Welcome to Critical Thinking .org.uk. This site is for students taking the A-level Critical Thinking course available in the UK through OCR. It offers an overview of some of the fundamentals of critical thinking, detailed exam guides, and a case-studies section giving examples from the real world that raise issues explored on the course.

Please bear in mind that the site is 100% unofficial, developed independently of the exam board (see the disclaimer).

The full A-level course is made up of the following four units:

AS Unit 1: Credibility of Evidence

The first AS unit concerns the credibility of evidence. We rely on the testimony of others for much of our information about the world, but how can we decide whether or not a source of information is reliable? When several sources of information conflict, what method can we use to decide which of them (if any) to believe? This unit gives answers to these questions, providing students with tools to assess the credibility of documents and individual witnesses, and with a framework for resolving disputes.

AS Unit 2: Assessing and Developing Argument

Perhaps the core skill in critical thinking is that of assessing and developing arguments. This is the concern of the second AS unit. It teaches students how to analyse the argument in a passage, establishing what evidence is being offered in support of what conclusion. Once this has been done, students are asked to assess the strength of the support provided by the evidence, often exposing flaws in the reasoning. Finally, students are asked to construct persuasive arguments of their own, developing skills that should prove useful outside the classroom.

A2 Unit 3: Resolution of Dilemmas

The first unit of the A2 course tackles the resolution of dilemmas. Given difficult decisions to make, where should we begin? This unit outlines a methodology for resolving the most difficult of decisions. First, students are asked to ensure that the problem is sufficiently clearly defined to be solvable. Then, the various available options must be identified. Next, criteria for choosing between the options are established. Finally, the criteria can be applied, and the best response to the problem selected.

A2 Unit 4: Critical Reasoning

The final unit of the A-level in Critical Thinking is about critical reasoning. This requires students to demonstrate the same skills as the second AS unit, but at a higher level. The passages for analysis are longer and more complex, and the features of arguments that students are asked to identify more subtle and elusive.

Despite the mixed press that it has received, A-level Critical Thinking presents a great opportunity. The course develops reasoning skills that should be useful to students no matter what they go on to do, skills that should be useful in higher education, in the workplace, and in life in general. Being able to think well matters.

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