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SQA Advanced Higher RMPS: complete guide to Philosophy of Religion, Medical Ethics, Religious Experience and the dissertation

A complete guide to SQA Advanced Higher Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (RMPS), an SCQF level 7 course. Covers the mandatory Philosophy of Religion, the optional areas (Medical Ethics or Religious Experience), the 90-mark question paper, the 50-mark dissertation, and how to study for an A.

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SQA Advanced Higher RMPS is a one-year course at SCQF level 7, building on Higher RMPS and bridging to degree-level study. It is graded A to D out of 140 marks from two components: a question paper worth 90 marks and a project-dissertation worth 50 marks. Candidates study two areas, the mandatory Philosophy of Religion plus one optional area (Medical Ethics or Religious Experience), and are examined on both. The course is distinctive for demanding sustained analysis, evaluation, the use of scholarship and independent research, not recall. This page is the index: below is a map of the assessment, the areas of study, the dissertation, and how to study for an A.

The shape of SQA Advanced Higher RMPS

Unlike Higher, which studies set components, Advanced Higher narrows to two areas studied in depth and demands explicit philosophical argument, named scholarship, and independent research. You analyse positions (how an argument works, why a point matters), evaluate them (weighing competing views and judging between them), and produce an original dissertation. Description, however accurate, sits in the lower mark bands; the marks are in argument and judgement.

Course assessment

The award is graded A to D out of 140 marks from two externally marked components.

  • Question paper - 90 marks, three hours. You write an extended essay on Philosophy of Religion (mandatory) and an extended essay on your optional area (Medical Ethics or Religious Experience), normally choosing one title from a small choice in each section. Both your areas are examined.
  • Project-dissertation - 50 marks. An independent research piece of around 3,000 to 4,000 words on a candidate-chosen religious, moral or philosophical question, demonstrating independent research, the analysis and evaluation of a range of views, a sustained argument and a substantiated conclusion.

The dissertation is the single largest component, carrying roughly a third of the whole award.

The mandatory area: Philosophy of Religion

Every candidate studies Philosophy of Religion, the question of the existence of God and the problem of evil:

  • The existence of God - theism, atheism and agnosticism, the burden of proof, and the a priori / a posteriori distinction.
  • The cosmological argument - from causation and contingency (Aquinas, the Kalam version) to a first cause, criticised by Hume and Russell.
  • The teleological (design) argument - from order and purpose to a designer (Paley, fine-tuning), criticised by Hume and Darwinian evolution.
  • The ontological argument - a priori, from the concept of the greatest possible being (Anselm, Descartes), criticised by Gaunilo and Kant.
  • The problem of evil and suffering - the logical and evidential problems, moral and natural evil, and the free will, Augustinian and Irenaean theodicies.

The optional areas

Each candidate takes one optional area alongside Philosophy of Religion, normally the one their centre teaches:

  • Medical Ethics. Ethical frameworks (utilitarianism, Kant, sanctity and quality of life, the four principles of biomedical ethics) applied to abortion (the status of the foetus and the rights of the woman), euthanasia (the types, acts and omissions, double effect, autonomy and the slippery slope), and organ transplantation (consent and opt-in versus opt-out, the definition of death, allocation and the sale of organs).
  • Religious Experience. The types of religious experience (mystical, conversion, numinous, corporate, revelatory), the argument from religious experience (Swinburne's credulity and testimony, James's empirical case), the challenges (Freud, neuroscience, conflicting claims, verification), and the relationship between experience and belief.

This hub covers both optional areas so the technique transfers to whichever you sit.

The dissertation

The dissertation is an independent, externally marked research piece of around 3,000 to 4,000 words, worth 50 marks, on a religious, moral or philosophical question of your choice. It requires a focused, debatable, researchable question, the research of a range of views, a sustained argument that analyses and evaluates rather than describes, and a substantiated conclusion. It applies the skills of the whole course at length and through original research.

How to study SQA Advanced Higher RMPS

Advanced Higher RMPS rewards analysis, evaluation and independent research.

  1. Revise both your areas. You are examined on Philosophy of Religion and your optional area, one essay each.
  2. Argue, do not just recall. Learn the arguments and positions well enough to deploy and weigh them.
  3. Drill the objections and replies. Evaluation is where the marks are; know the strongest objection to each argument and the best reply.
  4. Practise the extended essay. Build a sustained line of argument and a substantiated conclusion, not a descriptive survey.
  5. Start the dissertation early. Choose a focused, debatable, researchable question and research a range of views.
  6. Practise past papers. Use SQA past papers and marking instructions to learn the essay style and the wording markers reward.

