St Brendan's Sixth Form College

Law has been added to My Courses

This course attracts students of many different kinds. Some are looking toward a legal career, but the law affects everyone and many students take the course just out of interest.

In 2023 52% of A-level Law students achieved A*-B. This exceeded national benchmarks by 11.6%. As well as this, student progress was significantly higher than national benchmarks.

Course content

Component 1: The Nature of Law and the English Legal System (25%)

Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes

Section A – Law making and the nature of law
Two short answer questions and one scenario based question.
Section B – The English legal system and the nature of law
One question from a choice of two essay type questions, each consisting of part a) and b).

Component 2: Substantive Law in Practice (37.5%)

Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes

One scenario based question from three different sections, selected from:

Section A - Law of contract (private law)
Section B - Law of tort (private law)
Section C - Criminal law (public law)
Section D - Human rights law (public law)

Component 3: Perspectives of Substantive Law (37.5%)

Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes

One essay question from three different sections, selected from:

Section A - Law of contract (private law)
Section B - Law of tort (private law)
Section C - Criminal law (public law)
Section D - Human rights law (public law)

A-level Law is not required for entry to Law degree courses or the legal profession, but it is accepted (with other appropriate subjects) for entry to degree courses in Law and nearly all other courses of higher education. Students wishing to study Law at university will not be disadvantaged by studying A-level Law. The course helps them prepare for the LNAT test and develops students’ legal skills. It is also a useful qualification for anyone looking for employment as a legal executive, legal secretary, police officer, journalist, social worker, civil servant, forensic scientist, accountant or tax adviser.

Methods of Teaching and Learning

Teaching methods include lectures, case studies, discussions in large and small groups, moots (mock trials), and occasional presentations by students; there are also opportunities to visit the courts and hear from guest speakers. Students are provided with detailed workbooks, where all your notes are written and essay plans are created. Students are expected to do some background reading, to make their own detailed notes and to write essay answers to past exam questions.

Assessment

The assessment is based entirely on timed written exam papers at the end of 2 years

Resources

There is an online “E-Book” which students can access in college and a virtual learning environment on the internet. Each student will receive detailed workbooks on the various topics, covering every aspect of the work. The College Library is well stocked with relevant books. Students are encouraged to use these and other internal and external resources.

Enrichment

There are opportunities to visit Bristol Law Courts and a law library to learn how to research law. Guest speakers from international law firms and barristers’ chambers often visit, and the college is invited to participate in mock trials at the University of the West of England on their “Street Law” programme.