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Teaching and Learning > DOCUMENTS

Recognising the changing face of Religious Studies at GCE AS & A Level

Mary Hayward

Index of Contents

• Preface
• 1. AS/A level qualifications: the new structure
  1. Context and purpose
  2. The Advanced Subsidiary (AS) GCE
  3. The Advanced (A) level award
• 2. Religious Studies at AS and A Level
  1. Subject Criteria
  2. The interpretation of the RS Subject Criteria by the Awarding Bodies
  3. The synoptic requirement
• 3. The development of Key Skills at A/AS level
• 4. New AS/A levels: a focus on the student
• Postscript: Some Useful Websites
• GCE AS and A Level in Religious Studies
  • AQA
  • EDEXCEL
  • OCR
  • WJEC
  • CCEA

Preface

This short paper has a number of purposes:

• First, it provides a concise introduction to new examination arrangements at AS and A Level in Religious Studies. This takes account of the centrally produced RS Subject Criteria (QCA) and the subsequent specifications for Religious Studies at this level published in England by AQA, OCR and EDEXCEL, in Wales by WJEC and in Northern Ireland by CCEA. Readers may wish to note that the term specification has replaced Syllabus;
• Second, it seeks to highlight some of the new features of RS specifications; whilst its focus is Religious Studies some of the features of this specification are required also in other subject areas offered at AS/A level;
• Third, it considers the delivery of generic skills through Religious Studies specifications, recognising that an increasing number of students may be working towards and/ or have attained a significant level of achievement in relation to the new Key Skills Qualification. It suggests that this area of concern offers schools and colleges a stimulus to radically re-think A level pedagogies, which would in turn demand at least an appraisal of teaching and learning strategies employed in first year courses and beyond;
• Fourth, it invites discussion about the significance of new AS/A developments for the planning and delivery of courses in TRS in Higher Education at the point of student transition from AS/A level study to University or College.

Underpinning all of this is the recognition that good practice in teaching and learning recognises where the student is and builds upon it: familiarity with the nature of the AS/A level experience - which will be different from that experienced by tutors, however young - is thus quite simply necessary!

What is not attempted here is a summary of the allocation of marks and weightings in the new specifications, or of their currency in relation to University admissions; these issues have already been addressed by UCAS and communicated to Admissions Officers. Rather the focus is on the AS/A structure, the marking out of subject structures and content and the development of skills: in brief the concerns of teaching and learning.

1. AS/A level qualifications: the new structure

1.1 Context and purpose

The new structure of AS/A level qualifications has its roots in the Dearing review of post 16 qualifications and subsequent consultation, Qualifying for Success - known also as Curriculum 2000. A key concern of the review was to broaden student learning at 16-19, whilst also preserving depth of study at A level. The Advanced Subsidiary qualification is designated a key role in achieving breadth of study for post 16 students.

1.2 The Advanced Subsidiary (AS) GCE:

Advanced Subsidiary GCE courses were introduced in September 2000. The AS GCE may be used as a final qualification or as the first half [50%] of an Advanced GCE qualification. The new AS qualification is thus a constituent part of an A level GCE not simply an intermediate award with a currency somewhere between a GCSE and A level. The voices of Awarding Bodies however seem nuanced on this matter:

'The level of demand of the Advanced Subsidiary GCE is that expected of candidates half-way through a full Advanced GCE course of study'. (AQA)

'The AS GCE is assessed at a standard between GCSE and Advanced GCE and forms part of the assessment weighting of the full A GCE'. (OCR)

The AS qualification will normally constitute one year's study and consist of studying three modules; those who wish to attain a full A Level must go on to study a further 3 A2 modules. Students whose intention is to follow a number of full A level programmes will be able to broaden their studies by taking AS modules in additional subjects.

It is anticipated that the availability of the AS qualification will substantially increase the number of those studying Religious Studies post 16; Awarding Bodies already report an upsurge of interest in the new specifications. TRS departments which do not require students to have an A level in Religious Studies, may nevertheless find that there is an increase of students with an AS award in RS. It seems probable that the AS award will build on the popularity of GCSE Short Courses in Religious Education, first introduced in 1997.

