Skip to main content

← WJEC-A-LEVEL

Wales Β· WJEC2026

WJEC A-Level Religious Studies: complete guide to the components, themes and exams

A complete guide to WJEC A-Level Religious Studies (Wales). Covers the three areas of study (a Study of Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Ethics), the five-unit AS and A2 structure, the key scholars and arguments, the assessment objectives, and how to study for top grades.

Browse guides β†’Syllabus dot points (23)

WJEC A-Level Religious Studies (Wales) is a rigorous study of religion, philosophy and ethics, assessed entirely by extended-answer examination across five units. This page is the index: below is a map of the three components, the key themes and scholars, the assessment, and how to study each one.

The three areas of study

The qualification is built from three areas, studied across two AS units and three A2 units. There is no coursework.

A Study of Religion
An in-depth study of one of six world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism or Sikhism), taken here as Christianity. It covers religious figures and sacred texts, religious concepts, religious life, religious practices, and significant developments such as liberation and feminist theology.
Philosophy of Religion
The arguments for the existence of God (cosmological, teleological and ontological), the problem of evil, religious experience, miracles, the meaningfulness of religious language, and the challenges of atheism and secularism.
Religion and Ethics
Foundational ethical thought, the normative theories (Natural Moral Law, Situation Ethics, Kantian ethics and utilitarianism), meta-ethics, free will and moral responsibility, conscience, and applied issues such as sexual ethics.

The assessment objectives

Every component tests two skills: AO1 (accurate, detailed knowledge and understanding of religion and belief) and AO2 (analysis and evaluation leading to a justified judgement). Knowing the content is not enough; the higher grades go to candidates who argue and judge.

Exam structure

WJEC A-Level Religious Studies is assessed by five written units, with no non-examined assessment.

  • A Study of Religion - the in-depth study of one world religion (AS Unit 1 and A2 Unit 3), assessed by extended answers on belief, practice and development.
  • Philosophy of Religion - the arguments about God and the problems of religious belief (within AS Unit 2 and A2 Unit 5).
  • Religion and Ethics - the ethical theories and their application (within AS Unit 2 and A2 Unit 4).
  • AO1 - accurate, detailed knowledge and understanding, woven through every unit.
  • AO2 - analysis, evaluation and a justified judgement, the key to the top bands.

How to study WJEC Religious Studies

Religious Studies rewards precise knowledge, clear argument and reasoned judgement over description.

  1. Work component by component. Each has its own themes, scholars and skills; learn them against the specification.
  2. Master the technical vocabulary. Terms like telos, theodicy, categorical imperative and agape carry marks.
  3. Attach scholars to positions. Name the thinker for each argument, theory and objection.
  4. Apply and evaluate. Apply the ethical theories to issues and weigh objections and replies in philosophy.
  5. Always reach a judgement. Conclude with a reasoned answer, not a summary of views.

The components and themes, topic by topic

Each component has a topic-level overview with worked exam questions and cross-links, plus dot-point answer pages for each theme, scholar and argument.

For the official specification

WJEC publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at wjec.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and WJEC's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.

Religious Studies guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

See all β†’

Religious Studies practice quizzes

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

The WJEC-A-LEVEL system, explained

See all β†’

Common questions about Religious Studies

How is WJEC A-Level Religious Studies structured?
WJEC A-Level Religious Studies (Wales) is built from three areas of study: a Study of Religion (one of six world religions, taken here as Christianity), Philosophy of Religion, and Religion and Ethics. The full A level is assessed across five units, two at AS (Units 1 and 2) and three at A2 (Units 3, 4 and 5), all by extended-answer examination. There is no coursework. The qualification follows the 2016 WJEC specification used in Wales.
Which religion options are available for the Study of Religion?
For the Study of Religion, centres choose one of six major world religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism or Sikhism. Each option covers the same kinds of theme, religious figures and sacred texts, religious concepts, religious life, and religious practices, applied to that religion. These pages use Christianity, the most widely taught option in Wales, as the worked example.
What are the main components of WJEC A-Level Religious Studies?
The three components are a Study of Religion (the in-depth study of one world religion), Philosophy of Religion (the arguments for and against God, the problem of evil, religious experience, miracles, religious language and atheism), and Religion and Ethics (the ethical theories of Natural Law, Situation Ethics, Kant and utilitarianism, plus meta-ethics, free will, conscience and applied ethics). Each is examined by extended-answer questions.
Which scholars do I need for WJEC Religious Studies?
Key thinkers include Aquinas (cosmological and design arguments, Natural Law, conscience), Anselm, Descartes and Kant (the ontological argument and Kantian ethics), Paley and Tennant (design), Augustine and Hick (the problem of evil), James, Otto and Swinburne (religious experience and miracles), Hume (miracles and criticisms), Ayer, Flew and Wittgenstein (religious language), Bentham and Mill (utilitarianism), Fletcher (Situation Ethics), Moore and Stevenson (meta-ethics), and Freud (psychology and conscience).
How is WJEC A-Level Religious Studies assessed?
The full A level is assessed by five written units (two AS, three A2), each made up of extended-answer questions. Two assessment objectives are tested: AO1, accurate and detailed knowledge and understanding of religion and belief, and AO2, analysis and evaluation leading to a justified judgement. Questions typically ask you to examine a belief, argument or theory (AO1) or to evaluate a claim about it (AO2). There is no non-examined assessment.
How should I revise for WJEC A-Level Religious Studies?
Work component by component and theme by theme. For each theme, learn precise knowledge (beliefs, scholars, arguments, technical terms) for AO1 and build a balanced argument with a clear judgement for AO2. Learn to apply the ethical theories to issues such as sexual ethics, and to weigh objections and replies in philosophy. Always reach a reasoned conclusion rather than describing, and revise from the current WJEC specification and past papers, because question style is board-specific.
How does WJEC Religious Studies compare to other exam boards?
All A-Level Religious Studies specifications develop similar skills and cover much the same philosophy and ethics (the arguments for God, the problem of evil, Natural Law, Kant, utilitarianism). WJEC's distinctive features are its particular five-unit structure for Wales, its combination of a Study of Religion with Philosophy and Ethics, and its own question styles and mark schemes (note that Eduqas is the same body's brand in England). Always revise from the current WJEC specification and WJEC past papers.