Law

The Programme:

At AS Level, students study the English Legal system, learning about how laws are made, how they are applied, and the various people working in the profession. This includes looking at the work and role of Parliament and judges, the civil and criminal courts/appeals structure, and the training and work of judges, barristers and solicitors.

At A2 Level, students focus on Criminal Law in detail. This includes the study of the police powers of search, arrest and detention. They look at the elements of crime (actus reus – the guilty act; and mens rea – guilty mind), going on to use their knowledge and understanding to study crimes such as murder, manslaughter, ABH and GBH. They also develop an appreciation of various defences that defendants can put forward, along with looking at the different sentences judges can hand out.

The AS Level modules comprise:

• Legal Structures & Processes.
• Legal Reasoning, Methods & Personnel. (The AS may be awarded as a discrete
qualification or count as 50% of the A2).

The A2 Level modules comprise:

• Three modules (including a synoptic element), all based around Criminal Law
and Justice.

Assessment: AS Level: two written exams, 1 ½ hours each. A2 Level: three written examinations.

Requirements:
Students are required to have achieved 5 GCSE's at grade A*- C including English Language.

Next Steps:

Law is relevant to all of us and to almost every career from lawyer to nurse. The study of Law equips students with knowledge of the legal system that can be used in everyday life and provides students with an advantage if they choose a position in business or law-related professions.

Students will develop core legal skills such as application and evaluation of the law.

AS and A2 Legal Law gives the students a thorough foundation for further study in Law or related subjects, and is well regarded in higher education and can be applied to a range of professional careers.