Higher RMPS
Higher RMPS is marked out of 110: Paper 1 (60 marks), Paper 2 (20 marks) and the assignment (30 marks). Both papers are on Tuesday 27 April 2027.
- World Religion, Morality and Belief09:00 to 11:15
- Religious and Philosophical Questions11:45 to 12:30
What grade is my mark?
Type a total mark to see the grade it would have got.
How the A and C boundaries have moved
Boundaries as a share of the total marks. A lower line means the papers were judged harder that year. Qualifications Scotland publishes boundaries from 2022 in this format.
| Year | Out of | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 110 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 44 |
| 2025 | 110 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 44 |
| 2024 | 110 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 44 |
| 2023 | 80 | 56 | 46 | 36 | 26 |
| 2022 | 80 | 52 | 42 | 32 | 22 |
How the course is assessed
Higher RMPS is marked out of 110. Paper 1 is worth 60 marks, Paper 2 is worth 20 and the assignment is worth 30.
Paper 1 lasts 2 hours 15 minutes and has two sections. In World Religion you answer on one religion: a 10-mark question and a 20-mark question. In Morality and Belief you do the same for one moral topic.
Paper 2 lasts 45 minutes. You write one 20-mark essay on a religious and philosophical question. It must give a reasoned and well-structured view.
RMPS is one of the earliest Highers. In 2027 Paper 1 runs from 9am to 11:15am on Tuesday 27 April. Paper 2 follows from 11:45am to 12:30pm.
Your options
World Religion offers Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. Morality and Belief offers justice, relationships, environment and global issues, medicine and the human body, and conflict. Religious and Philosophical Questions offers origins, the existence of God, suffering and evil, and miracles.
The assignment
You research a question for about 8 hours, then write it up in 1 hour 30 minutes. A resource sheet of up to 250 words is allowed. If it is not submitted, 6 marks are deducted.
The 2025 course report found that assignments did best when structured like an exam essay. Strong questions included religious responses to capital punishment, end of life issues and weapons of mass destruction. Answers that drifted from the question lost focus and marks.
What the 2026 course report found
Evaluation was the biggest dividing line. Weaker answers asserted a judgement without justifying it.
Other common issues were:
- not stating the moral issue before discussing responses to it
- describing what a religious practice is without explaining its purpose
- using more knowledge than the question needed, leaving less room for analysis
- presenting each side of a philosophical debate separately, without comparing them
The report suggested a simple opening, such as stating one moral issue clearly. Responses can then be built around it.
In 2026 an A needed 77 out of 110, a B 66 and a C 55.
Past paper strategy
The 2025 report noted that some candidates struggled with questions that looked different from recent papers. Practise with a wide range of past and specimen questions, not just the last two years. Check the marking instructions to see how knowledge, analysis and evaluation marks are split in a 20-mark answer.
Revision checklist
Tick topics as you revise. Ticks are saved on this device only.
- Write a timed 20-mark essay each week for each section you study
- Open morality answers by stating the moral issue clearly
- Explain the purpose behind religious practices, not just what they are
- Justify every evaluative judgement with a reason or evidence
- Compare the two sides of each philosophical debate directly
- Cut background knowledge to what the question actually needs
- Practise unfamiliar question wordings from older past papers
- Plan your assignment question around a real debate with clear sides
- Keep your 250-word resource sheet to prompts and sources
- Time Paper 2 at 45 minutes for one full essay
Quick answers
- How many marks is Higher RMPS out of?
110. Paper 1 is worth 60 marks, Paper 2 is worth 20 and the assignment is worth 30.
- What is in Higher RMPS Paper 2?
One 20-mark essay on Religious and Philosophical Questions. The options are origins, the existence of God, the problem of suffering and evil, and miracles. It lasts 45 minutes.
- What happens if I do not hand in my RMPS resource sheet?
A penalty of 6 marks is applied to the assignment. The sheet can be up to 250 words.
- When is the Higher RMPS exam in 2027?
Tuesday 27 April 2027. Paper 1 runs from 9am to 11:15am and Paper 2 from 11:45am to 12:30pm.