About the exam
A-level Law Exam structure
An independent multi-board A-level Law study guide based on the DfE common subject content and the current AQA 7162, Cambridge OCR H418 and Eduqas A150QS specifications for the law of England and Wales.
Issuer and path
A-level Law Study Guide is administered through Multi-board: AQA, Cambridge OCR and Eduqas. Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
Multi-board A-level Law Syllabus
601 scored + 0 pretest
The DfE common content for the nature of law and the English legal system, together with the four substantive-law route areas used by AQA, Cambridge OCR and Eduqas.
Before you build a revision plan
Confirm the board code, the three substantive-law areas chosen by your centre, the current examinable-law guidance and the exact question formats used in your papers.
How to use this guide
How to study for A-level Law
Learn each rule with its authority, practise identifying issues in factual scenarios, and develop balanced evaluation that reaches a supported legal conclusion.
1. Identify the legal issue
Extract the material facts, classify the area of law and state the precise question the rule must resolve.
2. State the rule and authority
Set out the relevant elements with accurate statutory provisions, cases and legal terminology required by the specification.
3. Apply each element
Use the facts on both sides of each disputed element and explain why an authority supports or differs from the situation.
4. Address alternatives and evaluation
Consider another offence, claim, defence, interpretation or policy view and test its relative strength.
5. Reach a supported conclusion
Answer the issue directly, acknowledge genuine uncertainty and avoid a conclusion that outruns the analysis.
Multi-board route map
Choose the areas your specification requires
All routes share the legal-system foundation, but your three substantive-law areas depend on the board and centre option.
Nature of Law and the English Legal System
The common 25% foundation: the nature and role of law, rule of law, law making, legal method, courts, legal personnel and access to justice.
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Criminal Law
General criminal liability, offences against the person and property, attempts, defences and critical evaluation of criminal-law rules.
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Law of Tort
Negligence, occupiers' liability, land torts, vicarious liability, defences, remedies and the theory and policy of tortious liability.
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Law of Contract
Formation, terms, vitiating factors, discharge, remedies, consumer protection and critical evaluation of contract-law rules.
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Human Rights Law
The ECHR and Human Rights Act framework, protected rights, lawful restrictions, domestic and Strasbourg enforcement, and reform.
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Nature of Law, Rule of Law, Society, Morality and Justice
Legal rules and other norms, civil and criminal law, sources of law, the rule of law, and critical perspectives on law, society, morality and justice.
Key rules
Rule 1
Legal rules are enforceable through recognised institutions, while moral, social and customary norms may influence conduct without having the same legal status.
Exam cue: Classify the issue as a source-of-law, rule-of-law, morality, justice or social-policy question before evaluating it.
Rule 2
The rule of law concerns lawful authority, equality before the law, fair process, accessibility and clarity rather than the mere existence of rules.
Exam cue: Separate descriptive claims about what the law is from normative claims about what the law ought to be.
Rule 3
Evaluation requires a reasoned view about how law balances interests and whether a rule promotes justice, reflects morality or responds effectively to social change.
Exam cue: Support evaluation with legal examples and a counterargument rather than asserting that a result is simply fair or unfair.
Common traps
Treating every moral obligation or social custom as an enforceable legal rule.
Prevention: Do not jump from a factual outcome to liability: prove every legal element and keep board-specific coverage separate from the multi-board core.
Equating the rule of law with whichever outcome a government or court prefers.
Prevention: Do not jump from a factual outcome to liability: prove every legal element and keep board-specific coverage separate from the multi-board core.
Writing a general opinion about justice without connecting it to legal authority, competing interests or a defined theory.
Prevention: Do not jump from a factual outcome to liability: prove every legal element and keep board-specific coverage separate from the multi-board core.
Memory anchors
Legal rule
A rule recognised and enforceable through the legal system.
Civil and criminal
Civil law resolves private claims; criminal law addresses public offences and punishment.
Rule of law
Power should be exercised under clear, public and equally applied law.
Law and morality
Law and morality overlap, but moral disagreement does not itself determine legal validity.
Evaluation
State the issue, use authority, weigh competing views and reach a supported conclusion.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
A college rule forbids eating in its library, but no court or public authority enforces it. Which classification is most accurate?
Which feature best distinguishes a criminal prosecution from a civil claim?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
DfE GCE AS and A-level Law subject content
The common subject-content requirements for A-level Law specifications in England, updated in May 2022.
Ofqual subject-level conditions for Law
The regulatory conditions and assessment requirements for reformed AS and A-level Law qualifications.
Ofqual subject-level guidance for Law
Official guidance on the shared AO1, AO2 and AO3 meanings and permitted A-level weighting ranges.
AQA A-level Law 7162
AQA's current version 1.1 specification overview, three-paper assessment and contract-or-human-rights route.
Cambridge OCR A-level Law H418
Cambridge OCR's current version 2.0 specification overview, including the three-component route.
Eduqas AS/A-level Law A150QS
Eduqas's current qualification page and version 2 specification resources for its three-of-four substantive-law route.
FAQ
Common A-level Law questions
Is this an official AQA, Cambridge OCR or Eduqas resource?
No. This is an independent multi-board study guide. Your exam board's current specification, centre guidance and assessment materials remain authoritative.
Does every A-level Law student study all four substantive areas?
No. The DfE route rule requires three different substantive areas, including at least one private-law area and one public-law area. AQA and Cambridge OCR make criminal law and tort compulsory, then offer contract or human rights. Eduqas permits three of the four within its public/private combination rule.
Why does this guide include all four substantive areas?
Including criminal law, tort, contract and human rights makes the guide useful across the supported boards. Once you know your board and route, concentrate on the three areas your centre has selected.
Are the examination papers the same across boards?
No. AQA and Cambridge OCR use three two-hour papers with their own question patterns. Eduqas uses a 90-minute foundation paper and two 135-minute substantive-law papers. Always practise with your own board's current sample and past assessment materials.
What legal skills matter across every board?
You must know legal rules and principles, identify issues in factual scenarios, apply authority using accurate terminology, construct logical legal arguments, and analyse and evaluate competing views.
How should I handle changes in the law?
Use the legal rules and authorities required by your current specification and follow board notices about examinable law. Do not assume that every recent development is immediately examinable or that all boards use the same legal cut-off.