Component 1 — Philosophy of Religion AND Ethics
Paper 1 · 3h · 100 marks · 50% of A Level · two sections each with three 15-mark essays · choice of essay topics AQA A Level Religious Studies 7062
📿 AQA A Level Religious Studies Reference Sheet 2026
All the named scholars, arguments, and frameworks for AQA A Level Religious Studies — Philosophy of Religion, Ethics, Study of Religion (Christianity / Islam), Dialogues, and 15-mark essay structures.
Philosophy Arguments Ethical Theories Named Scholars AO1 + AO2 Essays
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Aligned with the latest 2026 syllabus and board specifications. This sheet is prepared to match your exam board’s official specifications for the 2026 exam series.
All the Core AQA A Level Religious Studies Scholars and Arguments in One Reference Sheet
AQA A Level Religious Studies (7062) demands precise scholar attribution, structured argumentation, and the ability to construct a sustained AO1+AO2 essay under pressure. This reference sheet brings together every classical argument, ethical theory, named scholar, and dialogue framework you need across all three components.
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Philosophy of Religion — arguments for God, problem of evil, religious language
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Ethics — utilitarianism, Kant, natural law, virtue ethics, situation ethics, meta-ethics
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Study of Religion (Christianity or Islam) and Dialogues
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15-mark essay structure for AO1 (knowledge) + AO2 (evaluation)
Course Structure & Assessment
Three components, two papers — know what's tested where.
Component 2 — Study of Religion AND the Dialogues
Paper 2 · 3h · 100 marks · 50% of A Level · Study of Religion section (Christianity OR Islam most common) + Dialogues section (between Philosophy/Ethics and the studied religion) Assessment Objectives
AO1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of religion and belief · ~50% AO2
Analyse and evaluate aspects of, and approaches to, religion and belief · ~50% AO1 and AO2 are weighted roughly equally — knowledge alone caps you at ~50%, evaluation alone is unsupported.
Philosophy of Religion — Arguments for God's Existence
Each classical argument has a key proponent + key critic — always pair them.
Ontological Argument
A priori, deductive — God's existence follows from the definition of God.
Anselm (Proslogion)
God = 'that than which nothing greater can be conceived' · existence in reality > existence only in mind · therefore God must exist Descartes
God's existence is part of His essence (like 3 angles to a triangle) · supremely perfect being must possess existence Kant's critique
Existence is not a predicate · adding 'exists' to a concept does not make it greater · therefore the argument fails Gaunilo
'Perfect island' parody — same logic would prove a perfect island exists Cosmological Argument
A posteriori — from observation that things exist and have causes.
Aquinas's Five Ways
1 Motion · 2 Causation · 3 Contingency · 4 Degrees · 5 Teleology — first three are cosmological Kalam (Craig)
1 Whatever begins to exist has a cause · 2 The universe began to exist · 3 Therefore the universe has a cause Critiques
Hume — fallacy of composition · Russell — 'the universe is just a brute fact' · why exempt God from needing a cause? Teleological / Design Argument
From apparent purpose and order in nature.
Paley's watch
Complex design implies a designer · the universe shows greater complexity → therefore a divine designer Hume's critique
Weak analogy · evil and disorder undermine 'good designer' · Epicurean hypothesis (chance) J.S. Mill
Nature contains cruelty (parasitism, suffering) — therefore designer not benevolent Modern
Anthropic principle / fine-tuning vs Darwinian evolution and multiverse hypothesis Religious Experience
Argument from the testimony of mystical or numinous experience.
William James
Four marks of mystical experience — ineffability, noetic, transient, passive · pragmatic test ('by their fruits') Otto
Numinous = mysterium tremendum et fascinans · wholly other Freud's critique
Religious experience as projection of childhood father-figure · wish fulfilment Other critiques
Persinger — temporal lobe stimulation · cultural conditioning Philosophy — Problem of Evil & Religious Language
Two of the most-asked Component 1 essay topics.
Problem of Evil
Logical (Mackie)
Inconsistent triad: omnipotent, omnibenevolent, evil exists — at least one must go Free will defence (Plantinga)
Genuine free will requires possibility of evil · God could not create free creatures who never sin Soul-making (Hick)
Evil necessary for moral development · 'epistemic distance' enables genuine choice Augustinian theodicy
Evil = privation of good · result of the Fall · soul-deciding Evidential (Hume, Rowe)
Quantity and severity of evil (especially natural evil and animal suffering) make God's existence improbable Religious Language
Verification (Ayer)
Logical positivism — only analytic and synthetically verifiable statements are meaningful · religious statements fail · therefore meaningless Falsification (Flew)
Religious statements die 'the death of a thousand qualifications' · cannot be falsified · therefore meaningless Hare's bliks
Non-cognitive but meaningful frameworks for interpreting experience Wittgenstein
Language games — religious language meaningful within its 'form of life' Aquinas — analogy
Of attribution and of proportion · religious language describes God analogically, not univocally Via negativa
Pseudo-Dionysius · we can only say what God is NOT Tillich — symbol
Religious language symbolic — points beyond itself to ultimate concern Ethics — Normative Theories
Five core normative theories — each with a key proponent and key critique.
