Religion, Philosophy and Ethics (RPE)
Entry Criteria
- Average Point Score: 5.0
- English Language GCSE Grade 5
- Mathematics GCSE Grade 4
Examination Board
- Eduqas
Click here to visit the exam board course page for A Level Religion, Philosophy & Ethics.
Teaching Staff
- Mrs Ward
- Mr Holt
- Mrs Ahmed-Swift
- Miss Khan
Students who excel in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics do not need to be of a faith background. They are students who are inquisitive, articulate, able to connect with higher order thinking and can create persuasive arguments. Studying Religious Studies at GCSE will be an advantage.
Our course is 100% exam based. Students will sit 1 exam in each of the 3 areas studied (Religion, Philosophy and Ethics.) Each account for an equal weighting of the final mark at 33.3% each.
Course content:
Religion: The choice of religion at Crompton House is Christianity. Within the Christianity component students will look at Christian beliefs, wisdom, practices and social developments – including secularism, science, feminist and liberationist approaches. Topics studied include: redaction criticism of the birth narratives, attitudes to wealth, migration, the charismatic movement. We shall ask ourselves searching questions such as ‘Is God male?’
Philosophy: Is the study of knowledge, reality, and existence. It looks at life’s bigger questions. In this part of the course you will study topics on philosophy of religion including: Arguments for the existence of God and their criticisms, psychology of religion (is religion a product of the human mind?), the problem of evil, religious language and religious experience. Within all of these topics you will look at the philosophers who have argued for and against the issue and be working to develop a personalised opinion on which philosopher has the strongest argument.
Ethics: Is a moral philosophy looking at what is the ‘right’ thing to do. It explores whether morality is absolute or relative depending on the time, place or situation. It looks at teleological and deontological approaches to moral decision making including Utilitarianism, Situation Ethics, Ethical Egoism, Virtue Ethics and Natural Moral Law. You will also explore the ideas of free will and determinism and explore the impact that this has on peoples moral responsibility – If people are not free can they be held to account for their actions when they couldn’t have chosen otherwise?
What do our students say about Religion, Philosophy & Ethics?
A Level Religion, Philosophy and Ethics offers a crucial and special contribution to understanding culture, diversity, values and plurality. It provides and excellent opportunity to engage in contentious, contemporary issues.
The most important thing to remember about RPE is that you need to keep organised at all times. With the vast array of content, separated into three distinct sections, it can seem like you are taking three A levels for one subject.
For Year 12s starting in September I would recommend that you read lots around the subject, the more you interact with material the better prepared you are to apply that extra knowledge to both lessons, homework and assessments.
As well as RPE, I am studying Politics and English Literature. These complement well as the nature of the content and exams are alike and you often find overlaps between subjects, which is incredibly stimulating.
After Sixth Form, I intend to study Politics or a Politics-related degree at University and then wish to delve into research fields including political theory, public policy and governance.
Alongside his A Levels, Caillin has been taking part in Oxford University's highly competitive OxNet program - an opportunity for students in the North West to engage with research and debate and prepare them for university study
The best part of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics is that all of the subjects are all so interesting by themselves and you really get the opportunity to study all 3 aspects separately and deeply.
New Year 12 students need know that it’s not going to be anything like your GCSE Religious Studies and you must really be interested and willing to work hard. Make sure that you’re studying RPE because you enjoy it and then actually remember to enjoy it and not get too stressed out and bogged down with it all.
Alongside RPE, I’m studying Spanish and Biology. I would love to go into studying biology and I am really interested in medical ethics so for me that’s where Philosophy and Ethics will really come in to it all.
Abbie's interest in Medical Ethics means that she can combine her A Levels in Biology and RPE in a unique way.
Olivia's love of Philosophy and Ethics has led to her deciding to pursue the subject at university after she finishes her A Levels.
One of the best things about studying RPE is that the class size is small so you are able to voice your opinion on different theories and so you are able to get more involved with the lesson rather than just going to the lesson, listening and then going home and revising. It is a much more fun way of learning.
At the start of Year 12, I wish that I knew how much work you have to do. RPE feels like you’re doing 3 A Level subjects and only getting one A Level at the end of it!
My best advice for new Year 12s is to take the subjects that you want to take rather than what looks good on a CV or UCAS application because at the end of the day if you’re doing a subject that you genuinely enjoy then you will also enjoy the career that your A Levels may lead you to.
I’m studying RPE, English Language and History at the moment. After Sixth Form I’m planning of going to Chester university to study philosophy, ethics and religion.