Examination at AS level will be available for the first time in 2001, with the first awards being made in August 2001; for those who proceed to A level the first award will be in August 2002.

1.3 The Advanced (A) level award

For the Advanced level award students must complete a further three A2 Modules, of which one is compulsory and must be of a synoptic nature; this is a new requirement

demanded of all subjects and constituting 20% of the full A level; it is to be externally assessed at the end of an A level course. We return to the synoptic element below. Additionally, at A level, specifications must require candidates 'to demonstrate a wider range and greater depth of understanding, a greater maturity of thought and expression and more developed analytical skills'.

2. Religious Studies at AS and A Level

2.1 Subject Criteria

The criteria for Religious Studies specifications are established as with other subjects by ACCAC, CCEA and QCA, who subsequently approve the specifications drawn up by the Awarding Bodies. The criteria provide a frame of reference for Awarding Bodies and serve to ensure consistent and comparable standards across a subject area and across the Awarding Bodies; they also provide a point of reference for employers and for those in Higher Education.

The criteria significantly shape the understanding of 'Religious Studies' which operates at AS/A level. First, they offer a shared set of Aims (Fig.1):

Second, specification Content (comprising Knowledge, Understanding and Skills) points to areas of study (Fig.2), identifies an underlying conceptual framework and points to those skills which candidates should develop through their studies.

A brief consideration of these areas suggests two factors at work. First, a concern to affirm what has gone before. I can think of no former A level syllabus options which would not be included by these areas. There is a pragmatism here which recognises the expertise and resources available at 16-19. On the other hand, the areas offer Awarding Bodies sufficient scope to develop new areas for examination should they wish to. On balance however we shall see that there is much that is familiar in new specifications; what may turn out to be more significant for candidates and for departments is the new modular structure at A level.

Whilst Awarding Bodies demonstrate diversity in their interpretation of the above areas through the modules they offer, as with aims they stay close to the wording of the Religious Studies criteria in relation to understanding and skills (Fig.3).

It is this conceptual mapping of the subject and identification of skills which becomes the basis for the AS/A assessment objectives. Its significance is consequently apparent in the way in which modules/ units for teaching and assessment are shaped in the specifications of the Awarding Bodies. The specification for Religious Studies from the

CCEA provides a particularly clear example of the use of the above criteria (Fig 3) as the focus for assessment and of their relation to subject content.

2.2 The interpretation of the RS Subject Criteria by the Awarding Bodies

In Religious Studies the Awarding Bodies are essentially distinguished from each other by their interpretation of the areas of study (Fig 2 above) and to a lesser degree by variations they offer in relation to assessment.

The range of modules available to AS/A Level candidates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is summarised in the grids at the end of this guide. Each grid relates to one Awarding Body. The variety of modules available to candidates is indicative of the breadth of subject knowledge which a group of new students may bring to a first year course in Higher Education.

A number of observations may be made about the modules and the related units of teaching and assessment available to students:

• The modules/units reflect the range of linear courses formerly offered by the Awarding Bodies. It is clear that whilst the new specifications have provided an opportunity for revision and updating, there is also a breaking down of earlier linear courses into modules.
• Each Awarding Body (with the exception of WJEC) identifies a required module at AS level; in terms of content and assessment this is varied. It is not the case that students will have completed a common foundation module which cuts across all specifications/Awarding Bodies.
• Those who proceed to a full A level must, in accordance with the RS Subject specifications, complete a synoptic unit; whilst the nature of this requirement and its assessment, at the end of A level study and by external examination is clear, its implementation is variously interpreted by the Awarding Bodies.
• Awarding Bodies invariably suggest pathways from AS to A2 by offering corresponding AS and A2 modules, and sometimes by specifying routes students should follow. There is however no overall formal requirement that candidates must proceed within discrete areas of study and even where specific 'routes' are recommended, they still allow considerable diversity.
• At the time of writing evidence from individual Awarding Bodies points to Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics as the most popular A Level options in recent years. (OCR) takes particular note of this and caters for candidates who wish to go no further than an AS GCE to concentrate solely on Philosophy of Religion or Religious Ethics.