Utilitarianism
Bentham (Act)
Greatest happiness for the greatest number · hedonic calculus (intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, extent) · all pleasures equal Mill (Rule)
Higher (intellectual) vs lower (bodily) pleasures · follow rules that generally maximise utility Singer (Preference)
Maximise satisfied preferences, not pleasure · equal consideration of interests Critiques
Tyranny of the majority · cannot calculate consequences accurately · ignores justice and rights Kantian Deontology
Categorical imperative — Universalisability
'Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law' Ends in themselves
'Act so that you treat humanity always as an end and never as a means only' Kingdom of ends
Act as if you were a legislator in a kingdom where everyone is an end in themselves Strengths/critiques
Strong on rights and duty · but rigid in conflict cases · ignores consequences and emotions (Williams) Natural Law
Aquinas
Eternal → divine → natural → human law · 5 primary precepts: Preservation of life · Reproduction · Education of children · Living in society · Worshipping God (POWER acronym useful but actual is 'self-preservation, reproduction, education, society, God') Secondary precepts
Derived from primary · context-dependent applications Doctrine of double effect
Action with bad side-effect permissible if intention is good and good outweighs bad Critiques
Naturalistic fallacy · pluralism of human nature · cultural variation Virtue Ethics
Aristotle
Eudaimonia (flourishing) is the goal · virtues = character traits cultivated by habit · golden mean between vices of excess and deficiency · phronesis (practical wisdom) guides judgement MacIntyre (After Virtue)
Modern moral discourse fragmented · need return to virtue grounded in tradition and community practices Critiques
Vague action guidance · culturally relative virtues · circular (virtuous person does virtuous things) Situation Ethics
Fletcher
Only one rule: do the most loving thing (agape) · 4 working principles: pragmatism, relativism, positivism, personalism · 6 fundamental principles Strengths/critiques
Flexible and Christian-rooted · but subjective · how do we know what is most loving? · risk of slippery slope Ethics — Meta-Ethics & Applied Ethics
Meta-ethics asks what moral statements MEAN; applied ethics applies theories to issues.
Meta-Ethics
Naturalism
Moral properties = natural properties · 'good' definable in natural terms (e.g. utilitarianism) Intuitionism (Moore)
'Good' is indefinable, simple, non-natural · known by intuition · Naturalistic Fallacy critique of naturalism Emotivism (Ayer, Stevenson)
Moral statements express emotion ('Boo-Hurrah' theory) · not propositions · non-cognitive Prescriptivism (Hare)
Moral statements are universalisable prescriptions Applied — Sexual Ethics
Apply each normative theory to: pre-marital sex, homosexuality, adultery, contraception · contrast religious and secular approaches Applied — War & Peace
Just War — jus ad bellum
Just cause · legitimate authority · right intention · last resort · reasonable success · proportionality Just War — jus in bello
Discrimination (non-combatant immunity) · proportionality of means Pacifism
Absolute (no violence ever) vs contingent · religious (Sermon on the Mount) and secular roots Apply utilitarianism, natural law, situation ethics to specific cases (e.g. nuclear deterrence, humanitarian intervention) Component 2 — Study of Religion
Most centres choose Christianity OR Islam — frameworks here apply to both.
Sources of Authority
Christianity
Bible (OT/NT) · creeds · Church tradition · Magisterium (Catholic) · individual conscience · key figures (Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Barth) Islam
Qur'an · Sunnah/Hadith · Ijma (consensus) · Qiyas (analogy) · key figures (Muhammad, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Sina, Sayyid Qutb) Central Beliefs
Christianity
Trinity · Incarnation · Atonement · Resurrection · Salvation · Eschatology Islam
Tawhid · Prophethood · Risalah · Akhirah · Six Articles of Faith · Five Pillars Religious Experience & Practice
Worship · prayer · sacraments / rituals · pilgrimage · communal vs individual practice · mystical traditions (Christian mysticism · Sufism) Social, Historical & Global Context
Reformation · Vatican II · liberation theology (Christianity) · Sunni/Shia · Islamic reform movements · religious pluralism · response to secularisation Religious Life Today
Gender and religion · religion and science · religion and politics · interfaith dialogue · response to modern ethical issues Component 3 — The Dialogues
How does the studied religion engage with Philosophy and Ethics? This is examined explicitly.
