To what extent can Berkeley’s idealism be defended?
AQA A-Level Philosophy | Paper 1 | 2026 Predicted Paper | Mark Scheme: Questions 5
To what extent can Berkeley’s idealism be defended?
[25 marks]
What is expected in the answer?
This is a 25-mark evaluative question, worth 5 marks for AO1 and 20 marks for AO2. Students therefore need enough accurate knowledge to establish Berkeley’s position, but most of the answer should be spent analysing arguments, developing objections and responses, weighing their relative strength, and defending an overall judgement.
There is especially strong precedent for this shadow question because AQA asked the very similar “Is Berkeley’s idealist account of perception convincing?” for 25 marks in 2021. AQA’s mark scheme emphasised sustained argument, strong versions of arguments and counter-arguments, ongoing reasoned judgements, and a clearly defended overall conclusion.
Levels of response
Marks | Descriptor |
21–25 | A sustained and clearly directed argument. Detailed and precise philosophical knowledge is integrated into evaluation throughout. Arguments and objections are presented strongly, their relative importance is assessed, and reasoned judgements lead to a robust overall conclusion. Philosophical terminology is consistently precise. |
16–20 | A clear and largely sustained argument. Knowledge is generally detailed and accurate. Arguments and objections are developed and weighed, with a clear conclusion, although evaluation may not be consistently as penetrating or precise as in the top band. |
11–15 | A clear attempt to answer the question through argument. Relevant knowledge is mostly accurate and there is some evaluation, but discussion may be uneven or insufficiently integrated. Judgements are made but may not be consistently developed or well weighted. |
6–10 | Some relevant argument is present, but the response lacks coherence or depth. Knowledge has gaps and arguments and objections may be placed alongside each other rather than genuinely evaluated. |
1–5 | Limited relevant knowledge and little sustained argument. The answer may be largely descriptive, one-sided or fragmented. |
0 | Nothing written worthy of credit. |
AQA's published mark scheme for the closely matching 2021 question uses these same five bands and gives the 25-marker an AO1:AO2 weighting of 5:20.
Indicative content
Students do not need to cover every point below. A top-band response could select fewer arguments but analyse them in considerably greater depth.
Berkeley’s idealism
Students may establish that Berkeley's idealism claims that the immediate objects of perception, including ordinary objects such as tables and chairs, are mind-dependent. The AQA vocabulary describes idealism as the view that ordinary objects are mind-dependent objects caused by God, and that reality consists of minds and their ideas.
Students might contrast this with:
direct realism, according to which the immediate objects of perception are mind-independent objects and their properties
indirect realism, according to which the immediate objects of perception are mind-dependent sense-data caused by and representing mind-independent objects.
AQA explicitly requires Berkeley's attack on Locke's primary/secondary quality distinction and the Master Argument, together with challenges from illusion, hallucination, solipsism and the role of God.
Argument in defence: Berkeley's attack on primary and secondary qualities
Locke distinguishes:
primary qualities, such as shape, extension, motion, solidity and number, which are held to resemble qualities genuinely possessed by mind-independent objects
secondary qualities, such as colour, taste and sound, which produce ideas in the perceiver but do not resemble properties of objects in the same way.
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