2.3 The synoptic requirement

The requirement for synoptic assessment is intended

'...to assess candidates knowledge and understanding of the connections between elements of their chosen area(s) of study. In particular it is to be understood as the explicit drawing together of knowledge, understanding and skills learned in the different elements of the A level course. It should also contribute to the assessment of the skill of relating such connections to specified aspects of human experience'.

ACCA, CCEA, QCA GCE Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced (A) Level Specifications Subject Criteria for Religious Studies

To allow for the combinations of modules taken by students, this requirement is necessarily met in different ways by the Awarding Bodies. At its simplest it is addressed by the identification of a number of concepts which students can track and examine through a range of modules; for example, AQA requires candidates to focus on Religious Experience or Authority or Life, Death and Beyond and anticipates that good responses will range widely across the candidates' course of study. Note also the above reference to 'the skill of relating such connections to human experience'; this reflects the model of Religious Education now widely adopted in England and Wales which distinguishes between Learning About and Learning From religions, whilst insisting procedurally on their integration. In turn, this reflects debates about the relationship of Religious Studies and Religious Education.

The potential diversity of student pathways through AS and A level RS programmes suggests that it will be no more possible than in the past, and perhaps increasingly less possible, that TRS departments can assume a shared knowledge base among students who have followed Religious Studies programmes post 16. What they may need to assess is the conceptual framework(s) which students have acquired through their studies and, importantly, the skills which they have acquired or begun to develop. Some of these will be subject specific (cf. Fig 2 above), but a new emphasis on key generic skills, developed in subject contexts, will increasingly be an area for departments to consider seriously as they reflect on their teaching and learning strategies in first year courses and beyond.

3. The development of Key Skills at A/AS level

The introduction of the new Key Skills Qualification was one outcome of the Dearing review and consultation. The qualification requires candidates to demonstrate levels of achievement in The Application of Number, Communication and Information Technology. Additionally, units on the key skills of Improving own Learning and Performance, Working with Others and Problem Solving are available to students. Details of all the Key Skills units and levels of achievement can be found at the QCA web site: http://www.qca.org.uk/keyskills. Key Skills are to be addressed, as appropriate, in all subject specifications at A/AS level.

3.1 The Subject Criteria for Religious Studies require that AS/A level specifications provide opportunities for developing and generating evidence for assessing the Key Skills listed above, with the exception of The Application of Number. In particular, the Key Skill of Communication must contribute to the assessment of Religious Studies at AS and A level.

3.2 The Awarding Bodies provide guidance in their specifications on how Religious Studies may offer opportunities to develop the above Key Skills and generate appropriate evidence of them. They do this in two ways:

3.2.1 They offer matrices which signpost the opportunities within each module/unit for the acquisition, development and production of evidence for four of the selected Key Skills units - Communication, Information Technology, Working with Others, Improving Own Learning and Performance at Level 3; the expectations at this level are briefly summarised below (Fig.4).

3.2.2 Awarding Bodies also offer detailed examples of the kinds of learning experience in which candidates may engage to develop the above skills through their AS/A level studies. It is this material which exemplifies the potential for change in AS/A level teaching and also the skills which students may have acquired before entry to Higher Education. To sample this, access the Religious Studies specifications of EDEXCEL, OCR, WJEC and CCEA on-line; ways in which evidence of the achievement of the Key Skills may be generated in the subject specific context are clearly demonstrated in these documents.

3.2.3 Awarding Bodies recognise that students' opportunities to develop Key Skills through their chosen AS/A level studies will be determined by the resources and the expertise available in schools and colleges; they are however required to assess Communication (written) in both AS and A level Religious Studies examinations.

