Ace A-Level Religious Studies with Smart Revision
Deepen your A-Level Religious Studies with practice on philosophy of religion, ethics, and the study of religious traditions.
Content reviewed February 2026 · Aligned to current specifications
About A-Level Religious Studies
A-Level Religious Studies is a rigorous academic subject that goes far beyond learning about different religions. You will engage with philosophy of religion, ethics, and the study of religious thought and practice in depth. Topics typically include arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, medical ethics, meta-ethics, religious experience, and the relationship between religion and society.
This qualification develops exceptional skills in critical analysis, logical argumentation, and philosophical reasoning. It is highly valued for degrees in philosophy, theology, law, politics, and ethics. The ability to construct and evaluate arguments is transferable to virtually any career that involves critical thinking and decision-making.
The main challenges include engaging with abstract philosophical concepts, constructing balanced arguments that consider multiple viewpoints, and demonstrating detailed knowledge of scholars and their positions. Success requires you to think carefully and argue precisely, not simply state what you personally believe.
Topics Covered
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Study Tips for Religious Studies
- ✓ Learn the positions and arguments of key scholars (e.g. Aquinas, Hume, Kant, Situation Ethics from Fletcher, Natural Law from Aquinas) with enough precision to quote or closely paraphrase their arguments. Named scholarly references are essential for top grades.
- ✓ For every argument you learn, immediately learn at least two counter-arguments. Religious Studies is fundamentally about the evaluation of competing claims, and the strongest answers demonstrate a genuine dialogue between different positions.
- ✓ Practise writing evaluative conclusions that go beyond on the other hand. A strong conclusion weighs the strength of the arguments presented and explains why you find one position more convincing than another, based on the reasoning you have outlined.
- ✓ Create concept maps linking topics across the specification. For example, connect the teleological argument (philosophy of religion) with Natural Law (ethics) and religious responses to science (religious thought). Synoptic thinking demonstrates sophisticated understanding.
Exam Tips for A-Level Religious Studies
- ✓ Structure your essays clearly: define key terms in your introduction, present arguments and counter-arguments in developed paragraphs, and write a substantive conclusion that answers the specific question. Avoid narrating the history of a debate without taking a clear analytical position.
- ✓ Use scholarly language and reference specific thinkers by name. Saying some people think God exists is vague; saying Aquinas argued from contingency that a necessary being must exist demonstrates the academic precision examiners reward.
- ✓ Do not write personally biased answers. Even if you have strong personal beliefs, you must engage fairly and analytically with all perspectives. The marks are for the quality of your reasoning, not for which conclusion you reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Religious Studies at other levels: GCSE Religious Studies · iGCSE Religious Studies
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