Legal Studies

One of the major obstacles to success for A-Level students and Undergraduates in Law is the sheer volume of the content in law courses. In criminal law, there are layers and layers of concepts.Actus Reus, Mens Rea, Strict Liability and so on. However each of the concepts are broken down. So although there is a definition of concepts the definitions have exceptions and for each exception there is a case that shows that exception.

In addition to this vast tract of knowledge that needs to be assimiliated there is the whole business of legislation. So its not just about cases but Acts of Parliament like the Offences Against the Person Act. This means that students need to be very systematic and see how cases and Acts of Legislation are linked. Legislation usually contains definitions some of which are very old. This is where students have to connect different dots between the definitions and examples of the definition being explored in cases. Students need to regularly assess their own learning by trying different questions and by writing down definitions each day.Definition tests are useful. In addition looking at past papers can assist.Working in a group of supportive students can help. Repetition helps the students build their skills. Games and puzzles work too.