Our A level Religious Studies online course focuses on Christianity, but is suitable for people of all faiths, or of no religious belief. With the support of a personal tutor, you’ll explore a range of engaging topics including Christianity and society, ethics and religious language.

You’ll have the flexibility to fit study around your lifestyle, learning at your own pace. Like many NEC students, perhaps you’ll go on to study religious studies or theology at university, or use your qualification to support your next career move?

Our Religious Studies A level course is ideal if you:

• Are keen to study religion, theology or a related social science at degree level.
• Want to develop an in-depth understanding of the impact religion has on society.
• Enjoy applying different perspectives and theories to ‘big’ questions and topical issues.
• Would like to reflect on your own values and attitudes.
• Are building your employability skills in areas including critical thinking, communication and empathy.

Future opportunities

• A degree in religious studies, theology or a related subject.
• A wide range of rewarding career paths in fields such as chaplaincy, education, advice work, charity, policing, counselling, youth work and journalism.

Section 1: Introduction to religious studies

• Introduction to philosophy of religion
• Introduction to ethics
• Introduction to Christianity

Section 2: The existence of God

• The design argument
• Modern design arguments
• The cosmological argument
• The ontological argument
• Modern ontological arguments

Section 3: Religious and ethical debates

• Religious experience
• The problem of evil
• Environmental ethics
• The ethics of equality
• Anthology: Mackie

Section 4: Theory and application of ethics

• Utilitarianism
• Natural moral law
• Situation ethics
• War and peace
• Sexual ethics
• Anthology: Barclay

Section 5: Christianity

• The nature of God
• The Trinity
• The nature of the Church
• The Bible
• The role and nature of Jesus
• Shaping and expressing Christian identity
• Anthology: Moltmann

Section 6: Religious language

• Analogy and symbol
• Verification and falsification
• Anthology: Flew, Hare and Mitchell
• Language game

Section 7: Belief and unbelief

• Critiques of religious belief
• Anthology: the Russell-Copleston debate
• Life after death, 1
• Life after death, 2
• Religion and science: methodology
• Creation and cosmology

Section 8: Ethics

• Kant’s deontological ethics
• Aristotelian virtue ethics
• Meta-ethics: cognitivism
• Meta-ethics: non-cognitivism
• Religion and morality
• Medical ethics: the beginning of life
• Medical ethics: the end of life

Section 9: Christianity and society

• The challenge from science
• Secularisation
• New movements in theology
• Pluralism and diversity
• Gender equality and discrimination

Section 10: Atonement: works of scholars

• Atonement theory
• Anthology: Hick
• Anthology: Barth

Study A level Religious Studies with us and benefit from:

• Flexible learning
• Support from a personal tutor by email, phone or Skype
• Any time enrolment
• Our exam booking service
• Assignments with tutor feedback
• Ongoing support from Student Support
• Forums to discuss your course with other students

learn@nec

Choose when and where you access your course, using learn@nec our 24/7 learning platform.

This easy-to-use learning platform includes interactive checkpoints, quizzes and activities to help you evaluate your progress.

You’ll have access to support from a personal tutor. All NEC tutors are subject experts, with experience of supporting online learners.

Meet Amanda who is just one of our first-class religious studies tutors:

“Learning should be a rewarding experience for its own sake. I love ideas and think that the most valuable thing about education is the joy of gaining knowledge. The most rewarding thing about tutoring and teaching is helping students to find their own reward in learning. I have been teaching for 18 years. I am a head of faculty, an A level examiner and write NEC course materials for A level Philosophy and A level Religious Studies. I am never happier than when I am in a classroom or working 1:1 with learners of all ages.”

Exam board

• Edexcel 9RS0

Format

• Online learning with support from a personal tutor

Hours

• Complete at your own pace
• Approx. 250-300* hours plus time for completing assignments

*The specification suggests that 300 hours is needed. You’ll also need time to complete assignments and prepare yourself for exams and some courses like English literature involve a lot of reading. Everyone is different so it’s impossible to say with certainty how long a course will take you, but you should expect to spend longer than 300 hours. Taken across the length of time we recommend, this equates to approximately 5 hours per week. This will increase if you choose to take it over a shorter time frame or may be less if you are retaking a subject and have covered a lot of of the course content.

Assignments

• 11 assignments (one introductory) – these do not contribute towards your final grade

Resources

• No additional set texts required
• Internet access
• Computer operating system and browser to support learn@nec

Our course fees are clear and transparent to help you plan for any additional costs.

Your course fee includes:

• 24/7 access to learn@nec platform and resources
• Expertly designed online course materials (including ebook versions of textbooks where specified) that you need to complete the course
• Support from our Student Services team
• Structured assignments carefully designed to prepare you for exams
• Guidance from your tutor for up to 24 months from your date of enrolment
• Extensive feedback to all assignments that will support your learning
• NEA (coursework) marking and authentication
• Marking for one examination paper (from a previous year)
• Guaranteed exam place
• NEC’s guide to study skills: How to Succeed as an Independent Learner
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar guide
• Time planner template to help you plan your study timetable
• Information on how to apply for exams

Your course fee does not cover:

• Any fees in relation to exam entries or assessments
• Centre Assessment Grades (CAG) in the event of exam cancellation
• Recommended textbooks for additional reading or set texts

If you need more support, you can purchase:

• Online tutorials – if you need help with a specific topic you can arrange a 30 minute or 1 hour tutorial
• Additional past paper marking – to help with your exam preparation
• Revision tutorial –  to plan your revision and explore revision techniques
• Help with your UCAS application service

For further information on additional/optional support you can purchase, please visit our additional services page.

Exams (three):

• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)
• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)
• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)

There is no non-exam assessment (NEA) for this course

We know that our younger students often need an extra helping hand with their studies.  In our experience, learning online works best when the parents are involved, so when you enrol your child with NEC, you’ll have a unique set of services to help you to support your child.

This includes:

• Your own log in to learn@nec to access the course so you can view the course materials and other information for yourself.
• Access to your child’s gradebook to help you to monitor progress and provide appropriate and timely intervention and support
• You’ll receive emails and forum posts so that you have all the examination and assessment updates/information provided by the NEC team
• Dedicated Progress Portal Pages and targeted blogs with updates/information/help and advice on many aspects of home education.

Read more about how we work with young students who are studying at home or through a school.