AQA A-Level Philosophy
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4 topics
Course topics4 topics
Assessment and exam guidance
What Gets Top Grades
Knowledge & Understanding
Demonstrates comprehensive and accurate knowledge
- Uses correct subject-specific terminology
- Shows detailed understanding of concepts
- Makes accurate connections between topics
- Demonstrates depth beyond surface-level knowledge
Application
Applies knowledge effectively to new contexts
- Selects relevant knowledge for the question
- Adapts understanding to unfamiliar scenarios
- Uses examples appropriately
- Shows awareness of context
Analysis & Evaluation
Develops sophisticated analytical arguments
- Constructs logical chains of reasoning
- Considers multiple perspectives
- Weighs evidence to reach justified conclusions
- Acknowledges limitations and nuances
Key Command Words
Give a single fact or term
Name, select, or recognise
Set out main features briefly
Give an account of what something is like or what happens
Give reasons with developed cause→effect chains
State similarities AND differences (both required)
Examine in detail showing cause→effect→consequence chains
Weigh up BOTH sides, reach JUSTIFIED conclusion
Make judgments about importance with justification
Show formula→substitution→calculation→answer with units
Tips and common mistakes
Common Exam Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exams
- •Confusing functionalism with behaviourism
- •Failing to explain how functionalism allows for multiple realisability
- •Misunderstanding the distinction between functional roles and the physical substrate that realises them
- •Describing ethical theories in isolation without applying them to the specific issues
- •Failing to use meta-ethical concepts to deepen the analysis of the applied issues
- •Confusing the different normative theories (e.g., misapplying Kantian duty to Utilitarian utility calculations)
- •Lack of critical evaluation of the theories themselves when applied to the case studies
- •Confusing the verification principle with the falsification principle
Top Examiner Tips
Expert advice for exam success
- •Ensure you can clearly distinguish between functionalism and identity theory
- •Use specific examples like the China thought experiment to illustrate the problem of absent qualia
- •Be precise when discussing how the knowledge argument challenges the completeness of functional descriptions
- •Ensure you can explain how a Utilitarian, a Kantian, and a Virtue Ethicist would each approach the same issue
- •Use the specific issues as a vehicle to demonstrate your understanding of the normative theories
- •Practice constructing arguments that weigh competing ethical considerations for each issue
- •Refer back to the core definitions of good, bad, right, and wrong within each theory when applying them
- •Ensure you can clearly define the difference between cognitivism and non-cognitivism
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