For the present, students may, as ever, arrive in Higher Education with varied experiences of teaching and learning at AS/A level, but the present focus on Key Skills and their association with life long learning and employability is unlikely to diminish. The emergent profile of a student who has had opportunity to develop all the above skills to Level 3, has long term implications for the ways in which teaching and learning is planned and developed at the point of transition to Higher Education.

4. New AS/A levels: a focus on the student

It could be argued that the Religious Studies Modules on offer to candidates across the five Awarding Bodies reflect an accumulative tradition of A level teaching in this subject area, going back some thirty or forty years! (Essentially, I could still teach the A level options I taught in the 1980s and in the 1970s..!). So what is new? Hopefully, good teachers have always brought new scholarship to bear on their A level teaching; so it's not just this. Perhaps what is new is a fresh awareness of students' potential; the profile of a successful A level Religious Studies candidate (Fig.5) clearly gives expression to this:

At the same time it sets aspirations and suggests agendas for teaching and learning at AS/A level and beyond. In this context, the focus on the development of Key Skills within the subject context, may be viewed constructively as integral to students' development and achievement of their potential in their chosen subject area.

Postscript: Some Useful Websites

DfEE: The Standards Site: http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority: www.qca.org.uk/

University and Colleges Admissions Service: www.ucas.ac.uk

Awarding Bodies

England

AQA (formerly AEB, NEAB and City and Guilds): www.aqa.org.uk

Edexcel (formerly ULEAC and BTEC): www.edexcel.org.uk

OCR (formerly Oxford and Cambridge and RSA Examination Boards): www.ocr.org.uk

Wales

WJEC: www.wjec.org.uk

Northern Ireland

www.ccea.org.uk

General Certificate of Education

Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level RELIGIOUS STUDIES

A summary of the Modules available to candidates in 2000/2001 and offered by the following Awarding Bodies

• AQA
• EDEXCEL
• OCR
• WJEC
• CCEA

The summaries which follow are based on the Awarding Bodies' new specifications for Religious Studies available on their respective web sites. The summaries provide an overview of the full range of Modules available for examination at AS/A level in 2000/2001. For full information on the subject content and related assessment units, the full text of the specifications and accompanying support and explanatory material should be consulted.

AQA

Advanced Subsidiary (AS)		Advanced (A2)
M1	An introduction to Religion and Human Experience R Religious Experience Religious Authority:Sacred Writings
M2	An introduction to the Old Testament God and Covenant Development of Prophecy Eighth Century Prophecy (Studied with reference to selected texts)	M7	Studies in the Old Testament God and the World Wisdom and Law Reflections in Times of Crisis Exodus; Exile (Studied with reference to selected texts)
M3	An introduction to the New Testament Reflections on Jesus in the Early Church Reflections on Jesus by the Evangelists (Studied through selected texts)	M8	Studies in the New Testament Signs Discourses Passion and Resurrection Narratives (Studied through selected passages from St.John's Gospel)
M4	An introduction to Religion and Ethics A religious perspective on Ethics Utilitarianism Kant's ethical theory	M9	Studies in Religion and Ethics Religious Perspectives Virtue Ethics Free Will and Determinism
M5	An introduction to Aspects of a Major World Faith Foundations and Development Central Concepts Religious Practices and their Significance	M10	Studies in Religion and Culture *...as a way of life Aspects of Religious Thought *...in Contemporary Society (* a selected religion: ONE of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam or Judaism .)
M6	An introduction to Religion and Science Creation Miracles Design Arguments	M11	Studies in the Philosophy of Religion Arguments for the Existence of God The Problem of Evil Nature of Religious Experience
	M = Module R = Required module	M12	Studies in Religion and Human Experience [Synoptic] R Religious Experience or Religious Authority or Life, Death and Beyond

