What is A-level Philosophy like?

AQA is the only exam board that offers A-level Philosophy, Edexcel does a Philosophy and Ethics A-level.

Thanks

Also, does AQA require you to do anything other than the exams, like a coursework or something?

Philosophy is 100% coursework

AQA Philosophy has no coursework. The AS is two exams, and the A2 is two exams. Feel free to ask me any specific questions about AQA philosophy as I just finished the course.

Hey guys,

I am set on self-studying philosophy as an A-level(both AS and A2) and wanted to know what are the course and exams like(for Edexcel)?

Some particular questions like what topics do you go through, how are they presented(is it taught in a textbook or is it expected that you work it out from the originals), what are the exam papers like, and, of course, how hard the course is over-all, come to my mind. But I would really appreciate if someone would give me an "exhaustive" answer

Thank you in advance for the help

AQA Philosophy has no coursework. The AS is two exams, and the A2 is two exams. Feel free to ask me any specific questions about AQA philosophy as I just finished the course.

Thanks guys! I've got a much bigger response than I've expected. xD


Could you tell me how difficult the exam questions are? As in, for example, are they easily prepared for or are they the ones where you have to have profound knowledge of the subject and use that to answer an unexpected question?

Also, a philosophy teacher has advised me that the mark scheme for AS is a bit unfair and picky, is that true?

Thanks guys! I've got a much bigger response than I've expected. xD


Could you tell me how difficult the exam questions are? As in, for example, are they easily prepared for or are they the ones where you have to have profound knowledge of the subject and use that to answer an unexpected question?

Also, a philosophy teacher has advised me that the mark scheme for AS is a bit unfair and picky, is that true?

It is quite an easy exam to prepare for, generally there are about 3 or 4 essays that come up for each section, and you answer two sections, so if you can prepare about 6 to 8 essays and be able to work out how to link your essay to the wording of the question you should be fine. You do three exams like this and one where you pick a text and study some of it and then answer questions on just that one text, so for that exam there are even less essays.

If you are a good essayist, then philosophy is an easy subject as for most topics there is not a lot of content to be covered. The issue is not really with the mark scheme as that is only supposed to act as a guide for the markers, the problem is that some of the markers simply aren't very good and so good essays that don't simply stick to textbook arguments and examples end up being under marked.

If you want to get a guaranteed A* then I wouldn't recommend Philosophy but if you enjoy the subject then it is worth doing. There is a lot of variation depending on which topics you choose. For AS in each exam there are 5 options from which you pick two, and within each option you answer two essays, a long and a short essay. In A2 you simply pick two options and write one longer essay for each. In the text based exam you answer one short essay and one long essay from one section.

Have a look at some past papers and the specification to see whether it interests you, both are available on the AQA website. If you want information on specific topics then I can only talk about the ones I did. In the first module I did reason and experience, and why should I be governed. Module two I did knowledge of the external world, and free will and determinism. Module three I did epistemology and metaphysics, and philosophy of religion. Module four I did the Hume text.

The Lacewing textbooks are the best overall. Other good sources are the IEP and SEP however a lot of the material on the SEP is too advanced for A-level so use the IEP if possible.

Here are the books I used for AS:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-AS-Michael-Lacewing/dp/0415458218/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1371917710&sr=8-3&keywords=A+level+philosophy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AQA-Introduction-Philosophy-Level-Focus/dp/0340965258/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1371917710&sr=8-6&keywords=A+level+philosophy

I did some modules self taught when I didn't like the ones that we decided to do as a class, it is certainly doable. However you do need to be in contact with a teacher who you can get to mark essays and discuss the topics with as otherwise you will likely neglect critical material, and will not be able to get started with writing the essays in a style that is appropriate for the exam. The best strategy is to make it painfully clear exactly what you are doing, unlike in other subjects where you can take it for granted that you can do certain things in your work without explicitly stating that it is what you are doing, you have to do it in philosophy. Clearly defining any technical terms and clearly explaining the structure of your argument so that a different approach to that in the textbook cannot be marked down as a misunderstanding is basically what will allow you to get good marks in essays. It is also important to realise that making 3 or 4 points that link coherently into a narrative that allows the essay to reach a justified conclusion is always better than making 8 or 9 unrelated points followed by an arbitrary conclusion. Each part of your essay should naturally lead you on to the next.

The Lacewing textbooks are the best overall. Other good sources are the IEP and SEP however a lot of the material on the SEP is too advanced for A-level so use the IEP if possible.

Here are the books I used for AS:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-AS-Michael-Lacewing/dp/0415458218/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1371917710&sr=8-3&keywords=A+level+philosophy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/AQA-Introduction-Philosophy-Level-Focus/dp/0340965258/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1371917710&sr=8-6&keywords=A+level+philosophy

I did some modules self taught when I didn't like the ones that we decided to do as a class, it is certainly doable. However you do need to be in contact with a teacher who you can get to mark essays and discuss the topics with as otherwise you will likely neglect critical material, and will not be able to get started with writing the essays in a style that is appropriate for the exam. The best strategy is to make it painfully clear exactly what you are doing, unlike in other subjects where you can take it for granted that you can do certain things in your work without explicitly stating that it is what you are doing, you have to do it in philosophy. Clearly defining any technical terms and clearly explaining the structure of your argument so that a different approach to that in the textbook cannot be marked down as a misunderstanding is basically what will allow you to get good marks in essays. It is also important to realise that making 3 or 4 points that link coherently into a narrative that allows the essay to reach a justified conclusion is always better than making 8 or 9 unrelated points followed by an arbitrary conclusion. Each part of your essay should naturally lead you on to the next.

I would not advise relying on peer assessment. Philosophy essays are quite different in style to essays in other subjects so I do think that getting used to writing them is very important. If you want I can PM you some essays I did recently to give you an idea of what is required in the A2.