National 4/5 RMPS

RMPS will help you to develop critical thinking skills. RMPS enables you to discuss important, real-life issues, and explore and justify your own beliefs and values. Sharing ideas and questions in a safe space helps you become a more independent thinker. Through this process, RMPS encourages you to be open-minded and respectful of those who have different perspectives.

These skills and attributes will be useful in many careers such as journalism, law, politics, teaching, the police force, social work, equalities roles, medicine, charity work and any other job where social skills, moral decision making, critical thinking and respect for others is valued.

Pupils will study three units:

1. World Religion: Jewish beliefs and practices

Explore what Jews believe about God, about human beings, what our purpose is in living. How do Jews live out their beliefs on a day-to-day basis? What do key festivals symbolise?

2. Morality and Belief: Conflict

Can war ever be justified? What about the consequences for people, animals, the environment? Are there good alternatives to war? Should certain weapons be prohibited?

3. Religious and Philosophical Questions: Origins

Where did the universe come from? And what are the origins of life? Did God have a role in all this? Or was it the Big Bang and Evolution? Maybe a mixture of religion and science?

RMPS at N5 includes three units, and working on key skills that are useful in many contexts:

·       Literacy

·       Communication

·       Critical Thinking

·       Self-reflection

·       Note-taking/summarising

·       Problem solving

·       Team work

·       Discussion and debate

·       Investigation and research

·       Making reasoned judgements

·       Analysis and Evaluation

These skills are highly sought after in numerous work contexts, and are an excellent foundation for any further study in e.g. social science, literary, or science.

National 5

The exam will assess knowledge and skills and is worth 80% of the total mark for this course.  Pupils will answer questions from all three units in this exam within 2 hours 20 minutes.  

In addition, pupils must research a religious, moral or philosophical topic and complete a piece of coursework on this.  This assignment essay will be written up in exam conditions in one hour and will be worth 20% of the overall mark.

National 4

Three unit assessments must be completed at N4 level together with an Added Value investigation in order to achieve this award.  The Added Value topic is chosen by the candidate and completed within class time.

Pupils will also have the option to attempt National 5 unit assessments to progress as far as they can in this subject.