Philosophy is a 100-mark Group VI optional covering epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic and both Western and Islamic philosophical traditions.
Core topic areas
The syllabus spans the classical branches of philosophy alongside Islamic philosophical thought.
- Nature and scope of philosophy
- Epistemology: theories of knowledge
- Metaphysics: being, reality and causation
- Ethics: major moral theories and applied ethics
- Logic: deductive and inductive reasoning
- Political and social philosophy
- Islamic philosophy and major Muslim philosophers
Why this subject rewards structured argument
Philosophy answers are judged on the coherence of an argument, not on the number of philosophers cited; examiners consistently reward candidates who take a clear position, defend it with reasoning, and address at least one counter-argument, over answers that summarise several schools of thought without resolving between them.
Preparation approach
Build a compact glossary of key terms per branch, practice writing short argumentative outlines rather than long descriptive essays, and pair each major Western philosopher with a comparable figure from the Islamic philosophical tradition where relevant.
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Frequently asked questions
Philosophy is a 100-mark Group VI optional subject, examined in a single paper covering epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, and political and Islamic philosophy.
No, but candidates should be comfortable with sustained argumentative writing, since Philosophy is judged on the coherence and defence of an argument rather than factual recall alone.
Group VI also contains Law, Constitutional Law, International Law and Criminology, each worth 100 marks; a candidate chooses only one 100-mark subject from this group.