Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies study guides

A guide to how SQA Advanced Higher RMPS is structured and assessed: the two areas of study (Philosophy of Religion plus one optional area), the 90-mark question paper of extended essays, the 50-mark dissertation, the skills assessed and how the course steps up from Higher.

A guide to the Medical Ethics optional area of SQA Advanced Higher RMPS: the ethical frameworks (utilitarianism, Kant, sanctity and quality of life, the four principles) applied to abortion, euthanasia and organ transplantation, and how to write the extended essay.

A guide to the mandatory Philosophy of Religion area of SQA Advanced Higher RMPS: the existence of God, the cosmological, teleological and ontological arguments, the problem of evil, and how to write the extended essay that argues and evaluates rather than describes.

A guide to the Religious Experience optional area of SQA Advanced Higher RMPS: the types of experience, the argument from religious experience (Swinburne, James), the challenges (Freud, neuroscience, conflicting claims), and whether experience justifies belief.

A guide to the SQA Advanced Higher RMPS dissertation: the 50-mark, independent research piece of around 3,000 to 4,000 words. Covers choosing a focused question, researching a range of views, building a sustained argument, and reaching a substantiated conclusion.