A-LEVEL LAW, Study notes of Law

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A-LEVEL LAW

Study Guide

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Contents 01 Introduction 02 Course content overview 03 Textbooks 04 Summer Homework 05 Extension ideas 06 What our students go on to study

01. Introduction –

Studying A-Level Law will give you an understanding of the role of Law in today’s society and raise your awareness of the rights and responsibilities of individuals. You will learn how legal rules apply in real life, you will also develop your analytical ability, decision making, critical thinking and problem- solving skills. All these skills are highly sought after by higher education and employers. Over the two years we will focus on the English Legal System, Criminal Law, Tort Law and Contract Law. If you need more information please contact miket@richuish.ac.uk The awarding body for this qualification is AQA and you can access their website by following the link: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/law/as-and-a-level/law- 7162

02 Course Content Overview:

Year 1 Year 2 English Legal System English Legal System Criminal Law Tort Law Contract Law Breakdown of Year 1 Topics: TOPIC – English Legal System Sentencing & Criminal Courts Juries Magistrates and Judges Barristers and Solicitors Law Making – statutory interpretation & precedent Legal Theory – Fault & Justice

Assessment: This is a two-year linear course and you will therefore sit three, two-hour examination papers at the end of your second year. The questions are a combination of multiple choice, short answers and extended writing answers.

Skills in A-Level Law – Assessment objectives are the areas that AQA will be marking you on –

these are AO1, AO2 & AO3. AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the English Legal System and legal rules and principles. AO2 Apply legal rules and principles in given scenarios in order to present a legal argument using appropriate legal terminology. AO3 Analyse and evaluate legal rules, principles and concepts. 03.Textbooks and online resources: Textbooks are available in the Learning Centre for you to hire. We advise that you buy both course textbook to support your studies. There is also a useful revision guide available. We suggest that as these are expensive this is something to buy once you have started the course Picture Title Year Author (s) A AQA A Level Law^ –^ Book 1^2017 Jacqueline Martin and Nicholas Price B AQA A Level Law^ –^ Book 2^2018 Jacqueline Martin and Nicholas Price C AQA A Level Law^ –^ My Revision Notes^2018 Claire Wilson and Craig Beauman Online materials: You will have access to the Law Moodle site, which will contain your lesson materials. Below are some useful websites for you to use in your independent study:

 http://www.e-lawresources.co.uk/

 https://getrevising.co.uk/

 https://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/law-level-revision

A B C

But the judge acknowledged Zaman was of "good character" and the sentence would have an impact on his wife and four children. In a statement read out in court, Mr Wilson's parents, Margaret and Keith, from Sheffield, said they felt "numb, shock and disbelief" over their son's death. "I feel robbed that I won't share the rest of my life with Paul"," Keith Wilson said. 'Totally avoidable.' Mrs Wilson said her son was "meticulous" about dealing with peanuts after a reaction to a chocolate bar at the age of seven. She said the smell of peanuts, or accidentally drinking from the same glass as someone who was eating them, could trigger a reaction. [1] What was the offence that the defendant was charged with and in which court was the case heard? [2] For a defendant to be convicted of Gross Negligence Manslaughter the jury must decide if the defendant has met the requirements set out in a case called Adomako. Find out what happened in this case and the requirements set out for a Gross Negligence Manslaughter conviction. Facts – Requirements for the offence – (1) (2) (3) (4) [3] What sentence did the defendant receive and do you think it was fair?

[4] A recent case that covered similar territory was following the death of Megan Lee. Why did the Court of appeal quash the conviction of one of the defendants in this case. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/16/takeaway-boss-has-two-year-manslaughter- sentence-overturned/ Task 2 – Justice One of the topics that we study in year 1 of the course is the idea of justice. What is Justice? Some introductory puzzles The two scenarios below are all about moral dilemmas and what the just thing to do is. There are no trick solutions they are simply dilemmas and touch on different ideas of justice. There are no right or wrong ideas but they touch on issues of utilitarianism as against natural law and concepts of distributive justice. If you are interested in doing some research the following are helpful links. Justice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0CTHVCkm https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sandel+justice+episode+1 This is much longer and only if you have time. Natural Law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_UfYY7aWKo Utlitarianism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a739VjqdSI [1] The Ticking Bomb scenario The problem that even the most virtuous people face when thinking about torture is whether there is ever a case when a good result produced by torture justifies the evil act of torturing someone. It's often illustrated by a version of the 'ticking bomb problem', which asks us to put ourselves in the position of a senior law officer facing a situation like this:  A terrorist group states that it has concealed a nuclear bomb in London  The authorities have captured the leader of the group

its existence and so elaborates upon the final element of the city: its one atrocity. The city's constant state of serenity and splendour requires that a single unfortunate child be kept in perpetual filth, darkness, and misery. Do you vote to free the child? If you wanted to torture the suspected terrorist but free the child what is the difference? Changing the ticking bomb scenario slightly. Your suspect won’t crack under torture but you know that if you torture his five year old child in front of him he will give you the information you want. What do you do now? [3] The Face mask manufacturer [a bit topical] You own a factory that manufactures face masks which are largely purchased by the NHS who pay £1.00 a mask. There is a pandemic and a foreign government is offering to buy the masks for £2.00. If you supply them you will be unable to supply the NHS. Two responses. [1] I live in a free market. I am entitled to sell the masks to who ever pays the highest price. It will be good for me, my family and my employees. Rising prices will encourage more manufacturers into the market and increase supply and will in the end be a good thing. [2] You are price gouging and taking advantage of a tragedy. You owe it to the society to continue to supply the NHS at the existing price.

What is your view? 05 Extension activities The following are some suggestions for activities that might be worth doing over the summer. Reading The following are a couple of books that are quite an easy read. They are normally available quite cheaply on the usual sites and The Secret Barrister is free with a trial of Amazon Audible. Watching [a]Michael Sandel What is the right thing to do. There are a whole series of lectures on you tube. They are fairly academic but well done. The link is to the first one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdfcR-8hEY [b] Neflix. For those who have Netflix I would recommend all the following. They are mainly from the US but are quite good in showing the format of criminal trials or raise issues about miscarriages of justice. [i] The people v OJ Simpson [ii] The Staircase [iii] Making of a murderer [iv] When they see us