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So what exactly is the examiner looking for?
AS Law - Unit One - English Legal System - G141
For this unit you must answer four questions from a choice of seven in two hours. The question paper is in two sections, section A & section B. At least one question must be attempted from section B.
Assessment Objectives
There are three assessment objectives which you need to meet in order to achieve the highest possible marks in this unit.
Assessment Objective One (A01)
To achieve a level 4 answer i.e. the top grades, you need to show you have:
"Good, well developed knowledge with a clear understanding of the relevant concepts and principles. Candidates will be able to elaborate by good citation to statutes and case law."
So what does this mean?
Thinking of a question on Police Powers, here are a few examples of how this assessment objective may be met, breaking the above assessment objective down in to three smaller parts;
- Good, well developed knowledge of the relevant area of the law
This part of the assessment objective can be met by showing a good factual knowledge of the law relating to police powers and in particular the relevant parts of the Police And Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
List the relevant powers of the police in relation to the question set, this may be arrest, stop & search, detention or police interviews etc.
Citation of statutes and cases just means reference to the relevant statutes and cases to back up the points you have made in your answer. For example, for a question on stop & search you would mention the Police And Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and in particular ss 1-7 and Code of Practice A. A relevant case in relation to stop & search would be Osman v DPP (1999).
Assessment Objective Two (A02)
To achieve a level 4 answer i.e. the top grades, you need to show you have:
"Ability to identify and analyse issues central to the question showing some understanding of current debate and proposals for reform or identify most of the relevant points of law in issue. Ability to develop clear arguments or apply points of law clearly to a given factual situation and reach a sensible and informed conclusion".
So what does this mean?
Thinking of a question on Police Powers again, here are a few examples of how this assessment objective may be met;
If the question relates to detention limits then discussion of the Government's proposals to increase detention limits in terrorist cases from 28 days to 56 days without charge would be one way of meeting assessment objective two. You may further add that some civil liberty groups are opposed to these proposals. Mentioning that the Guardian ran a front-page story in November 2007 stating that UK detention limits were already longer than any comparable democracy would be further proof that you are up to date with current debate in this area of the law.
For questions in section B you will be given a short scenario in part (b) of the question and will be expected to apply the relevant law to it. This is often in the form of advising someone whether their rights have been affected by the actions of others, i.e. the police.
Assessment Objective Three (A03)
To achieve a level 4 answer i.e. the top grades, you need to show you have:
"Presented a logical and coherent argument and communicated relevant material in a clear and effective manner using appropriate legal terminology."
Write in a structured way, a quick plan before you start will help you to do this. Always use the correct legal terminology if you know it and underline cases and statutes including the year for statutes and quote relevant section numbers. Watch your spelling, punctuation and grammar. However you will not be marked down if your handwriting is untidy or difficult to read.
General Points about Unit One and the Assessment Objectives
All questions in unit one have two parts. Part (a) - worth 18 marks, tests assessment objective one and part (b) - worth 9 marks, tests assessment objective two. There are 3 additional marks awarded for Quality of Written Communication (QWC) (A03).
Summary of Assessment Objects
A01 - knowledge and understanding
A02 - analysis, evaluation and application
A03 - communication and presentation
AS Law - Unit Two - Sources of Law - G142
Exactly the same assessment objectives apply to the Sources of Law unit, however, the style of this unit is very different to unit one. There are two questions on the paper, you must answer one. Whichever question you choose to attempt you must answer all parts of that question. This examination lasts for one hour.
You are also given some source material for each question, you must use these sources in your answer to achieve the highest possible grade. You should refer to the source material and/or quote directly from them. Marked are awarded for the ability to use the given sources in your answers. This can be a very easy way to pick up extra marks.
Part (a) of each question is worth 12 marks and tests assessment objective one (A01) i.e. knowledge and understanding of a particular source of law.
Part (b) of each question is worth 15 marks and is usually in 3 parts (5 marks for each part). This tests assessment objective two (A02). You are given short scenarios and asked to apply the appropriate law to them.
Part (c) of each question is split into two parts, part (i) tests assessment objective one (A01) and is worth 15 marks. Part (ii) tests assessment objective two (A02) and is worth 12 marks.
There are 6 additional marks awarded for Quality of Written Communication (QWC) (A03).
Some more general examination advice and the use of statutes and cases in your answers
You will only ever achieve a low grade in law by ‘writing down everything you know’ about a topic. You must shape your knowledge to address the question set. Being relevant is vital!! You must also meet the relevant assessment objectives as discussed above.
Learn the meanings of these commonly used command words:
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Describe This means “tell me what you know about”. However, it is important to restrict your answer to the precise topic and not just write everything you know about the whole topic area.
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Outline This means a brief description of the major points on the topic.
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Explain This goes a little further than describe. Your answer should include description and arguments for and against.
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Discuss/Comment This requires you to present arguments for and against a proposition and, usually, to come to a conclusion. Your conclusion should be based on your arguments.
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Criticise This means present the arguments against a proposition.
And finally, legal authority, i.e. cases and statutes………
If you can back up a point made by mentioning a piece of legislation or a case then far more credit, and marks, will be awarded by the examiner. When mentioning a case or statute in your answers always remember to underline it.
If you are looking for advice on the Unit Two - Sources of Law paper then follow this link
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