Religious Studies A*

Erm, I don't have Ayer or an article for my exam. I'm with AQA doing RST4A. Is that the same board as you?

hey im doing the same topic.. how u finding revising for it??... also did u have RST3A today?

Hey, I think RST4A isn't too bad. But today's virtue ethics question was a bummer. My teacher only taught Determinism and Virtue ethics so I couldn't answer the other questions even if I wanted to. How about yourself?

i agree i enjoy RST4A.. my teachers never taught us virtue ethics and taught us the other 3.. i did determinism and relationships.. i was happy with the question on determinism.. and relationships was to bad

Lucky you. Apparently the sexual ethics question was okay, but the virtue ethics question was unbelievably random. It really was horrible.

:/ lets just hope the grade boundaries are low!!.. what grade are you aiming for if you dont mind me asking?

i also need an A to meet my uni offer.. so hopefully RST4A will have good questions!

AS: Ethics 81/100 + Philosophy 98/100
A2: Ethics 86/100 + Johns Gospel 97/100

Never use 'I' or say 'I Believe', or 'I fell' or 'I think', this will severely limit your grade. I gave a generalised intro, unpacking the question and outlining briefly the differing views for AO2 or the key concepts for AO1. Then gave a balanced essay and in the conclusion, you can hint your view based on an assessment of the evidence you have detailed within the main body of the essay. For example, 'perhaps the evidence points towards such and such view taking more prominence......' or 'When evaluating the given evidence, one would be more inclined to take the view that.....' etc or for AO1, opinion is not needed, so just summarise points and if there are gaps in information you can pull these up or briefly outline a few limitations to show depth of understanding but evaluation will not get you marks for AO1 as you know

what texbooks did you use for ethics and philosophy modules? I will do the two Buddhism modules for as and a2, but need two more modules to pick, and want to make sure i have all the reading i can get.

Hello, my wjec rs3 exam is a week away and I was just wondering if anybody could give me some tips with how to get top marks considering libertarianism because most textbooks are vague and I feel as if I'm giving an insufficient answer!

To be honest as a synoptic unit you can draw on information from as many sources as you like. Check out the recommended books such as the key text by Hick which you can use for guidance as it contains the majority of the course content - which I guess you will already have done. Also as much extra or unique info as you can get will boost your grade and make your essay's unique. And Contemporary case studies, learn quotes and make sure you back up any points made - im sure you know all of this too!

In terms of structure, for AO1 always unpack the question and define key terms and as i previously said in this tread never write in the first person, ever! As AO1 is descriptive, i would just follow a logical train of thought. Another tip is to start sentences by referring to the question as you are showing the examiner you are answering it explicitly which should at least give you a solid level 5/6 so B/A grade. Its difficult to comment too much on structure as its very personal and I never really thought too much about it, apart from just unpacking the question in the intro and continually referring to the specification throughout to show the examiner you know which area's your being assessed on. You can do this by starting paragraph's with the same wording thats on the spec, they will then see you know the course, have done the research and if you continue the point with evidence and info you'll do great.

AO2 once again, I like to unpack the question and then talk about interpretation and how the question may be perceived by differing groups of people... then go to bounce of the other in the main body of the essay. Again link back to the spec and also use terms such as effectiveness when evaluating view points and theory as how effective the view point is theoretically and actually in practice within contemporary society may be very different. This can lead you on to the conclusion where you should try your best to make some form of objective decision based on the evidence you have and views you would have evaluated and compared against each other. Each essay would be different and there is No definitive right or wrong way to answer as long as you stay within parameters that the AO1 and AO2 answers require

Your teacher really should be giving you lots of example questions....We were doing them throughout the whole year as LDB is a synoptic module almost any info is relevant so long as you can back it up. The lessons should focus your attention to different areas and view points and this will aid your knowledge base from which to draw on - however, the most important thing i believe to have is unique information and to come across interested in the essay's you write.

exemplars on the AQA website: http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-2060-W-TRB-CEXR4AT1.PDF

And remember Hick - Death and eternal Life