Assessment overview
| Component | Marks | Duration | Weighting | insert text |
Philosophy of religion (01) | 60 | 1 hour 15 mins | 33⅓% | |
Religion and ethics (02) | 60 | 1 hour 15 mins | 33⅓% | |
Developments in religious thought (03-07) | 60 | 1 hour 15 mins | 33⅓% | |
Students must complete all components (01, 02 and one from 03 to 07) to be awarded the OCR AS Level in Religious Studies.
Content overview
Component 01: Philosophy of religion
Students study philosophical language and thought, and issues and questions raised by belief:
- Ancient philosophical influences
- The nature of the soul, mind and body
- Arguments about the existence or non-existence of God
- The nature and impact of religious experience
- The challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil.
Component 02: Religion and ethics
Students explore key concepts and the works of influential thinkers, ethical theories and their application:
- Normative ethical theories
- The application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance.
Component 03: Developments in religious thought
Students select one religion from the following to study systematically:
- Christianity (03)
- Islam (04)
- Judaism (05)
- Buddhism (06)
- Hinduism (07).
They explore:
- Religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world
- Sources of religious wisdom and authority
- Practices which shape and express religious identity, and how these vary within a tradition.