Law affects everyone throughout their daily lives, yet most people have little understanding of how the English legal system operates. Popular programmes such as ‘Crimewatch’ and ‘CSI’ focus on crime and criminal procedure, but criminal law is only a part of a traditional law course. Consider the person injured in a car crash, or one who falls victim to medical negligence; any award for compensation is won through the civil not the criminal law. Law is a fascinating subject covering literally the whole range of human activity and it is constantly evolving so there is always something new to learn. The study of A/AS Law gives a general insight into several areas which touch upon peoples’ lives, whilst the way it is taught and examined helps students develop many transferable skills such as: analysis, problem solving, argument and communication.
There are many opportunities available after completing the course. It obviously prepares those students who wish to continue with the study of law at degree level and this may lead on to a career as a barrister or solicitor. Some students may wish to train as legal executives and exemptions are given towards the ILEX award. It can also be useful to students who wish to pursue careers in the Police or Crown Prosecution Service as well as students wishing to pursue courses in criminology, social work, journalism, business and accountancy.
The AQA modular course means that you study two units in the first year for the AS award and a further two in the second year to convert to the A level. Exams are taken in January and June. There is no coursework element for law. A variety of areas are studied including; sources of law, dispute solving (role of the courts and the legal professions), basic elements of criminal and civil liability and the law of homicide and non-fatal offences. Concepts discussed in these topics may be linked, via the synoptic module, to controversial issues such as law and morality or law and justice (the case of Diane Pretty and her fight for the right to die would be a good example of this) which take a philosophical approach to the law. The course leaflet gives a more detailed breakdown of the units studied.
As & A2
General college entry requirements. (See page 10 for details.) In addition, you must achieve at least a grade C in GCSE English Language, and be comfortable with expressing legal argument in essay format. There is no need to have studied GCSE Law but it will obviously be helpful in gaining an insight into law.
Exclusivity : None-but please be aware that assessment is 100% examination and coursework is not allowed.
Law will mix and match with
most subjects but English and Politics relate well
with this course.