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Wales Β· WJEC2026

WJEC A-Level Law: complete guide to the units, the legal system and the substantive law options

A complete guide to WJEC A-Level Law (Wales). Covers the four-unit structure, Unit 1 (the nature of law and the Welsh and English legal system), Unit 2 (the law of tort), and the A2 substantive options on criminal law, the law of contract and human rights law examined in Units 3 and 4, with the assessment objectives and how to study for top grades.

Browse guides β†’Syllabus dot points (33)

WJEC A-Level Law (Wales) is a four-unit course covering the legal system, the law of tort, and substantive options in criminal law, contract and human rights. The qualification is called Law. This page is the index: below is a map of the units, the legal system, the tort and substantive content, the assessment objectives, and how to study each part.

The WJEC Law units

The qualification has two AS units and two A2 units.

AS Unit 1: The Nature of Law and the Welsh and English Legal System
The nature of law and its relationship with morality and justice; law-making by Parliament, delegated legislation, statutory interpretation and judicial precedent; the civil and criminal courts and dispute resolution; legal personnel; access to justice; and the rule of law and law-making in Wales.
AS Unit 2: The Law of Tort
Liability and fault in negligence, occupiers' liability, nuisance and Rylands v Fletcher, and vicarious liability, with the defences and remedies.
A2 Unit 3: The Practice of Substantive Law
A scenario-based paper applying the chosen substantive options to the facts and advising on liability and remedies.
A2 Unit 4: Substantive Law Perspectives
An essay paper evaluating the chosen substantive options more synoptically.

At A2, centres study two substantive areas chosen from criminal law, the law of contract and human rights law.

Unit 1 sets the law in the single jurisdiction of England and Wales, with its shared court system, while recognising the Senedd Cymru and the growing body of distinctly Welsh law made under a reserved-powers model. The rule of law, judicial independence and access to justice tie the unit together.

The assessment objectives

WJEC assesses three skills across every unit:

  • AO1 - demonstrating knowledge and understanding of legal rules, principles, concepts and institutions.
  • AO2 - applying the law to factual scenarios to advise on liability and outcomes.
  • AO3 - analysing and evaluating legal rules, principles, concepts and issues.

Unit 3 emphasises application and Unit 4 emphasises evaluation, but all three skills run through the course.

How to study WJEC Law

  1. Work unit by unit. Each unit has its own content and question style; learn them against the specification.
  2. Anchor every point. Attach a precise case or statute to each principle.
  3. Structure the substantive law. Learn each offence, tort or doctrine as a checklist of elements with cases.
  4. Apply and advise. In the scenario papers, work methodically through the elements and reach a conclusion.
  5. Build evaluation. For Unit 4, prepare reasoned arguments and judgements, not description.

The units and options, topic by topic

Each module has a topic-level overview with worked exam questions and cross-links, plus dot-point answer pages for every examinable topic across the legal system, tort, and the criminal, contract and human rights options.

For the official specification

WJEC publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at wjec.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and WJEC's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.

Legal Studies guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

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Legal Studies practice quizzes

Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.

The WJEC-A-LEVEL system, explained

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Common questions about Legal Studies

How is WJEC A-Level Law structured?
WJEC A-Level Law (the qualification is called Law) is a four-unit course. The two AS units are Unit 1, The Nature of Law and the Welsh and English Legal System, and Unit 2, The Law of Tort. The two A2 units are Unit 3, The Practice of Substantive Law (a scenario paper), and Unit 4, Substantive Law Perspectives (an essay paper), in which centres study two substantive areas chosen from criminal law, the law of contract and human rights law. It follows the WJEC specification taught in Wales from 2017.
What are the units of WJEC A-Level Law?
Unit 1 covers the nature of law and the legal system: law-making, statutory interpretation and precedent, the civil and criminal courts, legal personnel, access to justice, and the rule of law and law-making in Wales. Unit 2 covers the law of tort: negligence, occupiers' liability, nuisance, vicarious liability, and the defences and remedies. Units 3 and 4 examine the chosen substantive options (criminal law, contract or human rights) by application to scenarios and by synoptic essay.
Which substantive options does WJEC A-Level Law offer?
At A2, centres study two areas chosen from three substantive options: criminal law (offences against the person and property, and the general defences), the law of contract (formation, terms, vitiating factors, discharge and remedies), and human rights law (the ECHR, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Convention rights). Unit 3 applies the law to scenarios and Unit 4 evaluates it in essays.
What is distinctive about the Welsh dimension in WJEC Law?
WJEC Law is set in the law of Wales and England. England and Wales form a single legal jurisdiction with a shared court system, but Wales has its own democratically elected legislature, the Senedd Cymru, with primary law-making powers in devolved areas under a reserved-powers model (the Wales Act 2017), producing a growing body of distinctly Welsh law. This Welsh constitutional context is examined in Unit 1.
What skills does WJEC A-Level Law assess?
WJEC assesses three skills across the qualification: demonstrating knowledge and understanding of legal rules, principles and institutions (AO1); applying the law to factual scenarios to advise on liability and outcomes (AO2); and analysing and evaluating legal rules, principles, concepts and issues (AO3). Unit 3 emphasises application and Unit 4 emphasises evaluation, but all three skills run through the course.
How should I revise for WJEC A-Level Law?
Work unit by unit. For Unit 1, attach a precise case or statute to every point and practise both explanation and evaluation. For Unit 2 and the A2 options, learn each offence, tort or doctrine as a structure of elements with cases, then practise applying the structure to scenarios and advising on the outcome, and build evaluative arguments for the Unit 4 essays. Always revise from the current WJEC specification and WJEC past papers, because the question styles and mark schemes are board-specific.
How does WJEC A-Level Law compare to other exam boards?
All A-level Law specifications develop the same core skills of knowledge, application and evaluation, and cover similar substantive areas such as criminal law, tort and contract. WJEC's distinctive features are its four-unit AS and A2 structure, its setting in the law of Wales and England including the Welsh constitutional dimension, and its own question styles in the scenario and essay papers. Always revise from the current WJEC specification and WJEC past papers, because wording and mark schemes are board-specific.