AS Philosophy 2015
Key Information
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Key points
Expectations
Essay writing and exam technique
Specification
Self-assessment / tracking sheet
Reading list
Mark schemes
Learning Strategies
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Sixth Form Philosophy: Key Points
Your AS consists of two topics:
Epistemology – taught by Mrs Gore (Head of Philosophy and RS)
Philosophy of Religion – taught by Mrs Etherington
You will be given a copy of the specification with this booklet, and you
need to follow it closely during the year and especially when revising.
You do one exam at the end of the year. No coursework.
At A2, you study Philosophy of Mind and Ethics.
If you go on AQA’s website to look anything up, make sure that you are
looking at the material for the NEW A-Level. Yours is the one ‘for exams
from 2015’, with a specification code 1176.
Year 12 November tests
*****[DATE REQUIRED]*****
Mock week (for all subjects):
*****[DATE REQUIRED]*****
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Essay writing and exam technique
As you are writing, it is worth asking yourself the following questions:
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Am I answering the question?
Am I making my arguments clearly and explicitly, so that the examiner does
not have to guess what my point is?
Am I making my argument succinctly? (An AQA examiner said to me
recently: “A student who gives the answer, knows the answer. A student
who embeds it in a whole bunch of other stuff usually doesn’t know the
answer.” They will be penalising for including stuff that you don’t need
(‘redundancy’).
Am I backing up my arguments with examples (where appropriate)?
Before I start a paragraph, do I know what the point of that paragraph is?
(When you do your essay plan, have a ‘sub-title’ for each paragraph, and make
sure it relates back to the title.)
Have I already said this?
Am I using the specialist vocabulary for this topic, and I am using it
correctly?
Am I putting forward arguments rather than just asking a bunch of
rhetorical questions?
Am I including quotes that are of an appropriate length (a sentence or two)
and then explaining them?
Is this relevant?
Approximate suggested timings for the exam:
Section A
2 mark question – 1 minute
5 mark question – 9 minutes
9 mark question – 20 minutes
9 mark question – 20 minutes
15 mark question – 40 minutes
Adds up to 90 mins.
Then repeat for Section B.
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If you find evaluation and argumentation hard, you might want to
consider starting with the 15 mark question so that you aren’t
rushing.
See the mark scheme below, but here are some specific tips for
the questions you get in the exam:
2 mark questions
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These often require very specific questions so it is absolutely essential that you
know your terminology!
A single sentence answer should be sufficient.
5 mark questions
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Ideally should be in prose, but they do not have to be. Could include bullet
points or diagrams.
Focus on explaining the argument coherently and clearly rather than writing
lots.
9 mark questions
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Ideally should be in prose, but they do not have to be. Could include bullet
points or diagrams.
Use the correct terminology and use it correctly, to make your answer as clear
and precise as possible.
Abbreviation is fine, as long as it is clearly understandable.
Focus on efficiency rather than a long-winded explanation.
15 mark questions
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Your essay should set out your answer to the question, giving your reasons, and
dealing with those who would argue you against.
Since they want to see you giving an argument here, you need to have thought
through what you are going to argue for before the exam!
You can include arguments that aren’t explicitly mentioned on the spec. but
there is no requirement for creativity, so there is no need to try and invent
your own arguments.
You might consider starting the essay with your own view, so that the examiner
is clear on where you are going with your argument.
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Explaining the mark scheme for 15 markers:
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“Clear and sustained intent”
o Answers the question! (ATQ)
o Everything said should be relevant to your argument.
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“Compete and coherent argument”
o Don’t say everything, but enough to convince the marker that you have
established their conclusion reasonably.
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“Content is detailed”
o This is why there is the anthology – so you can engage with the detail of
the arguments provided by philosophers.
o A limited no. of for and against is better than lots of arguments for and
against.
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“Conclusion is arrived at through a balancing of arguments”
o Doesn’t mean there has to be an equal no. of for and against.
o The best essays will anticipate objections and respond to them.
o If there is a knockdown argument, use that and make it clear that you
think it is knockdown.
o Or, you might conclude that there are enough arguments to chip away at a
theory and show that your alternative viewpoint is more sensible.
o Don’t set up and knock down ‘straw men’ (arguments no one believes or
rubbish arguments). Your essay should consider the best arguments for
and against and how they compete.
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Sixth Form Philosophy: Expectations
If we could reduce these expectations to one item, it would be for all of us to have extremely high
standards in everything that we do.
More specifically:
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Effort and engagement are highly valued qualities. We believe that everyone is capable of
learning lots and writing intelligently; high achievement and enjoyment of academic work
will follow from these things. Visible signs of engagement include fully participating in
lessons, not getting distracted in class and taking responsibility for making corrections after
work has been handed back.
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Respect the viewpoints of your peers – but that doesn’t mean agreeing with them!
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Don’t be arrogant. Socrates, one of the wisest people ever, said that “I know that I know
nothing.” Perhaps a person is wise in as much as they know just how much it is that they do
not know.
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Complete the work you are set, by the deadline.
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Take initiative. E.g. don’t just write down what your teacher tells you to! Read up on the
topic you are studying now (or next) in the textbook to consolidate your learning.
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Arrive at lessons on time. This means that by the second bell (e.g. 8.55am for Period 1),
you are ready at your seat with your equipment out and pen-posed, for philosophising.
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Be pro-active in asking for help. If you’re struggling, you need to be specific about what
you’re struggling with, and then we’ll do our best to help.
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Bring your textbook to lessons.
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AS: Philosophy of Religion Specification
The Concept of God
God as omniscient, omnipotent, supremely good, and either timeless (eternal) or within time
(everlasting) and the meaning(s) of these divine attributes.
Issues with claiming that God has these attributes, either singly or in combination, including:
 the paradox of the stone
 the Euthyphro dilemma.
The compatibility, or otherwise, of the existence of an omniscient God and free human beings.
Arguments relating to the existence of God
Ontological arguments, including those formulated by:
 Anselm
 Descartes
 Leibniz
 Malcolm
 Plantinga.
The argument from design: arguments from purpose and
regularity, including those formulated by:
 Paley
 Swinburne
The cosmological argument: causal and contingency
arguments, including those formulated by:
 Aquinas’ Five Ways (1-3)
 Descartes
 the Kalam Argument.
Issues, including those raised by:
 Gaunilo
 Hume
 Kant.
Issues, including those raised by:
 Paley (himself)
 Hume
 Kant.
Issues, including those raised by:
 Hume
 Russell.
The problem of evil: how to reconcile God’s omnipotence, omniscience and supreme goodness
with the existence of physical/moral evil.
Responses to the issue and issues arising from those responses, including:
 The Free Will Defence (Plantinga)
 Soul-making (Hick).
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Religious Language
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Logical positivism: verification principle and verification/falsification (Ayer)
Cognitivist and non-cognitivist accounts of religious language and issues arising from them
The university debate: Flew (on Wisdom’s “Gods”, Hare (bliks) and Mitchell (the partisan)
Religious statements as verifiable eschatology
AS: Epistemology Specification
Perception: What are the immediate objects of perception?
Direct Realism: the immediate objects
of perception are mind-independent
objects and their properties
Issues, including:
 the arguments from illusion
 the argument from perceptual variation
(Russell’s table example)
 the argument from hallucination
 the time-lag argument
Indirect realism: the immediate objects
of perception are mind-dependant
objects that are caused by and represent
mind-independent objects
Issues, including:
 it leads to scepticism about the existence
of the external world
o responses from Russell and Locke
 it leads to scepticism about the nature of
the external world
o responses from Russell and Locke
 problems arising from the views that
mind-dependant objects represent mindindependent objects and are caused by
mind-independent objects
Berkeley’s idealism: the immediate objects
of perception are mind-dependent objects
Berkeley’s attack on the primary/secondary
property distinction and his ‘master’ argument
Issues, including:
 It leads to solipsism
 It does not give an adequate account of
illusions & hallucinations
 It cannot secure objective space and
time
 Whether God can be used to play the
role He does
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The definition of knowledge: What is propositional knowledge?
Terminology: the distinction between: acquaintance knowledge, ability knowledge and
propositional knowledge (knowing ‘of’, knowing ‘how’ and knowing ‘that’)
The tripartite view: justified true belief is necessary and sufficient for propositional knowledge (S
knows that p only if S is justified in believing that p, p is true and S believes that p); necessary and
sufficient conditions
Issues: the conditions are not individually necessary:
 justification is not a necessary condition of knowledge
 truth is not a necessary condition of knowledge
 belief is not a necessary condition of knowledge.
Issues, including:
 cases of lucky true beliefs show that the justification condition should be either
strengthened, added to or replaced (ie Gettier-style problems).
Responses, including:
 strengthen the justification condition: infallibilism and the requirement for an impossibility
of doubt (Descartes)
 add a ‘no false lemmas’ condition (J+T+B+N)
 replace ‘justified’ with ‘reliably formed’ (R+T+B) (reliabilism)
The origin of concepts and the nature of knowledge: where do ideas/concepts and
knowledge come from?
Concept empiricism: all concepts are derived from experience (tabula rasa, impressions and ideas,
simple and complex concepts).
Issues, including:
 concept innatism (rationalism): there are at least some innate concepts (Descartes’
‘trademark’ argument, and other proposed examples such as universals, causation, infinity,
numbers, etc)
o concept empiricist arguments against concept innatism: alternative explanations (no
such concept or concept re-defined as based on experiences); Locke’s arguments
against innatism; its reliance on the non-natural.
Knowledge empiricism: all synthetic knowledge is a posteriori (Hume’s ‘fork’); all a priori
knowledge is (merely) analytic.
Issues, including:
 knowledge innatism (rationalism): there is at least some innate a priori knowledge
(arguments from Plato and Leibniz)
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o knowledge empiricist arguments against knowledge innatism: alternative
explanations (no such knowledge, in fact based on experiences or merely analytic);
Locke’s arguments against innatism; its reliance on the non-natural
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intuition and deduction thesis (rationalism): we can gain synthetic a priori knowledge
through intuition and deduction (Descartes on the existence of self, God and the external
world)
o knowledge empiricist arguments against intuition and deduction: the failure of the
deductions or the analytically true (tautological) nature of the conclusions
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arguments against knowledge empiricism: the limits of empirical knowledge (Descartes’
sceptical arguments).
Essay Mark / Target Tracking
Essay Title and Date
Mark
Targets / To Improve
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Essay Title and Date
Mark
Targets / To Improve
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Reading / Resource List
This is a list of the some good resources for your study this year. Note that this is in addition to the
anthology provided by AQA (see specification), which your teacher will refer to in lessons and which
you should try to read at least something from yourself.
Core Textbook:
Lacewing, M (2014) Philosophy for AS, Routledge
The relevant sections that apply to the lesson material from Lacewing ought to be read in your
independent study periods. Make notes on them as you go along if nothing specific has been set.
Extension Reading:
If you are pushing for a top grade then try to back up your core reading with the relevant chapters
from the following books, which offer increased depth and detail.
Philosophy of Religion:
Davies, B (ed.) (2000) Philosophy of Religion: a guide and anthology, Oxford
Davies, B (2004) An Introduction to The Philosophy of Religion (3rd Edition), Oxford
Hick, J (1989) Philosophy of Religion, 4th Edition, Prentive-Hall
Swinburne, R (2010) Is there a God? Oxford
Vardy, P (1999) The Puzzle of God, Fount
Zagzebski, L (2007) The Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction, Wiley-Blackwell
Epistemology:
Audi, R (1998) Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge, Routledge
Baggini, J & Fosl, P (2003) The Philosopher’s Toolkit, Blackwell
Cardinal, Hayward and Jones, ‘Epistemology: the theory of knowledge’, ch. 3 (available in library)
Descartes, R (1998), Meditations, Penguin (available in library) – try to read this classic text at
some point in your life (ideally this year!)
Lehrer, K (1990) Theory of Knowledge, Routledge
Morton, A. (2002) A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge (available in library)
O’Brien, D (2006) An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge, Polity
Pinker, S. (2002) The Blank Slate – well worth reading if you’re interested in Psychology too, this
book provides both scientific and philosophical arguments against the tabula rasa view.
Pritchard & Nata (2008) Arguing About Knowledge, Routledge
Russell, B (2001) The Problems of Philosophy, Opus (available in library)
LOOK AT THE L4L PRS PAGE FOR MORE SUGGESTIONS
Here you will find an additional Key Stage 5 (A-Level) reading list that does not directly relate to
your course but is well worth dipping into. Many of these are novels with philosophical themes or
works of Philosophy that aren’t on our specification. Reading some of these will help you become a
more interesting, intelligent person!
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Trusted Internet Sites:
Philosophy is such a fascinating subject that it entices many thousands of people to log their
thoughts online; the only problem is that much of this is absolute garbage in terms of quality and
appropriateness for academic study. We therefore recommend starting with the following
websites:
British Philosophical Association: http://bpa.ac.uk/answers/resources/index.php
Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu
Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu
EpistemeLinks (huge collection of resources to browse: http://www.epistemelinks.com
Some interesting information on Gloucester University’s blog: http://philosvids.wordpress.com
Interesting articles: http://thephilosophersmail.com/utopia/utopia-series-cathedrals-of-the-future/
Also remember that there is a great Philosophy section in the library for independent browsing!
(And Mr Humphrey’s did Philosophy at uni. so you could always challenge him to some philosophical
debate!)
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Mark Schemes: How you will be assessed
Your AS is assessed by one 3-hour exam.
On each side of the course you will answer 1x2, 1x5, 2x9 and 1x15 mark questions in 1h 30 min. The
descriptions of each level in each type of question is as follows:
2 Mark Questions (normally a definition)
2
1
0
A clear and correct answer, with no significant redundancy.
A partial answer, possibly in the form of fragmented points. Imprecise and/or significant
redundancy.
Nothing to credit.
5 Mark Questions (normally an “outline” or “explain”)
5
4
3
2
1
0
A full, clear and precise explanation. The student makes logical links between precisely
identified points, with no significant redundancy.
A clear explanation, with logical links, but some imprecision/redundancy.
The substantive content of the explanation is present and there is an attempt at logical
linking. But the explanation is not full and/or precise.
