A-Level Religious Studies

Students study the AQA syllabus for Religious Studies comprising two units: Christianity and the Philosophy  of Religion and Ethics and the Study of Christianity and Dialogues.

Component 1

Philosophy of Religion and Ethics

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

Component 2

Study of Religion and Dialogues

Section A: Study of Christianity

• 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

Each component has a written exam of three hours.