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A-level Philosophy

 

 
 

June 2012 exams update:
Exam tips – how students can make best use of answer books

June 2012 Philosophy

Unit codeTitleNumbering systemType of answer book No ppProvided by student
PHIL1 An Introduction to Philosophy 1 New (01,02, etc) Separate 12
PHIL2 An Introduction to Philosophy 2 New (01,02, etc) Separate 12
PHIL3 Key Themes in Philosophy New (01,02, etc) Separate 12
PHIL4 Philosophical Problems New (01,02, etc) Separate 12

General advice

Students should:

  • read all instructions on the front cover and at the start of each section of the question paper
  • read each question carefully before responding, especially where there are optional question(s)
  • remember that questions can appear on all pages of a question paper, including the final page.

Combined question paper answer books

Students should look at the number of marks and the line space allocated to each question and write answers of an appropriate length.

If a student needs more space to answer a question, they must:
either use the white space immediately beneath the lined answer space and before the start of the next question
or ask for an AQA four-page Supplementary answer book.

They should not:

  • use the answer space for a different question
  • write in the margin
  • respond elsewhere in the answer book.

Separate answer books and the two-digit numbering system

Students worked well with the two-digit numbering system and separate answer books in 2011 exams; thank you for ensuring that the guidance was applied successfully. We have updated our guides for students, teachers and exams officers / invigilators to reflect the general advice given above.

Further information

A reminder: question paper style and marking answers on screen
Exams with separate question papers and answer books (unconstrained answer books) will use:

  • our simplified, two-digit question numbering system
  • answer books with spaces for students to write the two-digit question numbers.

For additional guidance see:

Question papers and mark schemes:

  • Summer 2011 materials are available to schools / colleges in the Secure Key Materials area of e-AQA
  • Specimen materials are available from the subject pages of aqa.org.uk

Examples of students' work:

AQA Research team papers:

Marking answers on screen

New AQA Numbering System

Archive

ReThink newsletter - Issue 4

Revised AS Level mark scheme

Following consultation with examiners and teachers, the balance of assessment objectives across the 15 and 30 mark questions has been amended and a 'levels of response' mark scheme introduced for the 30 mark questions. These changes have now been approved by OFQUAL.

The new design is available to view in the key materials. The revised mark scheme will be used in examinations from January 2012 onwards.

New Resources

A range of new resources have been posted in the Teacher Resource Bank. Please note that these resources are in no way prescriptive and should be amended as appropriate for your centre. To obtain a word version of any of the documents e-mail the Philosophy subject team.

The list of new resources is as follows:

PHIL4 exemplar PowerPoint presentations on:

  • Descartes (an introduction to his philosophy and method of doubt)
  • Hume (the origin of ideas)

Revised Schemes of Work on:

  • The idea of God (PHIL1)
  • Reason and Experience (PHIL1)
  • Knowledge of the external world (PHIL2)
  • God and the World (PHIL2)
  • Philosophy of mind (PHIL3)
  • Philosophy of religion (PHIL3)

Exemplar responses to questions from the June 2010 examinations:

  • For all questions on all four units

ReThink newsletter - Issue 3

Secure Key Materials

Secure Key Materials is a new e-AQA service which replaces Recent Exam Materials from 1 September. It provides teachers and Exams Officers with exclusive access to a bank of exam-related material that is:

  • secure
  • easy to navigate
  • quick to use
  • intuitive, based on the design of our website.

Please read our new leaflet and look at the following demo to find out more about this new service.

To obtain an e-AQA account and access to Secure Key Materials, please register at e-AQA. For more information about the materials published on Secure Key Materials, please don't hesitate to contact the Subject team.

A new resource for A-level Philosophy teachers, Philosophical Answers, is available from the British Philosophical Association.

Philosophical Answers will enable questions from teachers in schools to be answered by a panel of university level teachers, chosen by the British Philosophical Association. The panel is staffed by volunteers, and although every effort will be made to answer questions promptly, answers may take a number of days to appear. To save time, teachers are asked to view the banked questions first.