Coursework: An Overview

Practical coursework for Leaving Cert. Religious Education

Frequently Asked Questions:

How much is it worth?

Coursework accounts for 80 of the 400 marks available in Religious Education. This means it is worth 20% of your overall grade, and is equal in value to each of the four Sections you complete in the written exam.

How long does it have to be?

The official guideline for Parts A and B is 1500 words total. I would consider this a minimum word count, you can fit up to 3000 words in the booklet. Ideally your coursework would be around the 2000 word mark, and I'll break down how this is split below.

What is Part A?

Part A of your coursework contains three elements: 

i) An indication of the sources consulted when completing coursework on your chosen title. 

This means you should, briefly, summarize the resources you found most helpful when researching, and outline where most of the information contained in your summary came from. Sources of information can be textual (books, articles from newspapers or magazines, literary journals, etc.), or they can be digital (websites, online catalogues, documentaries, etc.) It is important to have a mix of both.

ii) Steps taken and skills used in completing coursework

Your coursework should include a paragraph detailing both of these. Steps taken usually includes discussing prescribed titles in class, choosing your title, conducting research, completing a first draft of your summary, reflecting on your experience, etc. Skills used include skills of analysis and evaluation, research, communication, and reflection. It is important to discuss which skills were used and developed at each step of completing coursework on your chosen title. This paragraph should be approximately 300 words in length.

iii) Summary of findings

This is essentially an essay on your chosen title. It typically consists of the information you have discovered while researching the title. For this reason it should be well referenced and contain quotation from a variety of sources of information. Students often think that the summary of findings is a work of great academic importance, but my advice would be don't get too hung up on it. It's worth 20 marks - half what a typical essay is worth. It should be well researched, footnoted, clear and concise. 700 words is long enough, though many students struggle to stay within this word limit. 1000 words is absolute maximum.

What is Part B? And how is it different to Part A?

Part B of coursework is distinctly different from Part A. Part B consists of 5 prescribed questions which students must explicitly answer. Each question is worth 8 marks. Part B does not require the same level of referencing or footnoting and is designed to provoke a more introspective, thoughtful reflection on the process of completing coursework, what skills have been developed and what lessons have been learned.

i) Why was the title of interest to you?

Why did this title appeal to you more than others? Is it linked to an area of knowledge or field of study you're interested in pursuing in the future? Are you satisfied with your choice of title? Has your coursework produced the results you expected?

ii) What different perspectives did you encounter in doing coursework on your chosen title?

What books or articles did you consult? Did you encounter a variety of viewpoints? How did you decide what sources of information were trustworthy? 
 
iii) What questions arose for you through doing coursework on this title? 

At what point did questions arise? Did your research on the coursework title lead to more questions than answers? Where did you find answers to these questions? Discuss sources that you found most helpful.

iv) What personal insights have you gained through doing coursework on this title? 

Has your worldview been changed or challenged by the findings of your coursework? Do you want to explore any of the ideas you've encountered in the future? What did you discover about yourself as a learner?

v) What has been the most valuable part of doing coursework on this title?

What skills did you develop through doing coursework? How do you see these skills being useful in the future? Did you gain a more comprehensive understanding of other areas in the Leaving Cert. course? Do you feel more confident about completing a similar task in the future?

A typical response to each of these question should be 200-250 words, meaning that Part B should not exceed 1000 words


Comments

  1. KayleighJanuary 13, 2022 at 10:03 AM

    Hi Sir,
    Kayleigh Bingham here,
    I was wondering if by any chance you could email me your notes on section C and J, or any other notes you have for the leaving cert,
    Just so I can have some extra notes to study with along with Mr. Styles's,
    Would really appreciate it,
    Thank you,
    Kayleigh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mr. FlatteryJanuary 20, 2022 at 1:54 PM

      Hi Kayleigh,

      Hope you're keeping well. I have some stuff on both sections. Comment with your email address and I'll send them on.

      Kind regards

      Delete
    2. KayleighJanuary 21, 2022 at 4:03 AM

      Thanks so much, my email is kayleighsham@gmail.com,
      Hope everything's going well :)

      Delete
  2. GuestJanuary 18, 2022 at 3:07 AM

    Hey Sir,
    Please do post the C and J notes if you get the chance.
    Two people in the Christmas exam wrote you as teacher so we're still thinking of you!
    God be with ye :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mr. FlatteryJanuary 20, 2022 at 2:27 PM

      Dear Guest,

      I'll update the blog with Religion and Science posts leading up to the mocks (I assume they're after midterm). I hope 6th year is going well for you.

      Delete

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