KS5
A-Level Religious Studies
Students study the Eduqas syllabus for Religious Studies comprising three components:
A study of Religion - Christianity, Philosophy of Religion and Religion and Ethics
- Each one of these three components are equally weighted.
- There are three exams at the end of year two and each of these are two hours long.
- There is no coursework in this subject.
Component 1
A Study of Religion- Christianity
- Religious Figures and Sacred Texts including the life of Jesus
- Religious Concepts and Religious Life including is God male and does God suffer?
- Significant social developments in religious thought including challenges from science
- Religious practices that shape religious identity including baptism and Christmas.
Component 2
Philosophy of Religion
- Arguments for the existence of God
- Challenges to religious beliefs including the problem of evil and suffering and psychological and sociological arguments against God
- Religious experience including case studies and miracles
- Religious language including mythical language and symbolic language
Component 3
Religion and Ethics
- Ethical Thought including issues such as whether being a good person is better than just doing good deeds
- Deontological Ethics applied to abortion, voluntary euthanasia, immigration and capital punishment
- Teleological ethics applied to homosexual relationships, polyamorous relationships, animal experimentation for medical research and the use of nuclear weapons as a deterrent
- Determinism and Free will including the extent to which an individual has free choice
Useful link: GCSE Religious Studies - AQA - BBC Bitesize