Regulations for examinations

Philosophy Tripos, Parts Ia and Ib

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 419)

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Philosophy, has agreed to approve amendments to the regulations of the Philosophy Tripos as follows. Exceptionally these amendments have been agreed after publication of the Prospectus for October 2018 entry with the reassurance that offer-holders will be notified and that the changes offer greater flexibility to candidates.

With effect from 1 October 2018

Part Ia

Regulation 4.

By amending Papers 3 and 5 as follows:

Paper 3 Logic will be replaced by Paper 3 Meaning.

Paper 5 General paper will be replaced by Paper 5 Formal methods (weighted as a half paper)

By amending the text of Regulation 4 as follows:

4. The papers for Part Ia shall be as follows:

Paper	1.	Metaphysics
Paper	2.	Ethics and political philosophy
Paper	3.	Meaning
Paper	4.	Set texts
Paper	5.	Formal methods

Every candidate shall offer Papers 1–5. The weighting of Paper 5 shall be half that of other papers.

With effect from 1 October 2019

Part Ib

Regulation 5.

By amending Papers 1 and 2 as follows:

Paper 1 Metaphysics will be replaced by Paper 1 Knowledge, language, and the world, which will be a required paper.

Paper 2 Logic will be replaced by Paper 2 History of analytic philosophy, which will be an optional paper.

By amending sub-paragraphs (a), (b), and (d) of Regulation 5, as follows:

5. (a) The papers for Part Ib shall be as follows:

Paper	1.	Knowledge, language, and the world
Paper	2.	History of analytic philosophy
Paper	3.	Ethics
Paper	4.	Greek and Roman philosophy (Paper 8 of Part Ib of the Classical Tripos)
Paper	5.	Early modern philosophy
Paper	6.	Philosophy of science
Paper	7.	Political philosophy
Paper	8.	Experimental psychology
Paper	9.	General paper

(b) Subject to the provision of sub-paragraphs (c) and (d) of this regulation, a candidate for Part Ib shall offer papers as follows:

either	(i)	Papers 1 and 9, and three papers from Papers 2–7;
or	(ii)	Papers 1 and 8, and two papers from Papers 2–7.

The weighting of Paper 8, for those who offer it, shall be double that of other papers.

(d) In place of any one of the Papers 2–3 and 5–7 a candidate may submit two essays, each of not less than 3,000 words and not more than 4,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography, on two topics approved by the Chair of Examiners, which shall both fall within the syllabus of that paper; provided that a candidate who chooses to submit essays under the provisions of this sub-paragraph shall not write in Paper 9 an essay on a subject that overlaps significantly with either of the submitted essays.