About the exam
SQE1 FLK1 Exam structure
An independent 601-question England and Wales SQE1 FLK1 practice bank covering Business, Dispute Resolution, Contract, Tort, Legal System and Legal Services under the specification applicable from September 2026.
Issuer and path
SQE1 Functioning Legal Knowledge 1 Study Guide is administered through Solicitors Regulation Authority. Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
SQE1 Functioning Legal Knowledge 1
180 scored + 0 pretest
The separate 180-question closed-book assessment covering the six FLK1 blueprint subjects with pervasive ethics.
Confirm both the window and the FLK day
Check the published FLK1 date range, assessment centre, law cutoff, identification, security, reasonable-adjustment and resit rules; passing FLK1 alone does not complete SQE1.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Organisations, Finance and Governance | 0 | 34 | 5 | Priority |
| Corporate and Personal Insolvency | 0 | 34 | 5 | Priority |
| Business Taxation | 0 | 34 | 5 | Priority |
| Dispute Options, Pre-action Steps and Jurisdiction | 0 | 21 | 5 | Priority |
| Issue, Service, Responses and Statements of Case | 0 | 21 | 5 | Priority |
| Interim Applications and Case Management | 0 | 20 | 5 | Priority |
| Evidence, Disclosure and Trial | 0 | 20 | 5 | Priority |
| Costs, Appeals and Enforcement | 0 | 20 | 5 | Good |
| Contract Formation and Parties | 0 | 26 | 5 | Priority |
| Contract Terms, Interpretation and Variation | 0 | 26 | 5 | Priority |
| Vitiating Factors | 0 | 25 | 5 | Priority |
| Termination, Causation and Remedies | 0 | 25 | 5 | Priority |
| Negligence, Causation and Loss | 0 | 26 | 5 | Priority |
| Defences and Vicarious Liability | 0 | 26 | 5 | Good |
| Occupiers' and Product Liability | 0 | 25 | 5 | Good |
| Nuisance and Rylands v Fletcher | 0 | 25 | 5 | Good |
| Courts, Sources and Statutory Interpretation | 0 | 34 | 5 | Priority |
| Constitution, Devolution and Public Order | 0 | 34 | 5 | Priority |
| Judicial Review, Human Rights and EU Law | 0 | 34 | 5 | Priority |
| Legal-services Regulation and Obligations | 0 | 31 | 5 | Priority |
| Money Laundering | 0 | 30 | 5 | Priority |
| Financial Services and Legal Funding | 0 | 30 | 5 | Good |
How to use this guide
How to study for FLK1
Use closed-book rule anchors, realistic client facts, primary-classification ranges and an ethical decision check across every subject.
Client
Identify the client, other parties, capacity, objectives, authority and material chronology.
Issue
Classify the primary FLK1 subject and the precise legal or procedural decision required.
Rule
Recall the controlling fundamental rule, gateway, exception, deadline and remedy at newly qualified solicitor level.
Apply
Use every material fact and distinguish missing evidence from an established legal conclusion.
Ethics
Check duties to client, court, regulator and third parties plus confidentiality, conflict and AML consequences.
Action
Choose the single legally and professionally best next step and preserve the required record.
Business Organisations, Finance and Governance
Sole traders, partnerships, LLPs, private and unlisted public companies, formation, personality, finance, governance, decisions and records.
Key rules
Rule 1
Compare legal personality, liability, ownership, management, authority and formation across sole trader, partnership, LLP and company structures.
Exam cue: Identify entity, actor, authority, approval, document and filing before testing validity.
Rule 2
Apply incorporation or formation documents, Companies House filings, constitutional limits and partnership agreement provisions to practical decisions.
Exam cue: Separate the entity's obligation from the personal exposure of an owner, member, director or partner.
Rule 3
Distinguish debt, equity, security, distributions, share redemption or buyback and the excluded capital-reduction and financial-assistance detail.
Exam cue: Identify the client, primary FLK1 classification, rule, exception, ethical duty and best action.
Rule 4
Apply directors' and shareholders' rights, duties, approvals, meetings, minority protection, appointments, removals, disclosures and record requirements.
Exam cue: Identify the client, primary FLK1 classification, rule, exception, ethical duty and best action.
Common traps
Applying company-law personality automatically to an ordinary partnership or sole trader.
Prevention: Check the sitting-specific law cutoff and reject any answer that imports an FLK2 rule as the controlling subject.
Importing listed-company market rules that the FLK expressly excludes.
Prevention: Check the sitting-specific law cutoff and reject any answer that imports an FLK2 rule as the controlling subject.
Memory anchors
Business Organisations, Finance and Governance: scope
Sole traders, partnerships, LLPs, private and unlisted public companies, formation, personality, finance, governance, decisions and records.
