Question 1

What exam skills does OCR A-Level Law test?

Accepted Answer

Three skills mapped to the three assessment objectives. AO1 (knowledge, 20 per cent) is tested by knowledge questions and underpins everything. AO2 (application, 40 per cent) is tested by the legal problem scenario questions in Section B, where you apply the law to a set of facts. AO3 (analysis and evaluation, 40 per cent) is tested by the extended evaluation essays in Section B of every component and the whole of Component 3 Section A. The accurate use of cases and statutes supports all three.

Question 2

How do you answer a legal problem scenario question?

Accepted Answer

Use the IRAC structure: Issue (identify the legal questions the facts raise), Rule (state the relevant law with authority and its elements), Application (apply each element to the precise facts, the step that earns the AO2 marks), and Conclusion (a reasoned outcome). Deal with each issue and party separately, climbing the ladder of offences or running the elements of the tort or right, and conclude. The marks are for application, not description.

Question 3

How do you write a high-level evaluation essay?

Accepted Answer

Answer the precise question (especially the extent to which), be balanced (argue both sides), be supported (use examples and authority), and reach a reasoned judgement. Structure it as an introduction signposting the argument, a themed body where each point is supported and evaluated, and a conclusion that judges. Sustained evaluation and a justified judgement reach the top levels; description with an opinion at the end does not.

Question 4

How should cases and statutes be used in an answer?

Accepted Answer

Cite authority accurately: the name of the Act and section (for example section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861) or the case name (for example Donoghue v Stevenson), without full citations and never invented or copied from a real paper. State the principle the authority establishes, not just its name, and deploy it to support application (a rule applied to a fact) or evaluation (a case showing a strength or weakness). Authority that does work earns the marks.

Question 5

What are the three assessment objectives and their weightings?

Accepted Answer

AO1 (knowledge and understanding of legal rules and the legal system) is worth 20 per cent. AO2 (application of legal rules to factual situations) is worth 40 per cent. AO3 (analysis and evaluation of legal rules, principles and issues) is worth 40 per cent. Because AO2 and AO3 together carry 80 per cent, the scenario application questions and the evaluation essays decide your grade, so the exam skills on this page are as important as the substantive law.

OCR A-Level Law: legal skills and application complete overview

The legal problem scenario (AO2)

The extended evaluation essay (AO3)

Using cases and statutes (AO1, AO2, AO3)

How the skills map to the objectives

Sources & how we know this