AQA A-Level Philosophy | Paper 1 | 2027 Predicted Paper | Mark Scheme Question 6, 7 and 8
Question 6
What is meant by practical wisdom in Aristotelian virtue ethics?
[3 marks]
What is expected in the answer?
This is a 3-mark AO1 definition question. Students should identify practical wisdom as Aristotle’s form of practical reasoning and state what it enables a virtuous person to do. There is no need to evaluate whether practical wisdom solves problems for virtue ethics.
AQA’s vocabulary presents practical wisdom as context-sensitive reasoning used in making choices about actions, involving knowledge of the good, knowledge of how to achieve it, good reasoning and willpower. It is necessary for fully virtuous action.
Levels of response
Marks | Descriptor |
3 | A full and precise account of practical wisdom, with little or no redundancy. |
2 | Substantively correct but with some omission or imprecision. |
1 | One or more relevant but fragmented points. |
0 | Nothing written worthy of credit. |
Indicative content
A full answer may include the following:
practical wisdom is the practical reasoning used to make good choices about actions
it involves knowledge of the good and knowledge of how to achieve it in a particular situation
it requires good reasoning and appropriate motivation or willpower
it is context-dependent
it develops through experience, practice and habituation
it enables someone to identify how to achieve a virtuous end
merely performing the same outward action as a virtuous person is not sufficient for fully virtuous action if it is done for the wrong reasons or without understanding.
For 3 marks, students do not need all of these points.
Example student answer
Practical wisdom is the reasoning a virtuous person uses to work out how to achieve a morally good end in a particular situation. It involves knowing what is good, knowing how to achieve it and being able to reason and act appropriately.
Example commentary
3/3
This is concise but complete. The answer identifies practical wisdom as reasoning about action, links it to achieving the good, and makes clear that it applies to the particular circumstances of a situation.
That is preferable to an answer such as:
“Practical wisdom means being wise about what to do.”
That gives little philosophical content. AQA examiner reports regularly distinguish between candidates who provide the precise specification meaning of a term and those who merely replace it with a near-synonym.
A slightly weaker answer might say:
“Practical wisdom is knowing which virtue to use.”
That contains a relevant idea, but it is too narrow. Practical wisdom is not simply choosing between named virtues. It concerns the broader reasoning required to recognise the good and determine how to act towards a virtuous end.
Question 7
Explain Kant’s second formulation of the categorical imperative.
[5 marks]
What is expected in the answer?
The command word explain requires more than simply stating the formulation. For full marks, students should explain what Kant means by treating humanity as an end rather than merely as a means, and show how the principle affects moral action.
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