Component 1 - A Study of Religion – Christianity

The study of Christianity asks the following questions:

Who is Jesus? Did he really exist? Should we believe the Bible? Can you be rich and a Christian? What is Feminism? Are men and Women the same? Virtues or values or both? 

Christianity will take you beyond your understanding so far and look at how the faith developed into what we know today.

Component 2 - Philosophy

Philosophy includes a consideration of ultimate questions such as the existence of God, life after death, the problem of evil and the nature of the debate between science and religion. Philosophy will challenge your thinking of the everyday! 

Component 3 - Ethics

Ethics involves studying different approaches to how people view morality. Does morality originate with God? Do we act out of duty? Is this the same as doing what is right? Can we define good as anything other than good? 

We want students who:  are not afraid to discuss and debate their opinions; are not afraid to try and are resilient; are hard-working and dedicated with good essay writing skills; and who want to be challenged to think beyond the everyday. 

How will students be assessed?

A Level

3 written exams:

•    Paper 1: Christianity - 33% 2 hour exam

•    Paper 2: Philosophy - 33% 2 hour exam

•    Paper 3: Ethics - 33% 2 hour exam

For each paper, students will be expected to answer one question from Section A out of a choice of two and one question from Section B out of a choice of three.  

What other courses does it complement?

Religious Studies combines well with both arts-based subjects like English, History, Sociology, Geography, Art as well as science-based subjects like Physics, Maths, Chemistry and Biology. 

Next steps - what this course can lead to

Religious Studies is an extremely well respected and highly regarded academic subject. Universities respect it as a good qualification. Employers see it as an interesting subject that develops the critical thinking skills required for the modern work place. Religious Studies students have gone on to study a wide variety of subjects at university; these include, Law, Medicine, Physics, Biology, English, Midwifery, Criminology, nursing, social work and teaching.

St Benedict’s,

Sixth Form