My tips for last year’s first DCT exam consisted of:
- Use the words in the question throughout your answer
- Add critical words with ‘because’ throughout to emphasize evaluation
- Add as many glossary/ key words as possible and link back to the question.
I can’t promise that I have much more than I did last year as far as advice but this is what I have learnt about the six DCT topics (first year):
- Use the overlap between topics to your advantage e.g. Moral Principles topic on the different interpretations of scripture is very similar to Natural and Revealed Knowledge of God
- Learn 3 quotes (one for a Pope) that can be used in multiple different answers
- Summarize your revision notes into 4-5 main themes per topic (e.g Augustine – Original Sin, Before and after the Fall, Grace and the role of women etc.)
- Learn some extra names that can be used as evaluation (e.g. Dawkins compares belief in God to a teapot in space or belief in the tooth fairy). Don’t forget it is only evaluation when you say who presents the most convincing argument.
- Work out which topic the question is from and how much you can write for that topic area. Do you have enough for at least 2 sides?
Remember the style of questions and material for the DCT topics is different 
from that of Philosophy and Ethics (well I certainly think it is!) It is more descriptive and presents less arguments to really sink your teeth into. However that is not an excuse to not engage with evaluation. What this means is you have to work harder for it. What I found after last year’s DCT exam was that students tended to do better because they were so aware of the question and the need to evaluate, that they actually emphasized it more than they did in Philosophy and Ethics. Good news!! So don’t stress out, focus on what you are asked and try think of any relevant quotes, names, ideas that you have covered in the DCT topics that you can use in relation to the Q.
Pointers for 2nd year DCT:
We were very lucky at Scarborough Sixth Form College to have a visit a few weeks ago from the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu. Whilst on his tour of the local area, visiting places such as St Catherine’s hospice, a selection of local schools and of course sampling the famous fish and chips, he stopped by to answer some pressing questions from my students. Here is a summary of some of his most notable quotes that could be used in an exam, as all questions were linked to parts of the spec: