curriculum descriptors
RELIGIOUS, MORAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES (RMPS)
(ACCESS 1)
INTRODUCTION
Candidates who are working within Access 1, for whom a complete Access 1 unit is
not appropriate, will focus on Learning targets and their related Success Criteria at an
Experiential, Awareness or Participation stage. Examples of targets are outlined in
the descriptors that follow. These descriptors have been organised under the
appropriate Access 1 unit title and then grouped using the Performance Criteria as the
Learning targets.
Each unit at Access 1 forms part of a set of units which are linked to a particular
Access 2 unit.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (RMPS) at Access 1 comprises six units:
RMPS: Questioning Morality – Understanding Morality
RMPS: Questioning Morality – Moral Behaviour
RMPS: Questioning Morality – Moral Situations
RMPS: Questioning the World – Understanding Community
RMPS: Questioning the World – Belonging to a Religious Community
RMPS: Questioning the World – Rules of a Religious Community
For candidates working within Access 1, examples of Success Criteria have been
described for all six units, since they may provide a range of targets for candidates at
this stage of learning.
RATIONALE
RMPS at Access 1 is concerned with the development of the whole person,
particularly in relation to self–awareness, relationships with others and appreciation of
the candidate’s place in the world. Candidates will have the opportunity to develop
their own beliefs and values and to reflect on their experiences, whilst developing a
positive attitude towards the beliefs and values of others. A fundamental aim is for
candidates to engage personally with a limited range of concrete issues and ideas
through active learning, thus developing their own beliefs and values.
CONTENT
Candidates should attain a basic level of competence in skills, basic knowledge and
understanding and personal judgement achieved through studying concrete ideas and
issues, beliefs and viewpoints.
Access 1 Unit: RMPS: Questioning Morality – Understanding Morality
In this unit, candidates will become familiar with the main terms relating to moral
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behaviour and how the use of these terms is different in different contexts.
Access 1 Unit: RMPS: Questioning Morality – Moral Behaviour
Candidates will identify the consequences of a moral action, and explain how a
familiar moral action may affect others.
Access 1 Unit: RMPS: Questioning Morality – Moral Situations
Given an example of a moral dilemma, candidates will propose a possible course of
action, giving a reason for their decision.
Access 1 Unit: RMPS: Questioning the World – Understanding Community
Candidates will show an understanding of the term ‘community’ and why it is
necessary for communities to have rules.
Access 1 Unit: RMPS: Questioning the World – Belonging to a Religious Community
In this unit, candidates will learn about the rules of a world religious community and
the benefits and responsibilities of belonging to a that community
Access 1 Unit: RMPS: Questioning the World – Rules of a Religious Community
Candidates will express a personal opinion on the relevance of an identified rule from
a world religious community and give a reason for the opinion.
Core Skills
Learning targets within these units particularly lend themselves to the development of
the core skills:
 Communication
 Working with Others.
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UNIT: QUESTIONING MORALITY – UNDERSTANDING MORALITY
Outcome: Demonstrate a basic understanding of the term ‘morality’
PC (a): Learning target: Identify the main terms relating to moral behaviour.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in identifying some of the main terms relating to moral
behaviour (e.g. right, wrong, good, bad).
A: Demonstrates awareness that the terms good, bad, right and wrong can relate to
moral behaviour.
E: Actively experiences activities involved in identifying the main terms relating to
moral behaviour.
PC (b): Learning target: Distinguish the use of those terms in moral behaviour from
their use in other contexts.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in distinguishing the use of some terms in moral
behaviour from their use in other contexts.
A: Demonstrates awareness of the difference between the use of any of the terms
good, bad, right and wrong is moral behaviour from other contexts.
E: Actively involved in activities differentiating the use of familiar terms in moral
behaviour contexts from other contexts.
UNIT: QUESTIONING MORALITY – MORAL BEHAVIOUR
Outcome: Demonstrate an understanding of how moral behaviour affects other
people
PC (a): Learning target: Given an appropriate context, identify two consequences of
a moral action
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, by identifying a consequence of a moral action.
A: Demonstrates awareness that a moral action is linked to an identified
consequence.
E: Actively experiences activities linking moral actions with consequences.
PC (b): Learning target: Using an example from ordinary experience, explain how a
moral action can affect other people
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in explaining the effect of an identified familiar moral
action on another person.
A: Demonstrates awareness that a familiar moral action may have a consequence for
an identified other person.
E: Actively experiences activities linking moral actions with consequences.
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UNIT: QUESTIONING MORALITY – MORAL SITUATIONS
Outcome: Evaluate a moral issue
PC (a): Learning target: Given an appropriate moral dilemma, state one possible
course of action.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in stating a possible course of action.
A: Demonstrates awareness that an identified course of action could relate to a
selected moral dilemma.
PC (b): Learning target: Support the decision with at least one reason.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in giving a reason for the stated course of action
chosen.
A: Demonstrates awareness of a reason why an identified course of action could
relate to a selected moral dilemma.
UNIT: QUESTIONING THE WORLD – UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY
Outcome: Demonstrate a basic understanding of the term ‘community’
PC (a): Learning target: Identify communities to which people belong.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in identifying a familiar community to which people
belong.
A: Demonstrates awareness of identified familiar communities.
E: Actively experiences activities involved in identifying communities to which
people belong.
PC (b) Learning target: Explain why it is necessary for communities to have rules.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, by giving a reason why it is necessary for a familiar
community to have a given rule.
A: Demonstrates awareness of a given reason for having a familiar rule in a familiar
community.
UNIT: QUESTIONING THE WORLD – BELONGING TO A RELIGIOUS
COMMUNITY
Outcome: Demonstrate a basic understanding of what it means to belong to a
world religious community
PC (a): Learning target: State three rules of a world religious community.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in stating a rule of a world religious community.
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A: Demonstrates awareness of a given rule of a world religious community.
E: Actively experiences activities involved in identifying the rules of a world
religious community.
PC (b): Learning target: Explain one benefit and one responsibility of belonging to
this religious community.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, in identifying a benefit or responsibility of belonging
to the religious community.
A: Demonstrates awareness of an identified benefit or responsibility.
E: Actively experiences involved in identifying the benefits and responsibilities of
belonging to the identified religious community.
UNIT: QUESTIONING THE WORLD – RULES OF A RELIGIOUS
COMMUNITY
Outcome: Evaluate one rule from within a selected world religious community
PC (a): Learning target: Express a personal opinion on the relevance of an identified
rule.
Success Criteria
P: Participates, with support, by expressing a personal opinion on an identified rule.
A: Demonstrates awareness that a given rule of a familiar religious community could
have a personal impact.
PC (b): Learning target: Support the opinion by providing at least one reason
Success Criteria
P: Participates by selecting a reason for the opinion from a limited list.
Range statement
Candidates should be able to explore a limited range of familiar religions and
communities in the course of these units. Examples to be worked on should be
concrete and relate to the candidate’s experience.
Evidence
Teacher/lecturer checklists
Candidate worksheets/proforma
Record of oral responses.
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