Religion and Philosophy
How does the religion respond to: arguments for/against God's existence? · the problem of evil? · religious language? · religious experience? E.g. Christian theodicies (Augustine, Hick) · Islamic responses to evil (qadr — divine decree)
Religion and Ethics
How does the religion engage with normative ethical theories? · agreement and disagreement with utilitarianism, Kant, natural law, virtue, situation · application to applied ethics issues Approach for Dialogue Questions
Identify the philosophical/ethical issue · summarise the religion's position with named scholars · evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the dialogue · weighted judgement Named Scholars Quick-Reference
Always name scholars — examiners reward precise attribution.
Philosophy
Anselm · Aquinas · Descartes · Hume · Kant · Paley · Mill · Plantinga · Hick · Mackie · Wittgenstein · Tillich · Ayer · Flew · James · Otto · Freud Ethics
Bentham · Mill · Singer · Kant · Aquinas · Aristotle · MacIntyre · Fletcher · Moore · Ayer · Stevenson · Hare Christianity
Augustine · Aquinas · Luther · Calvin · Barth · Bonhoeffer · Hick · Tillich · liberation theologians (Gutiérrez) Islam
Al-Ghazali · Ibn Sina (Avicenna) · Ibn Rushd (Averroes) · Sayyid Qutb · contemporary reformers 15-Mark Essay Structure (AO1 + AO2)
Every Component 1 question is a 15-mark essay — master one structure and apply it everywhere.
Recommended Structure
Introduction
Define key terms · state your thesis (judgement on the question) · briefly signpost arguments AO1 paragraphs (~half)
Explain the relevant philosophical/ethical position with named scholar(s) · accurate, specific, technical vocabulary AO2 paragraphs (~half)
Evaluate — strengths, weaknesses, contrasting scholars · weigh competing arguments Conclusion
Reaffirm thesis with reasoning · acknowledge complexity · explicit overall judgement Aim for 4–5 developed paragraphs in ~30 minutes per essay (3 essays × 30 mins per section).
Common Pitfalls
AO1 only (no evaluation) caps at ~7/15 · AO2 only (no knowledge) caps at ~7/15 · scholar name without explanation = no credit · narrative summary of arguments without evaluation = AO1 ceiling Top-Band Indicators
Sustained argument (not just for-and-against) · multiple named scholars in dialogue · technical vocabulary used precisely · evaluation woven throughout, not bolted on at end · explicit, reasoned conclusion How to Use This Reference Sheet
Boost your Cambridge exam confidence with these proven study strategies from our tutoring experts.
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Build a Scholar Index
For each topic, hold one card per scholar with their position, key argument, and main critic. Memorising scholars by debate (not in a list) makes them easier to deploy in essays.
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Pair Argument With Counter
Every classical argument has a famous critic — Anselm/Kant, Paley/Hume, Mackie/Plantinga. Always introduce both together so AO2 evaluation is built in.
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Practise the Dialogues Section
Component 2 Dialogues are often the lowest-scoring section because students treat them as add-ons. Plan dialogue answers explicitly — Philosophy → Religion's position → Evaluation.
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Time Yourself at 30 Mins per Essay
3 hours · 2 sections · 6 essays at 15 marks each = 30 minutes per essay including planning. Practise this rhythm weekly — pacing kills more candidates than content.
Reference Sheet FAQ
Quick answers about this free PDF and how to use it for exam revision and active recall.
Is the AQA A Level Religious Studies Reference Sheet 2026 free to download as a PDF?
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What Religious Studies topics and equations does this formula sheet cover?
This page groups key Religious Studies formulas in one place for revision. Master AQA A Level Religious Studies (7062) with this 2026 reference sheet. Covers Philosophy of Religion (arguments for God, problem of evil, religious language), Ethics (utilitarianism, Kant, natural law, virtue, si… Always cross-check with your official syllabus and past papers for your exam session.
Can I use this instead of the official exam formula booklet in the exam?
No. In the exam you must follow only what your exam board allows in the hall—usually the official formula booklet or data sheet where provided. This page is a revision and teaching aid, not a replacement for board-issued materials.
Who is this formula sheet for (Post-Secondary)?
It is written for students preparing for assessments at Post-Secondary in Religious Studies, including classroom revision, homework support, and independent study. Teachers and tutors can also share it as a quick reference.
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Work through past paper questions, quote the correct formula before substituting values, and check units and notation every time. Pair this sheet with timed practice and mark schemes so you see how examiners expect working to be set out.
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Work through Philosophy of Religion, Ethics, Study of Religion, and the Dialogues with an experienced AQA A Level Religious Studies tutor. We focus on named scholars, structured argument, and high-band AO1+AO2 essay technique.
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This reference sheet aligns with AQA A Level Religious Studies (7062) syllabus content for 2026.
Always name scholars precisely, deploy classical argument with a named critic, and weave AO2 evaluation throughout your essays.