What A-level Philosophy covers
Four sections across two papers, all part of AQA's specification (the only major A-level Philosophy spec in the UK):
Epistemology: theory of knowledge
What is knowledge? The tripartite analysis (justified true belief) and the Gettier problem. Perception (direct realism, indirect realism, and Berkeley's idealism where covered). Reason vs experience: rationalism (Descartes, Leibniz) against empiricism (Locke, Hume). And the limits of knowledge: innatism and scepticism.
Moral Philosophy: normative and meta-ethics
Normative ethical theories (utilitarianism in act and rule forms after Mill, Kantian deontology, virtue ethics after Aristotle). Applied ethics (stealing, eating animals, simulated killing, lying). Meta-ethics covering moral realism, anti-realism, naturalism, non-cognitivism, error theory, emotivism, and prescriptivism.
Metaphysics of God
The concept of God (omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence; the Euthyphro problem). Arguments for God's existence: ontological (Anselm, Descartes, Plantinga's modal argument), cosmological (Aquinas's First Way, Kalam), and teleological (Paley's design argument, Hume's critique). The problem of evil in its logical and evidential forms, with theodicies (Augustinian, Hick's soul-making, free will defence). And religious language: verificationism, falsificationism, and Wittgensteinian language games.
Metaphysics of Mind
The mind-body problem (substance dualism after Descartes, property dualism, physicalism). Behaviourism (logical and analytical, Wittgenstein, Ryle). Identity theory in type and token forms. Functionalism and its critics (Block's Chinese Nation, Searle's Chinese Room). And eliminative materialism (Churchland).
What tutoring focuses on
Argument reconstruction
Philosophy mark schemes reward precise argument reconstruction: laying out an argument's premises and conclusion explicitly, identifying its logical structure, and evaluating validity and soundness. Strong students write reconstructions in numbered-premise form. Tutors drill the formal technique.
Objection-and-response dialectic
A-level Philosophy questions often ask students to evaluate whether an objection or a response succeeds. Strong essays present the objection in its strongest form, then the response in its strongest form, then a critical evaluation considering further sub-objections. Tutors coach this dialectical structure explicitly.
25-mark essay technique
The 25-mark essays are where most marks are won. Strong essays open with a clear thesis, structure paragraphs around individual arguments, cite named philosophers and specific arguments precisely, evaluate dialectically, and reach a nuanced conclusion that weighs the considered arguments. Tutors drill explicit essay frameworks.
Named-philosopher recall and citation
Mark schemes reward specific citations: not just "some philosophers argue..." but "Berkeley argues, in his Three Dialogues, that material objects exist only as ideas...". Tutors build systematic philosopher-and-argument recall.
Choosing a Philosophy tutor
A philosophy-degree background is almost essential at A-level Philosophy depth; the subject's analytical demands are too specialised for non-philosophers to coach effectively. A-level Religious Studies tutors with strong philosophy-of-religion coverage sometimes cross over, but pure Philosophy is a different commitment. Confirm the four sections, since some tutors are stronger on epistemology and metaphysics than ethics, or vice versa. Look for argument-led pedagogy: strong tutors teach by arguing, not by lecturing, and they challenge student arguments and require precise responses. For pre-PPE or pre-Philosophy applicants, tutors familiar with Oxford and Cambridge entry expectations can speak to the depth required at undergraduate interview.