What is Law?
Ever wondered what the difference is between murder and manslaughter? What society hopes to achieve by sending someone to prison for life? What about the difference between theft, robbery and burglary? Or the difference between juries and magistrates, or a solicitor and a barrister, or a crown court and a county court? These and many other questions will be answered during the course.
This subject is 100% examination-based assessment at the end of the second year.
Is Law right for you?
Useful skills and interests if you want to study law:
Enthusiasm, determination and a willingness to work in teams, and share ideas and knowledge,
An interest in what’s going on in the country (TV, newspapers, conversations). We integrate news, reports and cases into our studying wherever possible.
An ability to read lengthy texts and write detailed essays.
What will you study?
The legal system
Civil courts and dispute resolution, criminal courts and lay people, access to justice
Criminal law
Elements of criminal liability, fatal and non-fatal offences, property offences, mental capacity and general defences, preliminary offences, and evaluation of non-fatal offences and the defences of intoxication, consent and self-defence
Law making
Parliamentary law making, delegated legislation, judicial precedent, statutory interpretation and law reform
Tort law
Negligence, occupiers’ liability, torts connected to land, vicarious liability, defences and remedies, and evaluation of negligence, occupiers’ liability and vicarious liability
Nature of law
Law and morality, law and justice, law and society
Contract law
Formation, terms, vitiating factors, discharge and remedies, and evaluation of formation and terms
What happens outside lessons?
If you want to go on to study law at university then make sure you participate in some enrichment activities in order to enhance your subject knowledge and strengthen your application.
There will be various enrichment opportunities throughout the course including trips to universities, conferences, work experience opportunities and guest speakers. We strongly suggest that you get involved in as many activities as you can in order to get the most out of your time at college.
There is a “Law Applicants” Team that you can join to make sure you know about every opportunity.
You can also do your own research and further reading on topics that you are interested in.
“Law covers such a variety of topics you could never get bored. It’s given me a greater understanding of offences and terms I thought I already knew. It’s one of the most interesting and engaging subjects and I’m more than glad I took it.”
Where can Law take you?
Law is an extremely versatile subject and is useful for a wide range of professions, such as Journalism, National and Local Government, Broadcasting, The Police Force, Finance and accounting, The Prison Service, Charity Work and Management/Business and obviously the legal profession.
A high percentage of students who study Law A level then decide to study it a degree level. Past students have gained places on Law degrees at Universities such as Cambridge, Newcastle, Northumbria, Durham, Leeds, Manchester, Lincoln, Sunderland, Teesside, York, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Swansea and London School of Economics.
What subjects go well with Law?
Law is commonly combined with any of the following A levels: Criminology, Psychology, Sociology, Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, English, Geography, government and Politics, Maths, History, languages, Art subjects. Basically, IT can be combined with anything.