Religious Studies A level

Highworth Grammar School

Highworth Grammar School, Maidstone Road, Ashford, TN24 8UD

GCE A/AS Level or Equivalent

Level 3

Available start dates

Tuesday, 01 September 2026

Highworth Grammar School

2 Year(s)

Full time

Daytime/working hours

NULL

Please contact the provider directly to apply for this course.

Application Instructions

***** Please note, applications have now closed for September 2026 Sixth Form Admissions *****

Applications Open - Midday, 9 January 2026

Applications Close - Midday, 6 February 2026

School Entry Requirements: -

As a basic entry requirement to join our Sixth Form, you must have achieved at least 6 GCSE subjects at Grade 6 or above including:

at least a Grade 5 in English

at least a Grade 5 in Mathematics

and the specific entry requirements for each of your subjects.

How to Apply: - Please apply via KentChoices ***Now Closed***

Course Summary

This A Level covers Philosophy, Ethics and the impact of culture and modern society on the beliefs and practice of religion. The course takes an enquiry based approach.

Course Details

To succeed and enjoy this course, you should like questioning and challenging religious beliefs, academics and how people make ethical decisions, whilst being self-reflective. You will also need to read articles and research independently when necessary.

Paper 1: Philosophy and Ethics

Philosophy of Religion

• Does God exist?

• Can God exist alongside evil?

• Do we have a soul?

• What happens to us after we die?

• What makes religious language meaningful?

• What defines a miracle?

Ethics

• What makes a good action?

• How much free will do I have?

• Is conscience God-given or the product of society?

• How do we define ‘good’ and ‘bad’?

• Ethical theories applied to issues e.g. abortion, embryo research, euthanasia, capital punishment, lying, animal rights

Paper 2: Christianity and Dialogues

Christianity

• How and why Christians differ when making ethical decisions

• Christian perspectives on ethical issues

• Does religion have a place in a secular society?

• Gender, feminism and sexuality

• The challenge of science for religion

• Religious pluralism

Dialogues

Open questions to explore the challenges and implications, good and bad, of ‘crunching’ Christianity with ethics and philosophy e.g. can you claim to be morally responsible if you have no free will? Can, and should, we prove the existence of God?

How will it be delivered and assessed?

Two papers, each lasting 3 hours, examined at the end of Year 13.

Entry requirements

You need to have GCSE English at Grade 5 or above and Grade 6 or above in a text based humanities subject. Although building on the skills of GCSE, it is not a requirement to have studied it at GCSE.

Additional information

https://www.highworth.kent.sch.uk/214/subject-pages/subject/34/religious-education

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