Faculty of World Affairs
GCSE Philosophy and Applied Ethics
(OCR Religious Studies B – J621)
Teacher: Miss J. Rosbrook
Key assessment detail:
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100% final examination
No controlled assessment
Religion studied: Christianity
Students will sit 2 Philosophy papers and 2 Ethics papers.
Students answer 2 sections on each paper. The sections are as
follows:
B601 Philosophy (1hour / 25% of final grade):
Section A, Qu 2: Belief in Deity
Section C, Qu 14: The End of Life
B602 Philosophy (1hour / 25% of final grade):
Section A, Qu 2: Good and Evil
Section C, Qu 14: Religion and Science
B603 Ethics (1hour / 25% of final grade):
Section A, Qu 2: Human Relationships
Section B, Qu 8: Medical Ethics
B604 Ethics (1hour / 25% of final grade):
Section A, Qu 2: Peace and Justice
Section C, Qu 8: Equality
The specification, past papers and
mark schemes can be found at:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualification
s/gcse-religious-studies-bphilosophy-and-applied-ethics-j621j121-from-2012/
Rough guide to the examinations.
In 2012, the way students are examined changed meaning the
course has gone from modular to linear. This means that the
student will sit all four of their exams in Summer 2015.
Each paper is one hour in length. It is more than likely that the
students will sit their two Ethics papers on the same day, one
after the other. The same goes for Philosophy.
There is typically about a month in between their Ethics
examinations and their Philosophy examinations.
How the questions are set out:
5
mins
10
mins
15
mins
Students should spend:
 5 minutes answering Parts A-C (Knowledge)
 10 minutes answering Part D (Understanding)
 15 minutes answering Part E (Evaluate and consider different
viewpoints)
(a)
Is a key word definition. The student should be clear and concise. They should
avoid providing a range of responses in the hope that one of them is right.
Examiners do not mark ‘scattergun’ responses. They will simply take the first
response on the list. If this is wrong, they will mark the question as ‘0’, even if the
correct answer appears later on in the list.
(b)
Usually students are asked to state, give or describe on (b) questions. 2
statements or examples usually achieves the student 2 marks.
If the question says ‘describe one’ the student should complete one ‘PEE’
sentence, using a Bible quote or other relevant evidence to support the point
they are making.
(c)
The rule of thumb for a (c) response is generally one ‘PEE’ sentence. The mark
scheme given to examiners states:
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Statement = 1 mark
Statement with development = 2 marks
Statement with development and amplification/exemplification = 3 marks
For example:
1 mark:
Christians believe Jesus is eternal.
2 marks:
Christians believe Jesus is eternal. His resurrection is central to the Christian
message – that he is the promised Messiah and that there is life after death.
3 marks:
Christians believe Jesus is eternal. His resurrection is central to the Christian
message – that he is the promised Messiah and that there is life after death. This
is echoed by the biblical teaching “He who believes in me [Jesus] shall live,
even though he dies.”
(d)
Part D questions examine the student’s understanding of Christian beliefs about
a particular topic. Examiners are given a range of points a student may choose
to cover in their response therefore students should use the rule of thumb ‘x3
PEE’ in order to achieve the full 6 marks.
The examiners use the following table to award marks to responses:
For example:
(d) ‘Explain Christian beliefs about miracles’ [6]
A miracle is something out of the ordinary that catches attention and Christians
believe they are intended by God as a sign of his love and/or power.
There are many examples in the New Testament of Jesus performing miracles: He
turned water into wine, walked on the sea, healed the sick, raised the dead,
exorcised demons and calmed a storm – “Quiet! Be still! Then the wind died down
and it was completely calm”. Some Christians believe these miracles actually
happened. They are known as literal Christians.
There are however, other beliefs about the New Testament miracles. Liberal Christians
believe that they are symbolic. They provide them with a spiritual message. The New
Testament writers used the Greek term ‘seimeion’ (‘a sign’) to refer to the healing
miracles of Jesus. They were signs that he was the Messiah, of God’s love in practice
and His intervention in the world. Miracles in the New Testament are meant to gain
the attention of the unbeliever and show who Jesus really is.
Christians also believe that miracles are the work of Holy Spirit and a sign of God
intervening in the world today. Roman Catholics, for example, pilgrimage to Lourdes
in the South West of France because they believe the Virgin Mary appeared in a
series of visions to Bernadette Soubirous there. By bathing in the water or touching the
grotto wall, they hope they will find a cure for their or another’s illness.