EDEXCEL

Advanced Subsidiary (AS)		Advanced (A2)
M1	Coursework R 5 Topics are listed for each AS option. [Candidates offer one piece of work of 2-2500 words which is externally marked.]
M2	2 Philosophy of Religion A study of philosophical arguments for the existence of God A study of the problem of evil and suffering A study of philosophical dates about miracles	M7	Philosophy of Religion Further study of philosophical arguments for the existence of God A study of beliefs about life after death A study of religious language
M3	Old Testament/Jewish Bible OR Religious Ethics EITHER 3 (a) Patriarchs to Saul: background themes Key concepts (Covenant, Law, Monarchy) Key people and events (Abraham, Moses & the Law, Samuel and the monarchy) OR 3(b) A study of the relationship between religion and morality A study of ethical theories A study of applied ethics:conscience/freedom; sexual ethics; war and peace	M8	Old Testament/Jewish Bible OR Religious Ethics EITHER 8(a) Background themes. Solomon to Exile Concepts: prophecy, nature of God; mercy; justice; righteousness; kingship Key people and events: Hosea(1-14); Amos(1-9); Jeremiah (29-31) OR 8 (b) Further study of the relationship between religion and morality Study of ethical theories; ethical language Study of concepts in moral discourse and applied ethics
M4	New Testament EITHER 4 (a) The Gospel according to Luke Chs.1-21 OR 4 (b) The Fourth Gospel Chs.1-17 OR 4 (c) The Early Church as reflected in Acts and 1 Corinthians	M9	New Testament EITHER 9 (a) The Gospel according to Luke OR 9(b) The Fourth Gospel OR 9 (c) The Early Church as reflected in Acts, I Corinthians and Romans 13 [These options build on Module 4; assessment tests different material.]
M5	Christianity EITHER 5 (a) Church History and Christian Thought: The Reformation: Either A. England (to 1603) Or B. Europe (to 1531) OR 5 (b) Church History and Christian Thought: The nineteenth century to the present day: Either A. Christian thought and developments in Europe Or B. Christian thought and liberation theology OR 5 (c) Christian belief and practice Nature of/reasons for Christian belief about God; about the person of Jesus; about atonement and salvation; about death and eternal life	M10	Christianity EITHER 10 (a) Church History and Christian Thought: The Reformation: Either A. England (in the period 1603 to 1702) Or B. Europe (from1531 to the end of C.17th) OR 10 (b) Church History and Christian Thought: The nineteenth century to the present day: Either A. Christian thought and developments in Europe Or B. Christian thought and liberation theology OR 10 (c) Christian belief and practice Nature and reasons for Christian Doctrine of the Trinity. A study of beliefs about the person of Jesus; about atonement and salvation; about death and eternal life
M6	World Religions 6 (a) Buddhism or 6 (b) Hinduism or 6 (c) Islam or 6 (d) Judaism In relation to chosen tradition: Emergence/background /growth as appropriate Key concepts/emphases Ethics	M11	World Religions 6 (a) Buddhism or 6 (b) Hinduism or 6 (c) Islam or 6 (d) Judaism In relation to chosen tradition: Expansion and development of the selected traditions Contributions of key figures in the modern period - as appropriate to the tradition chosen Key concepts and emphases Study of selected texts from tradition chosen
	M = Module R = Required module	M12	Issues in Religion [Synoptic] R 32 possible topics identified covering the range of possible module combinations. Students select one topic and are expected to draw together their knowledge and understanding of the connections between different modules from across their full Advanced GCE programme of study.

