Philosophy and Theology Syllabus

The AQA GCSE and A-Level courses are very popular and our pupils enjoy debating a wide range of material.

GCSE

The name of the Philosophy and Theology GCSE specification is Religious Studies, see: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062/specification-at-a-glance

In the Fourth Form, pupils explore the beliefs, teachings and practices of Christianity, as well as philosophical and ethical thematic themes.

Topics Include:

• The origins of the universe
• Abortion
• Euthanasia
• Death and the Afterlife
• The use and abuse of animals
• Christian attitudes towards the death penalty

In the Fifth Form, pupils explore the beliefs, teachings and practices of Islam, as well as philosophical and ethical thematic themes.

Topics include:

• Arguments for the existence of God
• Prejudice and discrimination
• Social Justice and human rights

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices
What's assessed Beliefs, teachings and practices of: Christianity Islam
How it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes 96 marks, plus 6 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) 50% of GCSE
Questions Each religion has a common structure of two five-part questions of 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 marks. Each religion is marked out of 48.

 

Component 2: Thematic studies
What's assessed four religious, philosophical and ethical studies themes  Religious, philosophical and ethical studies themes: Theme B: Religion and life. Theme C: The existence of God and revelation. Theme E: Religion, crime and punishment. Theme F: Religion, human rights and social justice.
How it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes 96 marks, plus 3 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) 50% of GCSE
Questions Each theme has a common structure of one five-part question of 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 marks. Each theme is marked out of 24.

 

A-LEVEL

The name of the Philosophy and Theology A-Level specification is Religious Studies, see: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/as-and-a-level/religious-studies-7062/specification-at-a-glance

The course is divided into two components taught over two years, detailed below:

COMPONENT 1: PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION AND ETHICS

Pupils study a range of issues and are encouraged to have an open mind when discussing complex and sensitive questions relating to religion and ethics.

Topics include: Arguments for God’s Existence, Evil and Suffering, Issues of Human and Animal Life and Death, and Issues of Free Will, Moral Responsibility and Conscience.

COMPONENT 2: STUDY OF RELIGION AND DIALOGUES

Pupils will study one major religion, and will enter into discussions on ethics and philosophy relating to that religion. At Canford the focus is on Christianity.

Topics include: Expression of Religious Identity, Religion and Science, Religion and Secularisation, and Self, Death and the Afterlife.

The Dialogue section of the specification is focused on the connections between various elements of the course and requires students to develop breadth and depth in their understanding of the connections between the knowledge, understanding and skills set out in the specification. Our pupils will be required to demonstrate a critical awareness of the dialogue between Christianity and philosophy and the dialogue between Christianity and ethics. 

Component 1: Philosophy of religion and ethics
What's assessed Section A: Philosophy of religion Arguments for the existence of God Evil and suffering Religious experience Religious language Miracles Self and life after death. Section B: Ethics and religion Ethical theories Issues of human life and death Issues of animal life and death Introduction to meta ethics Free will and moral responsibility Conscience Bentham and Kant.
How it's assessed Written exam: 3 hours 100 marks 50% of A-level
Questions Section A: Philosophy of religion – two compulsory two-part questions, each worth 10 marks and 15 marks. Section B: Ethics and religion – two compulsory two-part questions, each worth 10 marks and 15 marks. In both sections, questions may span more than one topic. In each two-part question, the first part tests AO1 and the second part tests AO2.

 

Component 2: Study of religion and dialogues

What's assessed

Section A: Study of religion – for each faith option (2A–2E) the following topics are covered:

• Sources of wisdom and authority
• God/gods/ultimate reality
• Self, death and the afterlife
• Good conduct and key moral principles
• Expression of religious identity
• Religion, gender and sexuality
• Religion and science
• Religion and secularisation
• Religion and religious pluralism.

Section B: The dialogue between philosophy of religion and religion.

How religion is influenced by, and has an influence on philosophy of religion in relation to the issues studied.

Section C: The dialogue between ethical studies and religion.

How religion is influenced by, and has an influence on ethical studies in relation to the issues studied.

How it's assessed

• Written exam: 3 hours
• 100 marks
• 50% of A-level

Questions

Section A: Study of religion – two compulsory two-part questions, each worth 10 marks and 15 marks relating to the religion chosen. Questions may be set that span more than one topic. In each two-part question, the first part tests AO1 and the second part tests AO2.

Section B: The dialogue between philosophy of religion and religion – one unstructured synoptic question from a choice of two (25 marks).

Section C: The dialogue between ethical studies and religion – one unstructured synoptic question from a choice of two (25 marks).