OCR Religious Studies A Level: 40/40 Problem of Evil full essay plans

These notes provide everything you need to get 40/40 in Problem of Evil questions. The plans are clear, easy to read and colour-coded so you can see AO1 and AO2. I’ve been tutoring OCR RS A Level for over a decade, and I have a degree in Theology from Cambridge.

These aren not textbook-style lengthy notes explaining the thinkers. They cut straight to the point and give you 40/40 essays for all possible questions on the Problem of Evil for the OCR A Level. As with all OCR RS topics, there are a limited number of possible questions from the specification, and this document gives you A Grade essay for all possible questions.

These plans use a structure of six shortish paragraphs, with two AO1 and four AO2. You could, instead, have paragraphs that mix AO1 and AO2. Whatever you do, two thirds of your essay should be AO2 because two thirds of the marks are AO2.

There are many other strengths and weaknesses of these theories, this is just one way of writing 40/40 essays. You may have to adapt a plan to the exact wording of the question set, but in OCR RS there are a small number of possible question themes and these plans cover all those themes, if not the exact wording of every possible question.

These plans cover the following questions:
Question theme 1: Is Augustine’s view of the origins of moral and natural evil enough to spare God from blame for evils in the world?
Question theme 2: Does the concept of the world as a “vale of soul-making” justify the existence or extent of evil?
Question theme 3: Which of the logical or evidential aspects of the problem of evil poses the greater threat to belief in God.
Question theme 4: Is it possible to successfully defend monotheism in the face of evil?