(e)
These are statement responses and form a short essay. They are marked out of
12 and students will be awarded a maximum of 3 additional marks for spelling,
punctuation and grammar. The highest mark awarded for SPaG out of the two
Part E responses will be taken into account when grading the paper.
Examiners are given a range of points a student may include in their response.
Students are taught to follow the general structure below though many, through
practice, adapt this to suit their own writing style and thought process.
Introduction:
 Define key words if necessary
 Explain why the statement is controversial (why does the issue cause
arguments between religious and secular people)
Agree
 x3 ‘PEE’ paragraphs which agree with the statement
 Evidence should be drawn from biblical, church or philosophical teachings
 Analysis of arguments being put forward. Some students choose to evaluate
from a personal perspective, other students chose to identify flaws/problems
with the argument / evidence.
E.g. “I find this argument unconvincing because …” / “There are, however,
flaws with this argument …” / “I agree with this Christian teaching because …”
Disagree:
 Structure as above.
Personal opinion:
 Do you agree or disagree with the statement?
 Overall, which arguments have you found the most convincing? Why?
The examiners use the following table to award marks to responses:
Level 0
0
marks
Level 1
1-3
marks
Level 2
4-6
marks
Level 3
7-9
marks
Level 4
10-12
marks
SPaG
1-3
marks
Part E
only
No evidence submitted or response does not address the question.
A weak attempt to answer the question.
Candidates will demonstrate little understanding of the question.
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Answers may be simplistic with little or no relevant information
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Viewpoints may not be supported or appropriate
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Answers may be ambiguous or disorganised
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There will be little or no use of specialist terms
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Errors of grammar, punctuation and spelling may be intrusive
A limited answer to the question.
Candidates will demonstrate some understanding of the question.
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Some information will be relevant, although may lack specific detail.
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Only one view might be offered and developed
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Viewpoints might be stated and supported with limited argument/discussion
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The information will show some organisation
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Reference to the religion studied may be vague
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Some use of specialist terms, although these may not always be used
appropriately
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There may be errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation
STUDENT IS UNABLE TO PROCEED TO LEVEL 3 IF THEY HAVE NOT INCLUDED THEIR
PERSONAL OPINION.
A competent answer to the question.
Candidates will demonstrate a sound understanding of the question.
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Selection of relevant material with appropriate development
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Evidence of appropriate personal response
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Justified arguments/different points of view supported by some discussion
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The information will be presented in a structured format
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Some appropriate reference to the religion studied
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Specialist terms will be used appropriately and for the most part correctly
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There may be occasional errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation
A good answer to the question.
Candidates will demonstrate a clear understanding of the question.
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Answers will reflect the significance of the issue(s) raised
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Clear evidence of an appropriate personal response, fully supported
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A range of points of view supported by justified arguments/discussion
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The information will be presented in a clear and organised way
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Clear reference to the religion studied
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Specialist terms will be used appropriately and correctly
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Few, if any errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation
High Performance (3)
Candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with consistent accuracy and effective
control of meaning. Where required, they use a wide range of specialist terms with precision.
Intermediate Performance (2)
Candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with considerable accuracy and general
control of meaning. Where required, they use a good range of specialist terms.
Threshold Performance (1)
Candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar reasonable accuracy. Any errors do not
hinder meaning in the responses. Where required, they use a limited range of specialist terms
appropriately.
Example Part E responses with examiner commentary are available on the OCR GCSE
Philosophy and Ethics portal. You should select ‘support materials’ from the list of options and
then the relevant unit/question number for candidate style responses.
Useful material
Students will be provided with activity booklets and revision
guides/material for each unit that have been produced by The
Dean Academy. They will also be able to attend lunchtime skill
sessions and after-school revision groups.
In addition to this, there are numerous websites and externally
published revision guides available.
Recommended revision guide:
GCSE Religious Studies: Philosophy and Applied
Ethics for OCR B – Jon Mayled.
ISBN-10: 1444110713
Approximately £6-£8.
Textbooks:
2 textbooks are used over the course of the GCSE. They include
general summaries of key information, tasks
and practice questions.
Philosophy through Christianity for OCR B
Religious Studies –Lorraine Abbot
ISBN-10: 0340984112
Ethics through Christianity for OCR B Religious
Studies –Lorraine Abbot
ISBN-10: 0340984120
Individually, each textbook costs
approximately £16.
Useful websites:
http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/shortcourse/index.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/