Business Organisations, Finance and Governance: focus 1
Compare legal personality, liability, ownership, management, authority and formation across sole trader, partnership, LLP and company structures.
Business Organisations, Finance and Governance: focus 2
Apply incorporation or formation documents, Companies House filings, constitutional limits and partnership agreement provisions to practical decisions.
Business Organisations, Finance and Governance: focus 3
Distinguish debt, equity, security, distributions, share redemption or buyback and the excluded capital-reduction and financial-assistance detail.
Business Organisations, Finance and Governance: focus 4
Apply directors' and shareholders' rights, duties, approvals, meetings, minority protection, appointments, removals, disclosures and record requirements.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
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.
SQE1 Assessment Specification
Controlling SRA/Kaplan web specification for FLK division, functioning legal knowledge, closed-book assessment, four-month law cutoff and threshold level.
September 2026 SQE1 Assessment Specification
Published April 2026 next-cycle assessment specification applicable after 1 September 2026.
September 2026 FLK1
Full post-review FLK1 content across Business, Dispute Resolution, Contract, Tort, Legal System and Legal Services.
2026 annual-review changes
Official transition evidence and detailed FLK1 and FLK2 changes applying after 1 September 2026.
Current SRA Standards and Regulations
Current professional-conduct source, including the Code of Conduct version in force from 11 April 2025.
Current Civil Procedure Rules
Current CPR source used for civil procedure, including intermediate-track allocation and complexity bands.
Companies House identity verification
Current official guidance on mandatory identity verification for directors and people with significant control.
2026 money-laundering amendment regulations
SI 2026/621, in force from 30 June 2026, used as the current AML legislative baseline.
Annex 4 FLK blueprint
Official subject percentage ranges, Single Best Classification and pervasive ethics and AML ceiling.
SQE1 assessment day
Current two-day structure with two 90-question and 153-minute sessions per FLK and scheduled break.
SQE assessment dates
January and July 2027 FLK dates and sitting-specific examinable-law cutoffs.
SQE1 sample questions
Official evidence for five-option single-best-answer style, timing and the warning that samples are not a full mock.
Marking and standard-setting policy
Separate FLK pass marks, standard setting, equating, measurement correction and 0–500 scaled reporting.
FAQ
Common SQE1 FLK1 questions
What subjects belong in FLK1?
Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract Law, Tort, the Legal System of England and Wales together with Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law, and Legal Services.
What is excluded because it belongs to FLK2?
Property Law and Practice, Wills and Administration of Estates, Solicitors Accounts, Land Law, Trusts, Criminal Liability and Criminal Law and Practice are FLK2 classifications. A realistic FLK1 problem may contain connected facts, but those areas do not become FLK1 blueprint subjects.
Is FLK1 half of one combined 360-question score?
No. SQE1 contains two separate 180-question assessments. FLK1 and FLK2 each have their own pass mark, and both must be passed to pass SQE1.
How is one FLK1 assessment day organised?
It has two closed-book computer-based sessions. Each contains 90 single-best-answer questions and lasts 2 hours 33 minutes, with a scheduled 60-minute break between sessions.
Are the six subjects given fixed question counts?
No. Annex 4 gives ranges: each of the first five classifications is 14–20% and Legal Services is 12–16%. Single Best Classification records the primary focus even when a question needs knowledge from several subjects.
How are ethics and money laundering assessed?
Ethics and Professional Conduct pervades the assessment rather than appearing as a separate subject. Ethics and money-laundering questions together can make up to 20% in an SQE1 sitting; money laundering is assessed in FLK1 only.
Must I memorise tax rates and thresholds?
The specification applicable from September 2026 says that where a question requires a monetary exemption, relief, rate or threshold to be applied, the value will be provided. Candidates still need to identify and apply the correct tax principle in Business Law and Practice.
Which law applies to my sitting?
The cutoff is four calendar months before the first assessment in the window. The January 2027 window starts on 11 January, so its published law-and-practice cutoff is 11 September 2026. This bank was reviewed against law in force on 29 July 2026 and therefore requires a final revalidation for changes taking effect by that future cutoff.
Is the raw pass mark always 60%?
No. The Assessment Board sets each FLK pass mark using standard setting and equating as appropriate. Scores are then placed on a 0–500 scale with the pass point at 300.
Does the September 2026 specification apply now?
The July 2026 SQE1 used the version applicable before September. The published updated specification applies to assessments after 1 September 2026 and controls the next SQE1 window in January 2027.
Are the 601 allocations official?
No. They are Pass Harbor practice-bank allocations that keep every domain within its Annex 4 range. The SRA publishes percentage ranges, not fixed subject counts for a live form.
What does the full mock mode reproduce?
It draws 180 original five-option questions across all six FLK1 classifications within the published subject ranges. It is independent practice and does not reproduce, recall or predict secure SRA questions.