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EnglandLegal Studies

Law Making (Component 2, Section A)

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What is delegated legislation, what forms does it take, and how is it controlled?

Delegated legislation: the three types (Orders in Council, statutory instruments and bylaws), the reasons for it, and the parliamentary and judicial controls including the ultra vires doctrine.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to delegated legislation. Explains Orders in Council, statutory instruments and bylaws, the reasons for delegating law-making power, and the parliamentary and judicial controls including the ultra vires doctrine, with worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
15 min answer →

How does the doctrine of judicial precedent work, and how can judges avoid or change earlier decisions?

Judicial precedent: stare decisis, ratio decidendi and obiter dicta, the hierarchy of the courts, binding and persuasive precedent, and the methods of avoiding precedent (overruling, reversing, distinguishing).
An OCR A-Level Law guide to judicial precedent. Explains stare decisis, ratio decidendi and obiter dicta, the court hierarchy, binding and persuasive precedent, and the methods of avoiding precedent, with key cases, worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
16 min answer →

How is the law reformed, and what was the influence of the European Union on UK law before and after Brexit?

Law reform: the influences on reform and the role of the Law Commission, and the European Union: its institutions and sources of law, and the post-Brexit status of retained (assimilated) EU law.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to law reform and the European Union. Explains the influences on reform and the role of the Law Commission, the EU institutions and sources of law, and the post-Brexit status of retained (assimilated) EU law, with worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
15 min answer →

How does Parliament make law, and what is meant by parliamentary supremacy in England and Wales?

Parliamentary law making: the influences on Parliament, Green and White Papers, the legislative process through both Houses, and the doctrine of parliamentary supremacy (sovereignty) and its limits.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to parliamentary law making. Explains Green and White Papers, the legislative process through both Houses to Royal Assent, the influences on Parliament, and parliamentary supremacy and its limits, with worked exam answers and the AO3 evaluation the paper rewards.
15 min answer →

How do judges interpret Acts of Parliament, and which rules and aids do they use?

Statutory interpretation: the literal, golden and mischief rules, the purposive approach, the rules of language, and the internal and external aids to interpretation.
An OCR A-Level Law guide to statutory interpretation. Explains the literal, golden and mischief rules, the purposive approach, the rules of language and the internal and external aids, with key cases, worked exam answers and the AO2 application the paper rewards.
16 min answer →