A Level Philosophy Tutoring for Students in the UAE
Philosophy is marked on precision rather than on opinion, which is the opposite of what most students expect when they choose it.
- 2 examined components, weighted as shown below
- 12 syllabus areas mapped to your scheme of work
- Taught by a specialist in this subject, not a generalist
- 90-minute online lessons, scheduled in UAE time
How it is examined
The components, what each one is worth, and what it asks for. Planning revision without this in front of you is how students spend weeks on the part that carries the fewest marks.
| Component | Weight | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Epistemology & Moral Philosophy | 50% | 3 hours on theories of knowledge, perception, rationalism vs empiricism, utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics. |
| Paper 2: Metaphysics of God & Metaphysics of Mind | 50% | 3 hours on arguments for God's existence, the problem of evil, the mind–body relationship and self-consciousness. |
What the syllabus covers
Unit by unit, in the awarding body’s own terms so you can match it against your school’s scheme of work.
Epistemology
Knowledge as justified true belief · Descartes' method of doubt and the cogito · Rationalism vs empiricism · Gettier problems
Moral Philosophy
Utilitarianism: Bentham and Mill · Kantian deontology · Virtue ethics: Aristotle · Meta-ethics: realism and anti-realism
Mind and Metaphysics
Dualism and materialism · Functionalism and behaviourism · Artificial intelligence and the mind · Arguments for God: ontological, cosmological, teleological
Where marks are actually lost
The core skill is reconstructing an argument as premises and a conclusion, accurately, before doing anything with it. Marks are available simply for setting out an argument correctly, and they are lost by students who paraphrase a position loosely and then attack the paraphrase. A great deal of the grade sits in that first step, and it is unglamorous, teachable and quick to fix.
The long essays then require an objection and a response to the objection, not a list of views followed by a preference. An essay that states three positions and says which one is most convincing has not done the examined work. We practise the shape — argument, strongest objection, reply, verdict — until it is the default way an answer comes out.
Tell us the board first
Philosophy is offered by AQA, OCR, and they do not examine it the same way — different options, different papers, different mark schemes. A tutor matched to the subject without the board may be teaching the wrong specification, so it is the first thing we ask.
Frequently asked questions
The questions UAE students and parents ask us most often about this program.
Related programs
Other preparation tracks students often combine with this one.
A Level Tutoring
One-to-one A Level tutoring across the sciences, mathematics and economics, matched to your exact board and specification. Lessons are online and built around past papers and mark schemes.
A Level Pricing
A Level tutoring is priced per subject at the same rate for every subject and every board. What changes the total is when in the two years you start.
How it works
Every student starts with a free consultation and ends with a plan that has a date on it. What happens in between depends on which exam you are sitting.
Tell us where Philosophy is going wrong
Send a recent piece of marked work or a test paper with the marks on it. That shows us more in five minutes than a description of the problem does in an hour.