KS5

Key Stage five Curriculum Overview

Year 12 Arguments for the existence of God. Religious Experience. Practical Ethics.

	Name of Topic	Key Content of the Topic	Assessment Points
HT1	Unit 1) Arguments for the existence of God	An introduction to AS Religious Studies An introduction to ‘The Design Argument’ David Hume’s 5 key criticisms	End of sub unit assessment: A01 essay
HT2	Unit 2) The Ontological argument	The attributes of God The Ontological argument Gaunilo’s Island and Anselm’s response Kant’s criticisms	End of sub unit assessment: A02 essay
HT3	Unit 3) The Cosmological argument	The Kalam argument Aquinas’ Cosmological argument Hume and Russell	End of unit assessment: A01 essay
HT4	Unit 4) Religious experience	An introduction to religious experience Visions, numinosious and mystical experiences Scientific responses to religious experience	End of unit assessment: A02 essay
HT5-6	Unit 5) Practical ethics	An introduction to practical ethics: Issues of human life and death Issues of non-human life and death	Trial Exam

Year 13 Ethical Theory

	Name of topic	Key Content of the Topic	Assessment points
HT1	Unit 1) Natural Moral Law	An Introduction to ‘Natural Moral Law’ (NML) theory Primary and secondary precepts Double effect and the principle of proportionality Criticisms of NML theory	End of unit assessment: A01 essay
HT2	Unit 2) Situation Ethics	An introduction to ‘Situation Ethics’ The significance of ‘agape’ in Fletcher’s philosophy Criticisms of situation ethics	End of unit assessment: A02 essay
HT3	Unit 3) Virtue ethics	An introduction to Virtue ethics Eudaimonia The Golden mean Criticisms of virtue ethics	End of unit assessment: A01 essay
HT4	Unit 4) The study of Christianity (Part one)	Sources of Wisdom and authority The nature of Good (Y9 enrichment) Self, death and the afterlife (Y9 enrichment)	End of sub-unit assessment: A02 essay
HT5	Unit 4) The study of Christianity (Part two)	Good conduct and key moral principles Expressions of religious identity Exam practice	End of unit assessment: A01 essay
HT6	N/A		GCSE

Recommended Revision Guides for AS

All students will be issued with revision guides and the necessary preparatory material for the examination. This includes model answers, revision checklists and topic descriptors. All resources used in lessons are available in the AS Religious Studies group folders on Office365. The following textbooks are recommended:

My Revision Notes AQA AS-level Religious Studies: Paper 1 Philosophy of religion and ethics
ISBN:9781510425873
My Revision Notes AQA AS-level Religious Studies: Paper 2 Study of Christianity and Dialogues
ISBN:9781510425880

Recommended online Resources:

These websites, podcasts and video channels are recommended for students who wish to deepen their understanding of key philosophical, ethical and religious ideas explored in the curriculum.

Podcasts:

In Our Time – Philosophy (BBC)
Expert-led discussions on key philosophical ideas and thinkers.
The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast
Student-friendly episodes exploring major philosophical questions
Philosophy Bites
Short interviews with philosophers on classic and contemporary topics.
History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
A global and chronological journey through philosophical thought.

YouTube Channels:

Closer to Truth – Big questions in science, philosophy, and religion
Philosophy Vibe – Accessible, discussion-based philosophy topics
Crash Course: Philosophy – Animated introductions to major concepts and thinkers
TED Talks – Philosophy – Short expert talks on philosophical themes
The Bible Project – Visual explorations of Biblical texts and themes

Websites:

BBC Bitesize – Religious Studies (KS3 & KS4) – Curriculum-linked revision and topic summaries
RE:Online – Subject Knowledge – Detailed overviews of world religions
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Authoritative articles on philosophical topics
Oxplore (University of Oxford) – Big questions for curious minds aged 11–18
Philosophy Now Magazine – Articles and interviews from contemporary philosophers

Support available for AS students

There is an AS Religious Studies study club on Monday lunchtimes in S3 from 12:20 - 1:00
Twice weekly revision sessions run from Jan-May. Students will be informed of the day/times by their class teacher.