Religious Studies AS/A Level 3

Applications Open: - 13th October 2025

Applications Close: - 18th November 2025

How to Apply: - Please apply directly to the school via our website www.twggs.kent.sch.uk. Follow the route 'Joining TWGGS', 'Joining The Sixth Form' to complete your application on Applicaa. For enquiries please contact admissions@twggs.kent.sch.uk.

We don't accept applications through Kent Choices.

Entry Requirements: - Entrance Criteria

Pupils entering the Sixth Form will be expected to have attained an average overall GCSE point score of at least 6 from their top 6 subjects. They must also achieve a minimum of a grade 5 in either English Language or Mathematics and a grade 4 in the other of English Language or Mathematics, and are usually expected to achieve at least a grade 7 in the subjects they wish to pursue at A level (or related subjects, as agreed by the school). In addition, pupils wishing to take Art or Design Technology will be expected to submit a portfolio of artwork and pupils wishing to take Music will be expected to have reached at least Grade 5 in their instrument or voice.

Offers will be made on the basis of predicted performance at GCSE, with the requirement that the above grades are achieved in the final examinations prior to entry to the Sixth Form and the pupil’s 3 or 4 chosen subjects being accommodated on the timetable, with no group size exceeding its maximum number of pupils.

All offers made during Year 11 are conditional on pupils meeting the grade criteria specified and will only become firm offers upon confirmation of actual GCSE results.

Exam Board: OCR

In order to study Religious Studies at AS or A Level, it is not necessary to possess a GCSE in the subject.

In Philosophy and Ethics, we examine some of the deepest questions underlying human existence. Is there an ultimate intelligence behind the universe, and if so, how could we ever know? Why are we here? Is there such a thing as good and evil, right and wrong – or are they just human inventions, to keep people in their place? If there is a God, and God is both good and all-powerful, why is there so much evil in the world? Over the centuries, some of humankind’s greatest thinkers have suggested answers to these questions, and you will be grappling with these answers, as well as (hopefully) suggesting answers of your own.

A third of the course is devoted to an examination of Buddhism. Have you ever wanted to know more about the most enduring ideas of China, Japan, Korea or Thailand? If so, a knowledge of Buddhism is arguably indispensable. Is everything in the universe destined to change, and if so, what implications does that have for traditional notions of God and the afterlife? Is there something beyond our present experience that cannot even be spoken of? Is ‘enlightenment’ possible? Is everything in the universe, in some mysterious way, nothing? Can insight into ‘truth’ come about through the systematic contemplation of contradictions?

Philosophy and Ethics is an essay-based subject. The teachers have tailor-made a textbook to the exact requirements of the specification, so that note-taking during lesson-time is reduced to a minimum and discussion can range widely.

The subject is valued by universities because it develops critical analysis and gives pupils the confidence to deal with the abstract.

All modules are examined.

A LEVEL EXAMINATION

UNIT 1 - Philosophy of Religion

Arguments for God’s existence; free-will versus determinism; the problem of evil; Ancient Greek thought; ideas about the “soul”; religious experience. What is meant by the word “God”?

WEIGHTING 33.3%

UNIT 2 - Religion and Ethics

What is moral right and wrong? A consideration of the different theories and their limits; what is “conscience”? Business ethics; sexual ethics; What is “natural” for humans?

WEIGHTING 33.3%

UNIT 3 - Developments in Buddhist Thought

Examination of the central theological ideas of Buddhism: meditation, Nirvana, Zen, The Six Realms of the afterlife, Tibetan “mystical” Buddhism, Buddhism in popular culture.

WEIGHTING 33.3%

Sessions will vary: there will be lecture-style lessons, seminars and small-group discussions. Everyone is encouraged to take an active part.

*Also offered as an AS Level, spaces permitting

You could take this course to complement other advanced level courses or to prepare for the A2 part of an Advanced GCE in Religious Studies, which could lead you onto higher education to study Theology or Religious Studies. The subject is valued by universities because, as well as being a long-established A Level qualification in its own right, it develops critical analysis and gives pupils the confidence to deal with the abstract. With further training, you could go into a job related to Religious issues and Theology such as a Social Worker or Counsellor. You could also go straight into a job as the AS GCE is a recognised qualification that will help you develop the skills, understanding and knowledge that many employers across lots of industries are looking for, especially in sectors where people are the main focus.