AS Religious Studies

Students who opt for Religious Studies AS Level at Wellington, follow the Edexcel course in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. This is a fascinating course that looks at questions such as:

• 'Can we know that God exists?'
• 'Why is there evil and suffering?'
• 'Is it ever morally right to go to war?'
• 'Are abortions acceptable?'

The course gives students the opportunity to develop their philosophical thinking skills and put very famous arguments to the test. It is an excellent preparation for university, as we encourage learning through discussion, engagement with famous primary texts and independent research.

You don't have to be religious to study this course and you don't have to have studied it at GCSE. You just have to be interested in the most important questions that humans can ask and you must be prepared to think logically and critically about the way that you argue.

There are two exams at the end of the AS year:

• Unit 1: "Foundations" in which you have to answer three questions on Philosophy of Religion and Ethics.
• Unit 2: "Investigations" in which you answer one question in 1 hour 15 minutes on a prepared topic..

You can find helpful resources for both Philosophy of Religion and Ethics by clicking on the links on the left.