SCOTTISH QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY – DECEMBER 2011 CURRIC ULUM EVENTS – COURSE AIMS AND STRUCTURE
SUBJECT:
RELIGIOUS, MORAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Course is to develop knowledge and understanding of religious, moral and phil osophical
issues. The Course will explore the questions they raise and the solutions or approaches they offer. Learners will have
opportunities to reflect on these and on their own experience and views. Religious and non -religious perspectives will be
included.
Access 3
National 4
National 5
Higher
 knowledge and
understanding of the
main beliefs and values
of one world religion
 basic factual and
theoretical knowledge
and understanding of
religious and
philosophical responses
to moral questions
 basic factual and
theoretical knowledge
and understanding of
religious and
philosophical responses
to contemporary
 a range of skills including
interpreting the context and
relevance of sources;
enquiring into and critically
evaluating different beliefs,
ideas and viewpoints;
explaining and analysing
religious and philosophical
questions and responses to
these; and expressing views
about religious, moral and
philosophical issues in a
reasoned and structured
manner.
 knowledge and understanding
of some key beliefs, sources
COURSE AIMS
 the ability to enquire into,
and consider, religious,
moral and philosophical
questions
 a range of skills including
enquiry and the ability to
express a point of view
 basic knowledge and
understanding of some
belief, practices and sources
related to one world religion
 basic knowledge and
understanding of religious
and philosophical responses
to moral questions
 basic knowledge and
 knowledge and
understanding of the main
beliefs and values of one
world religion
 basic factual knowledge
and understanding of
religious and philosophical
responses to moral
questions
 basic factual knowledge
and understanding of
religious and philosophical
responses to contemporary
religious debates
 the ability to reflect on, and
investigate, religious, moral
Access 3
understanding of religious
and philosophical questions
National 4
and philosophical
questions
 a range of skills including
investigation, analysis,
straightforward evaluation,
and the ability to express
beliefs and views in a
reasoned manner
National 5
religious debates
 the ability to reflect on,
and relate, knowledge
about religious, moral
and philosophical
questions to personal or
practical contexts
 a range of skills
including investigation,
analysis, evaluation,
and the ability to
express beliefs and
views in a reasoned
manner
Higher
and practices found within
one religion today, and the
ways in which these
contribute to the lives of
followers.
 factual and theoretical
knowledge and understanding
of religious and philosophical
responses to moral questions
 the ability to reflect on
religious, moral and
philosophical questions and
the theoretical issues
involved, and relate these to
personal or practical contexts
where appropriate
 factual and abstract
knowledge and understanding
of religious and philosophical
questions
STRUCTURE, ASSESSMENT AND HIERARCHIES
3 Units
3 Units and Added Value Unit
3 Units, Question Paper
and Assignment
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
3 Units, Question Paper and
Assignment
Access 3
National 4
National 5
Higher
 understanding and
commenting on the meaning
of a source relevant to the
religion selected for study, in
basic terms
 enquiring into, and
expressing a view about a
moral question and religious
and non-religious
responses, in basic terms
 describing a question from
the philosophy of religion
and responses from religion
and science and/or
philosophy, in basic terms
 basic factual knowledge of
the impact and significance
of religion today through
studying some beliefs and
practices found within one of
the world’s six major
religions (Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, Judaism or Sikhism)
and the contribution these
make to the lives of
followers
 basic factual knowledge of a
contemporary moral issue,
and religious and nonreligious responses
 expressing views about
basic, mainly factual
elements of religious,
moral and philosophical
issues in a reasoned
manner, relating these to
personal or practical
contexts
 interpreting key texts and
sources including those
from the religion(s)
selected for study, in
straightforward contexts
 enquiring into, evaluating
and expressing reasoned
views about religious and
non-religious responses to
at least one moral and
philosophical question,
with guidance, in
straightforward, mainly
factual contexts, relating
these to personal or
practical contexts
 describing, analysing and
explaining — simply but in
detail — at least one
religious belief and some
responses to this from
science or philosophy
 basic factual knowledge
 expressing views about
basic factual and
theoretical elements of
religious, moral and
philosophical issues in a
reasoned manner,
taking account of
different ideas and
viewpoints and relating
these to personal or
practical contexts
 interpreting key texts
and sources including
those from the
religion(s) selected for
study, in familiar
contexts using some
abstract or theoretical
ideas
 enquiring into, critically
evaluating, and
expressing reasoned
views about religious
and non-religious
responses to at least
one moral and
philosophical question
in familiar contexts
including using some
abstract or theoretical
ideas and relating these
 expressing views and drawing
conclusions about factual and
abstract elements of religious,
moral and philosophical
issues in a reasoned and
structured manner, taking
account of different ideas and
viewpoints, and relating these
to a range of personal or
practical contexts where
appropriate.
 explaining and applying
interpretations of the context
and relevance of a source
relating to the religion
selected for study
 Enquiring into, critically
evaluating and expressing
reasoned and structured
views about religious and
non-religious responses to
moral and philosophical
questions, using abstract or
theoretical ideas and relating
these to personal or practical
contexts where appropriate.
 explaining and critically
analysing a question from the
philosophy of religion and
some responses from religion
andscience and/or philosophy
Access 3
 basic knowledge of a
question from the
philosophy of religion and
responses from religion and
science and/or philosophy
National 4
and understanding of some
of the main beliefs, values,
practices and traditions of
one of the six major world
religions (Buddhism,
Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, Judaism and
Sikhism)
 basic factual knowledge
and understanding of some
key religious and
philosophical responses to
at least one contemporary
moral issue
 basic factual knowledge
and understanding of at
least one significant
religious belief, and
responses to this from
science or philosophy




National 5
to personal or practical
contexts
describing, analysing
and explaining — in
detail and making use of
some theoretical or
abstract ideas — at
least one significant
religious belief and
some responses from
science or philosophy
basic factual and
theoretical knowledge
and understanding of
some of the main
beliefs, values,
practices and traditions
of one of the six major
world religions
(Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam,
Judaism, and Sikhism)
basic factual and
theoretical knowledge
and understanding of
some key religious and
philosophical responses
to at least one
contemporary moral
issue
basic factual and
theoretical knowledge
Higher
knowledge and understanding
of the significance and impact
of religion today through
explaining some key beliefs
and practices found within the
religion selected for study,
and the contribution these
make to the lives of followers
 Factual and theoretical
knowledge and understanding
of some key religious and
philosophical responses to
contemporary moral
questions.
 Factual and abstract
knowledge and understanding
of a key question from the
philosophy of religion and
responses from religion
andscience and/or philosophy
 Factual and theoretical
knowledge and understanding
of significant religious and
philosophical questions and
responses to these from
religion, science and
philosophy.
Access 3
National 4
National 5
and understanding of at
least one significant
religious belief, and
responses to this from
science or philosophy
Higher