Religious Studies & Philosophy, Religion, & Ethics

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Key Stage 3 Summary

The goal of Religious Studies during this lesson are:  

  • To introduce students to key concepts needed for the understanding of religion  
  • To give students a broad understanding of religion through investigation of the six largest religions in the world (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam)  
  • To help students explore philosophical and ethical issues through religious and non-religious perspectives  

Students will have two assessment points throughout the year designed to encourage students to recall key information about World Religions and to evaluate philosophical, ethical and theological questions raised by different religions.

Half Term  

Year 7 

Year 8  

Half term 1 

7.1 Introduction to Religious Studies  

8.1 Hinduism

Half term 2

7.2 Sources of Wisdom and Authority

8.2 Buddhism

Half term 3

7.3 Judaism

8.3 Sikhism
Half term 4 7.4 The life of Jesus 8.4 Arguments for the existence of God
Half term 5 7.5 Islam 8.5 Is it ever right to kill?
Half term 6 7.6 Revision 8.6 Revision

Key Stage 4 (Years 9, 10, 11)

All students at The Bridge Academy will take a GCSE in Religious Studies for the reasons below

1. Hackney, as an area, has no religious majority and so encountering and understanding different religions helps students to understand the world around them

2. Religions have become increasingly influential in societies and political systems across the world; understanding religion, therefore, helps students to understand the broader world around them

3. As with other humanities subjects, Religious Studies helps to develop skills such as empathy, critical thinking, and reflexivity

The GCSE sees students specialise in the study of two world religions (Christianity and Islam) which will be studied both through studies of their key beliefs and practices and in how they approach the world.

The GCSE includes two exams which are both 1hr and 45 minutes long. The first focuses on beliefs and practices in Christianity and Islam and the other on how these faiths approach the following themes: Religion and Life, Relationships and Families, Crime and Punishment, and Peace and Conflict.

Students will be provided with revision material, but to gain a better understanding of the course you may want to visit the AQA website.

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

· Christianity: beliefs

· Christianity: practices

· Islam: Beliefs

· Islam: practices

· Religion and Life

· Relationships and Families

· Crime and Punishment

· Peace and Conflict

· Revision

Key Stage 5 (Years 12 and 13)

The Bridge Academy also offers the A Level in Philosophy, Religion and Ethics. Compared to the GCSE this allows students to dive into philosophical, ethical and theological questions. The Philosophy of Religion and Ethics module explores this issues from non-religious and Christian perspectives, whereas Developments in Islamic Thoughts allows students to gain a specialised understanding of Islam.

In order to get on the course students are expected to have achieved a minimum of a grade 6 in GCSE Religious Studies and GCSE English Language. If a student has not taken Religious Studies for GCSE then they need to have achieved a grade 6 in another humanities or social science subject (examples: History, Geography, Citizenship, Sociology, Psychology).

The exam board we follow is OCR which features three 2 hour exams on each of the three units below. The exam will contain four 40-mark essay questions, of which students are expected to pick 3.

Philosophy of Religion

Religion and Ethics

Developments in Islamic Thought

· Ancient Philosophical Influences

· Soul, mind and body

· The Design Argument

· The Cosmological Argument

· The Ontological Argument

· Problem of Evil

· Religious Experiences

· Nature of God

· Religious language

· Natural Law Theory

· Situation Ethics

· Kantian Ethics

· Utilitarianism

· Euthanasia

· Business Ethics

· Sexual Ethics

· Metaethics

· Conscience

· Prophecy and revelation

· Tradition

· God is one

· Human destiny

· The Shar’iah

· Sufism

· Science and philosophy

· Gender equality

· Tolerance

· Justice and Liberation

· Islam and the State

· Islam in Europe
Useful Links

The Religious Studies - Philosophy and Ethics assessment resources can be found here

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/as-and-a-level/religious-studies-7062/assessment-resources

The Religious Studies - Philosophy and Ethics examination specification we follow can be found here

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/as-and-a-level/religious-studies-7062/specification-at-a-glance 

HOW CAN I REVISE PHILOSOPHY and ETHICS?

It is really important you use your exercise book to revise- this should act as a revision guide.

Below is a list of websites that can also help with your revision.

When you’ve decided what you need to revise (by using the AQA specification, try one of these activities):

1. Make flash cards of key words or concepts and then practice with a friend or family member

2. Create a mind map from memory of a topic. Then check your notes and add to your mindmap in a different colour.

3. Answer an exam question. Then mark it using a mark scheme (see below for GCSE and A level links to papers). Now use your notes to make your corrections until you have a full mark model answer.  

Key Stage 5 Revision – AQA
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