on to be a world-renowned philosopher as an expert on Aristotelian Virtue ethics. There really is no limit to what career you can choose and often world leaders have a grounding in the study of philosophy, ethics and religion. The highly sought after 'soft skills' are the mainstay of this course where you will learn to form complex opinions, debate challenging ethical issues and process large bodies of information in a quick, logical manner.
