Departments: Social Sciences (Law)
What topics do we study?
During Year 12, students study two units of work. These are the English Legal System and Sources of Law. These topics introduce students to various aspects of criminal and civil law in the UK, including the courts and court process; alternative methods of dispute resolution; police powers; principles of sentencing; the judiciary; the legal profession; provision and funding of legal services; lay magistrates; juries; doctrine of precedent; Acts of Parliament; delegated legislation; statutory interpretation; European Union law.
Why study Law?
Law is obviously a useful subject for those students who may wish to study Law at University, or who have future career aspirations in this area. In addition, Law suits those students with an interest in the workings of society and in current affairs and politics. The subject works well with other Social Sciences such as Sociology, Humanities subjects and Business. You will develop useful skills including communication (discussion, debate, presentation etc), analysis, evaluation and research.
What are the requirements?
Good grades in English Language and Literature and / or Humanities subjects are helpful, but the most important attributes are a sense of commitment and a willingness to work hard at a subject that can sometimes be difficult at first. Law is a complex area and even at AS Level, there is a great deal of subject knowledge which has to learnt, used and understood. You need to be highly organised and take an active interest in current affairs in order to make connections between your learning and real legal cases.
There are two main topics at AS level, which are assessed by exam:
- Sources of Law
- the English Legal System
Four topics will be studied:
- Criminal Law
- Contract Law
- Two study units, based on OCR case studies
Please see Mrs Nash if you require any further information about this course.