OCR

Advanced Subsidiary (AS)		Advanced (A2)
M2760	Foundation for the Study of Religion R An eight part module, each part providing an introduction to and foundation for one of the 8 AS Modules; candidates take the two parts which relate to their 2 chosen AS modules.
M2761	Philosophy of Religion (1) (AS) Traditional arguments for the existence of God Challenges to religious belief	M2771	Philosophy of Religion 2 (A2)+ Content as for 2769
M2762	Religious Ethics (1) (AS) Ethical theory Practical ethics-theory applied to issues in medical ethics	M2772	Religious Ethics 2 (A2)+ Content as for AS 2762
M2763	Jewish Scriptures 1 Covenant studied through selected texts God and suffering studied through selected texts (Jonah; passages from Job)	M2773	Jewish Scriptures 2+ Concept of reward and punishment in Tenakh (Is 53;Jer.7; Ezekiel18; Job 19; Dan 12; 2 Mac.7) A study of the Book of Amos Messianic hope with ref. to Is 40-43; Micah
M2764	New Testament 1 Either A.The Early Church (Acts 3-19) Or B.Gospels (Passion and resurrection narrative in Mark 14:1-16:20; John 18-21)	M2774	New Testament 2+ Either A. The Early Church: Pauline Theology (selected texts) Or B. Gospels Jesus as teacher and healer (Matt.5-7; Mk 1:22-2:12;4;5; Luke 15)
M2765	Developments in Christian Thought 1 Feminist Theology Liberation Theology	M2775	Developments in Christian Thought 2+ Black Theology in North America Christianity in a multi-faith society
M2766	Eastern Religions 1 Either A. Buddhism Central doctrines Fourfold Sangha Or B.Hinduism Advaita (Sankara); vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja) Brahman; the One and the Many Key concepts Puja Gita 2, 5, 9, 11	M2776	Eastern Religions 2+ Either A. Buddhism Theravada/Maha-yana. Zen/Pure Land Meditation Importance of Pali canon; Lotus Sutra Heart Sutra Buddhist ethics; the 5 precepts Or B. Hinduism Samkhya; Yoga; Yoga Sutra 1-24 Hindu ethics Reforming Movements: Brahmo Samaj; Arya Samaj; Ramakrishna Mission M.K.Gandhi
M2767	Islam 1 Qur'an The 5 Pillars Worship/Mosque Umma/Muslim ethics The Qur'an: Suras 1 and 4.	M2777	Islam 2+ Beliefs abut God Articles of Belief Qur'an; Sunnah; Shari'ah Origins/beliefs of Sunni/Shi'a Islam; Sufism Family life, roles of men and women
M2768	Judaism 1 Law (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 4-7) Halakah; mitzvot Worship:home/synagogue; Shabbat; key festivals Roles of men and women	M2778	Judaism 2+ 'The Land' Messianic hope (reference to Isaiah and Malachi) and interpretations of this The C.20th Holocaust: theological responses Orthodox/Neo-Orthodox/ Conservative/Reform/ Liberal groups in UK; origins, theological differences, practice
M2769	Philosophy of Religion (2) (AS) Body/Soul Revelation: religious experience; miracle Religious language To be studied after 2761 [Only available to candidates following either a 'stand alone' AS GCE concentrating on Philosophy of Religion or before studying the two A2 Modules in Religious Ethics]	M2779	Philosophy of Religion 1 (A2)+ Content as for 2761 [Only available to candidates who have taken two AS Modules 2762 & 2770 in Religious Ethics. To be studied before Module 2771.]
M2770	Religious Ethics (2) (AS) Freewill and determinism Conscience: Aquinas; Butler; Freud Religious ethics from position of any ONE Religion, in relation to issues considered in Religious Ethics(1) Practical ethics: ethical theory applied to particular issues - environment; sex/relationships; war/peace; justice To be studied after 2762 [Only available to candidates following either a 'stand alone' AS GCE concentrating on Religious Ethics or before studying the two A2 Modules in Philosophy of Religion]	M2780	Religious Ethics 1 (A2)+ Content as for 2762 [Only available to candidates who have taken two AS Modules 2761 & 2769 in Religious Ethics. To be studied before Module 2772]
	NB. Candidates are advised to take one of 24 'routes'- combinations of modules - identified in the specification.	M2781 -2790	Coursework units Students may choose to have ONE of the A2 Modules indicated by + (above) assessed by a coursewor [sic] This page was originally on the website of The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies. It was transfered here following the closure of the Subject Centre at the end of 2011.   The British Association for the Study of Religions The Religious Studies Project Contact information