RELIGIOUS STUDIES A LEVEL & AS LEVEL COURSES

“Westminster Tutors is a sixth form college in London providing one-to-one tuition for A level students”

Religious Studies A Level & AS Level Courses

Religious Studies is not simply about religion, but allows students to explore all kinds of philosophical and ethical ideas. At Westminster Tutors, students are encouraged to approach these ideas critically and reflectively in the context of religious traditions and values. In a similar vein to Philosophy, our students enjoy lively discussion and debate, while developing their own understanding and thoughts.

Course outline

Modules

Philosophy of religion

  • Philosophical Language and Thought
  • The Existence of God
  • God and the World
  • Theological and Philosophical Developments
  • Religious Language: Negative, Analogical or Symbolic
  • Religious Language: Twentieth Century Perspectives

Religion and ethics

  • Normative Ethical Theories: Religious Approaches
  • Normative Ethical Theories
  • Applied Ethics
  • Ethical Language: Meta-ethics
  • Significant Ideas
  • Developments in Ethical Thought

Developments in Christian thought

  • Insight
  • Foundations
  • Living
  • Development
  • Society
  • Challenges

Assesment

AS Level

Philosophy of religion

  • Assessment of sections 1.1-1.3
  • 60 marks
  • 1 hour 15 minutes written paper
  • 33.3% of total AS level

Religion and ethics

  • Assessment of sections 2.1-2.3
  • 60 marks
  • 1 hour 15 minutes written paper
  • 33.3% of total AS level

Developments in Christian thought

  • Assessment of sections 3.1-3.3
  • 60 marks
  • 1 hour 15 minutes written paper
  • 33.3% of total AS level

A Level

Philosophy of religion

  • Assessment of sections 1.1-1.6
  • 120 marks
  • 2 hours written paper
  • 33.3% of total A level

Religion and ethics

  • Assessment of sections 2.1-2.6
  • 120 marks
  • 2 hours written paper
  • 33.3% of total A level

Developments in Christian thought

  • Assessment of sections 3.1-3.6
  • 120 marks
  • 2 hours written paper
  • 33.3% of total A level

Set Texts

Reading List

Good introductions to some important themes of the course include:

  • The Puzzle of God by Peter Vardy
  • The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
  • The Elements of Moral Philosophy by James Rachels

Many novelists are insightful on the philosophical issues that arise in Religious Studies.
The following is a list of some novelists who are famous for their philosophical sophistication:

  • Voltaire, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Jean-Paul Satre, Albert Camus, Iris Murdoch, Franz Kafka, Aldous Huxley, Oscar Wilde, George Eliot, Umberto Eco, Milan Kundera

Podcasts are another good introduction to Religious Studies:

  • Moral Maze (BBC, Michael Buerk). Discussion of moral dilemmas: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programme...
  • History of Philosophy without any gaps (Peter Adamson). A thorough but accessible history of philosophy that includes many ideas crucial to the development of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism: https://historyofphilosophy.ne…

Specification

Teachers will choose the examination board for students joining in Year 12 based on their expertise and specialist knowledge. For Year 13 and retake students, teachers will continue students’ studies with AQA, Edexcel/Pearson, OCR or WJEC/Eduqas. Please note that we do not offer CIE but can more than map to one of the boards listed.

Tutors

Andrew Murray
BSc (Imperial), MA (King’s), MPhil (King’s)

Benedict Tucker
BA (Cambridge)

William Bynoe
BA (King’s), PhD (King’s), PGCE (Instit. Education, London)

Why Choose Westminster Tutors?

  • Top independent sixth form college
  • Average grades 57% A*-A and 80% A*-B
  • 68% placed at Russell Group unis
  • Superbly qualified teachers who care
  • Average A level retake improvement is 1.5 grades
Student studying for her A-Levels
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About Us

Westminster Tutors is one of the oldest and best independent sixth form colleges in London. Established in 1934, our culture of scholastic excellence is deeply embedded and sets the standard for other colleges to follow.