AS Level: philosophy of religion, world religions foundational study, ethics and applied ethics. A Level extends to religious thought, comparative study, and critical analysis of religious claims.
| Topic | Sub-Topic | Confidence (1–5) | Last Reviewed | Next Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS1. Philosophy of religion (AS) | Arguments for the existence of God: ontological, cosmological, teleological | |||
| 1. Philosophy of religion (AS) | Religious experience: types, evaluation and challenges | |||
| 1. Philosophy of religion (AS) | The problem of evil and theodicies (Augustinian, Irenaean) | |||
| 1. Philosophy of religion (AS) | Religious language: cognitive vs non-cognitive | |||
| 1. Philosophy of religion (AS) | Miracles and the laws of nature | |||
| AS2. World religions: foundational study (AS) | Key beliefs and teachings of the chosen religion(s) | |||
| 2. World religions: foundational study (AS) | Sacred texts: origin, authority, interpretation | |||
| 2. World religions: foundational study (AS) | Founders and key figures | |||
| 2. World religions: foundational study (AS) | Worship, practices and rituals | |||
| 2. World religions: foundational study (AS) | Festivals, pilgrimage and holy places | |||
| AS3. Ethics and applied ethics (AS) | Ethical theories: utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, natural law | |||
| 3. Ethics and applied ethics (AS) | Meta-ethics: cognitivism vs non-cognitivism | |||
| 3. Ethics and applied ethics (AS) | Religious ethics: divine command theory | |||
| 3. Ethics and applied ethics (AS) | Applied ethics: medical ethics, war and peace, business ethics | |||
| 3. Ethics and applied ethics (AS) | Conscience: religious and secular views | |||
| ↓ A Level content begins. Papers 3 & 4 build on AS Level material. AS content is assumed knowledge. | ||||
| A Level4. Religious thought and developments (A Level) | Development of religious doctrine over time | |||
| 4. Religious thought and developments (A Level) | Religious responses to modernity and secularism | |||
| 4. Religious thought and developments (A Level) | Key thinkers and their contributions (e.g. Augustine, Aquinas, Kant, Hume) | |||
| 4. Religious thought and developments (A Level) | Religion and science: conflict, independence, integration | |||
| 4. Religious thought and developments (A Level) | Religion and gender; religion and pluralism | |||
| A Level5. Comparative and inter-religious study (A Level) | Comparative beliefs across religions (God/ultimate reality, salvation, afterlife) | |||
| 5. Comparative and inter-religious study (A Level) | Inter-religious dialogue and pluralism | |||
| 5. Comparative and inter-religious study (A Level) | Religion and society: politics, law, education | |||
| 5. Comparative and inter-religious study (A Level) | Mysticism and contemplative traditions | |||
| 5. Comparative and inter-religious study (A Level) | Religion and the arts; symbolism and ritual | |||
| A Level6. Critical analysis and evaluation (A Level) | Strengths and weaknesses of theistic arguments | |||
| 6. Critical analysis and evaluation (A Level) | Critiques of religion: Marx, Freud, Dawkins, Russell | |||
| 6. Critical analysis and evaluation (A Level) | Religion and morality: dependent or independent? | |||
| 6. Critical analysis and evaluation (A Level) | Evaluation of religious experience claims | |||
| 6. Critical analysis and evaluation (A Level) | Defending and challenging religious truth claims | |||
| A Level7. Exam skills and assessment | Short-answer questions: precise definitions and examples | |||
| 7. Exam skills and assessment | Essay structure: AO1 (knowledge) and AO2 (evaluation) | |||
| 7. Exam skills and assessment | Use of scholarly views and counterarguments | |||
| 7. Exam skills and assessment | Quoting sacred texts and key thinkers accurately | |||
| 7. Exam skills and assessment | Synoptic links across philosophy, ethics and religion | |||
Use with our Past Paper Finder for Cambridge A Level Religious Studies 9484 past papers.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official Cambridge A Level Religious Studies 9484 syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. It is aligned to the AS & A Level tier expectations. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
12–16 weeks of focused revision, working through one topic group per week with weekly past-paper practice, is a realistic target for most A Level students. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 Cambridge A Level Religious Studies 9484 specification published by Cambridge. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.