One or two relevant points made, but not precisely. The logic is unclear.
Fragmented points, with no logical structure.
Nothing to credit.
9 Mark Questions (normally an “outline”, “explain” or “outline and explain”)
7-9
4-6
1-3
0
The answer is set out in a clear, integrated and logical form. The content of the answer is
correct. The material is clearly relevant and points are made clearly and precisely. There
may be some redundancy or lack of clarity in particular points, but not sufficient to
detract from the answer. Technical philosophical language is used appropriately and
consistently.
The answer is clear and set out in coherent form, with logical/causal links identified. The
content of the answer is largely correct, though not necessarily well integrated. Some
points are made clearly, but relevance is not always sustained. Technical philosophical
language is used, but not always consistently or appropriately.
There are some relevant points made, but no integration. There is a lack of precision –
with possibly insufficient material that is relevant or too much that is irrelevant. There
may be some attempt at using philosophical language.
Nothing to credit.
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15 Mark Questions (evaluation and argument)
Marks
15
7AO1
8AO2
Levels of response mark scheme
13-15 The student argues with clear and sustained intent.
A complete and coherent argument to a clear conclusion. The content is
detailed and correct and sufficient material is selected and deployed to
answer the question fully.
The conclusion is arrived at through a balancing of arguments, with
appropriate weight given to each argument and to the argument overall.
Where there are crucial arguments, these are distinguished from less crucial
ones.
10-12
There may be trivial mistakes – both relating to the content and to the logic
– as long as they do not detract from the argument.
The student argues with intent, though it is not necessarily sustained.
A complete and coherent argument to a conclusion. The content is detailed
and correct and most of it is integrated.
7-9
There is a recognition of arguments and counter-arguments, but balance is
not always present and the weight to be given to each argument is not
always fully clear.
There is some evidence that the student is trying to answer the question.
An argument to a conclusion is set out, but not fully coherently. The content
is largely correct, though there may be some gaps and lack of detail.
4-6
Relevant points are recognised/identified and mentioned, but not
integrated in a coherent way. Alternative positions may be identified and
juxtaposed, but not necessarily precisely and their relative weightings may
not be clear.
There is limited evidence that the student is trying to answer the question.
There may be a conclusion and several reasonable points may be made, but
there is no clear relationship between the points and the conclusion. There
may be much that is missing, or the essay may be one-sided.
There might be substantial gaps in the content, or evidence of serious
misunderstandings.
1-3
0
Several reasonable points are made and there are some attempts to make
inferences.
Simple mention of points, no clear arguments.
Nothing to credit.
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Learning Strategies
The following principles, if applied, will help you make excellent progress in your studies:
Understanding the ideas:
While this may sound daunting, it is very likely that you will regularly come across ideas that do not
make sense the first time. Don’t panic, this is normal and desirable. If studying higher level subjects
was easy, what would be the point of spending two years studying them?
1. Work somewhere where you can concentrate. I’ve been studying Philosophy for over 10
years now, and I still often find I have to read it aloud if it’s to go in or make sense.
2. Active reading: Always make sure you are reading for something. Don’t just take general
notes first time you read something. Instead, follow the sequence of: reading fully through
the chapter/article once so you have the general impression/structure and overall point of
it; then go back to it with a specific purpose: either pulling out a quote about something, or
identifying criticisms of an argument; then reorganise notes taken into a revisable format.
3. Reading, re-reading and then re-reading again. If you are struggling with an argument or
concept, try and read a representation of it somewhere else. You could use the textbook
and the Stanford Encyclopaedia, for example.
4. Different mediums: We all benefit from looking at information in a range of ways. Have you
tried turning information into diagrams? Symbols? Recording something through audio and
listening back to it? A bit of creativity in learning can bring a breakthrough in understanding
(and memory – see below)
Memory is crucial when you have a massive syllabus: learn as you go
From the beginning of the year, incrementally build up your knowledge of the subject by
committing new learning to long-term memory. Successful ways to do this are:
1. Flashcards: build these up each week with new terminology / theories and arguments. Test
yourself and each other regularly.
2. Talking about the content with friends/family/pets/mulling it over whilst on a bus–
vocalising things, and explaining ideas to others is a highly effective way to retain
information, and also ensure that you have fully understood it.
Deliberate Practice
Deliberate practice is the conscious adjustment of performance to bring about gradual
improvement.
1. Write an essay, get very specific feedback and then re-write it applying that feedback.
2. Keep track of targets set by your teacher and consciously reflect on whether you have met
them.
3. Seek automaticity: Yes, this is about those habits again… We are really, really good at things
that we repeat so often that it becomes subconscious. With the crucial skills, practise these
sufficiently so that they become second nature: things like introductions, presenting
arguments and developing explanations.
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Good luck and enjoy!
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