The modules in this hub

Each module has answer pages with worked questions and cross-links, plus a paired guide and quiz. Browse the full set from this hub: course and assessment, Philosophy of Religion, Medical Ethics, Religious Experience, and the dissertation.

For the official course specification

The SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) publishes the full Advanced Higher RMPS course specification, specimen and past papers, marking instructions and the coursework assessment task at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and SQA past papers, because question style and terminology are board-specific.

Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

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Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies practice quizzes

Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.

The SQA-ADVANCED-HIGHER system, explained

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Common questions about Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies

How is SQA Advanced Higher RMPS structured?
Advanced Higher RMPS is an SCQF level 7 course in which candidates study two areas: the mandatory area Philosophy of Religion (the existence of God and the problem of evil) and one optional area chosen from Medical Ethics or Religious Experience. It is assessed by two externally marked components, a question paper worth 90 marks (three hours) and a project-dissertation worth 50 marks, totalling 140 marks. Candidates are examined on both their areas in the question paper, writing an extended essay on each, and produce an independent dissertation of around 3,000 to 4,000 words. The course develops sustained analysis, evaluation, the use of scholarship and independent research, building on Higher RMPS.
How is SQA Advanced Higher RMPS assessed?
The award is graded A to D out of 140 marks. The question paper is worth 90 marks and lasts three hours: the candidate writes an extended essay on the mandatory area, Philosophy of Religion, and an extended essay on their chosen optional area (Medical Ethics or Religious Experience), normally selecting one essay from a small choice of titles in each section. The project-dissertation is worth 50 marks and is an independent research piece of around 3,000 to 4,000 words on a candidate-chosen religious, moral or philosophical question, externally marked. The essays and dissertation reward a sustained line of argument, the use of scholarship, analysis and evaluation, and a substantiated conclusion.
What is the mandatory area of Advanced Higher RMPS?
Philosophy of Religion is the mandatory area, studied by every candidate. It examines the existence of God through three classical arguments, the cosmological argument (from causation and contingency, criticised by Hume and Russell), the teleological or design argument (from order and purpose, criticised by Hume and evolution), and the ontological argument (a priori, from the concept of God, criticised by Gaunilo and Kant), and the problem of evil and suffering, with its logical and evidential forms and the main theodicies (free will, Augustinian, Irenaean).
What are the optional areas in Advanced Higher RMPS?
There are two optional areas, of which a candidate takes one alongside Philosophy of Religion. Medical Ethics applies ethical frameworks (utilitarianism, Kant, the sanctity and quality of life, the four principles of biomedical ethics) to abortion, euthanasia and organ transplantation. Religious Experience studies the types of religious experience (mystical, conversion, numinous, corporate, revelatory), the argument from religious experience (Swinburne's principles of credulity and testimony, James's empirical case), the challenges to it (Freud, neuroscience, conflicting claims), and the relationship between experience and belief.
What is the Advanced Higher RMPS dissertation?
The dissertation is the coursework component: an independent research piece of around 3,000 to 4,000 words, worth 50 marks and externally marked. A candidate chooses a focused, debatable, researchable religious, moral or philosophical question, researches a range of views from credible sources, builds a sustained line of argument that analyses and evaluates those views, and reaches a substantiated conclusion, with sources properly referenced. At a third of the award it is the course's single largest component.
What does SCQF level 7 mean for Advanced Higher RMPS?
SCQF is the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Advanced Higher sits at level 7, above Higher (level 6) and pitched at the demand of the first year of a Scottish degree or, for a top grade, an A-Level in UCAS tariff terms. For RMPS it means independent reading, engagement with named philosophers and theologians, sustained analytical argument, and the production of an original, argued dissertation, which is why scholarship and research run through the whole course rather than recall.
How should I revise for SQA Advanced Higher RMPS?
Revise both of your studied areas, since you are examined on each in the question paper. Learn the arguments and positions well enough to argue with them, not just recall them, and drill the objections and replies, because evaluation is where the marks are. Practise the extended essay for a sustained line of argument and a substantiated conclusion, and start the dissertation early with a focused, debatable question. Practise SQA past papers and read the marking instructions, because the essay style and the wording markers reward are board-specific.
How does Advanced Higher RMPS differ from Higher RMPS?
Higher RMPS (SCQF level 6) studies set components (a world religion, morality and belief, and religious and philosophical questions) with source-handling, structured essays and a 30-mark assignment, emphasising describing and explaining positions. Advanced Higher (SCQF level 7) narrows to two areas studied in depth (Philosophy of Religion plus one optional area), demands explicit philosophical argument and named scholarship, replaces the assignment with an independent 50-mark dissertation, and shifts the emphasis from describing positions to analysing and evaluating them and producing original research. Always revise from the current SQA Advanced Higher course specification and SQA past papers.