ProspectusAdvanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level
Course Aims
At AS Level The course aims to give students a comprehensive understanding of the English legal system and a grounding in substantive law. At A2, the course aims to give students an in depth understanding of two substantive legal disciplines and an overview of the key pervasive issues in law.Entry Requirements
- Ability to present a reasoned argument.
- An interest in law and a willingness to put time and effort into this challenging but rewarding subject.
- Due to the nature of the course, a minimum of grade B in English or History at GCSE is recommended.
- An interest in reading widely.
- Ability to research source material for personal study.
- Interpretation and analysis skills.
- Study skills.
- Preparedness to argue and discuss issues.
- Willingness to learn to evaluate your own work.
- An interest in current affairs.
Course Content
At Advanced Subsidiary Level, three modules will be covered –- Law Making
- Dispute Solving
- The Concept of Liability – an introduction to Criminal and Tort Law
At Advanced Level, three further modules will be covered –
- Contract or Criminal Law (fatal and non-fatal offences)
- Law of Tort or Criminal Law or Human Rights Law
- Concepts of Law - an overview of key thematic issues in law
Learning methods will be varied and include seminar sessions, individual enquiries, group work, essays, discussion and a range of teaching materials including IT.
Assessment
Homework, essays, tests and examinations are used as methods of assessment throughout the course.Additionally, an Advanced Subsidiary Award (AS) will be based on assessment in three units, as follows –
‘A/S’ Subject Content Module 1 – Law Making
Unit 1 - Two essay questions from a choice of five. (1 hour - 30% of the total ‘A/S’ marks/15% of the total ‘A’ level marks)
‘A/S’ Subject Content Module 2 – Dispute Solving
Unit 2 - Two essay questions from a choice of five. (1 hour - 30% of the total ‘A/S’ marks/15% of the total ‘A’ level marks)
‘A/S’ Subject Module 3 – The Concept of Liability.
Unit 3 - Two scenarios, one based on criminal liability and one on tort, with a compulsory multi-part question on each. (1 hour - 40% of the total ‘A/S’ marks/20% of the total‘A’ level marks)
Advanced Level (‘A/S’ + A2) will be based on assessment in three units as follows:
Unit 4 - Candidates will answer one question from a choice of two. Two problem questions and one evaluative essay. (1¼ hours - 15% of the total ‘A’ level marks)
Unit 5 - Candidates will answer one question from a choice of two. Two problem questions and one evaluative essay. (1¼ hours - 15% of the total ‘A’ level marks)
Unit 6 - Two questions: longer essays from a choice of four. (1½ hours - 20% of the total ‘A’ level marks)
A2 subject content Module 6 – Concepts of Law. Synoptic assessment, requiring the use of illustrations drawn from material studied in any of the modules.
‘A’ Level Combinations
A Level Law combines particularly well with any arts or humanities subject, such as history, English, government and politics, sociology, economics or geography. However, it is also an excellent subject to combine with business studies or mathematics and sciences.Career and Higher Education Opportunities
Law A level is excellent preparation for an undergraduate law degree or for a conversion degree course after university. It is highly regarded as an academic qualification for other degree courses and provides students with valuable knowledge and understanding relevant to a range of careers. In the past few years, Downs School law students have been successful in gaining places on top university undergraduate law courses.
