Apply a supplied legal source to a scenario
Practise the source-only approach for Paper 2 Section A by connecting every relevant condition to the given facts.
Section SOURCE-METHOD · Apply a supplied legal source to a scenario
Exam scope and assessment notes
Supplemental exam preparation. Original educational scenarios about the law of England and Wales, checked on 14 October 2026. Model answers are formative reasoning, not advice about a real dispute, Cambridge marks or predicted grades. Read the exact statute, case and exam-year source where a rule is disputed or changes. A larger annotated authority bank, full unseen papers and specialist law-teacher review remain outstanding.
Before you begin
- Read a short source carefully and separate its rule from the facts
- Explain which element a fact supports and what is still uncertain
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What should a legal problem answer connect?
What you will learn
- Extract rule elements from a supplied source
- Apply the source without importing unsupported facts or authorities
Read the instruction before adding knowledge
For Paper 2 Section A, Cambridge requires answers using only the source material supplied. Identify the provision, split it into elements and cite the relevant supplied part. Then match each material fact to an element, noting what the scenario does not establish. Other sections have different requirements, so do not apply the source-only rule to every Law essay.
Original simplified source for this exercise: robbery requires stealing plus force on a person immediately before or at the time of stealing, used for the purpose of stealing. Theft is stipulated in the cases below. This is a paraphrased learning source, not an official Cambridge extract or a complete statutory exposition.
Explain the decisive connection
An answer should show rule, application and a proportionate conclusion. Do not repeat the facts without explaining why timing or purpose matters. Do not import an external case or invented continuing transaction to remove a limit expressly stipulated in this exercise.
If a key element remains uncertain, explain the missing evidence and qualify the conclusion. A source-only exercise can test precise reading even when the same topic has a richer real-world case-law context. Full original unseen-source papers and calibrated specialist marking are still outstanding.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
What should a Paper 2 Section A answer use under its source-only instruction?
Worked example
Using only the supplied source, D uses force on a person at the time of the stipulated theft in order to take the bag. Apply the rule.
Show the worked solution
- Stealing is stipulated.
- Force on a person occurs at the source's required time.
- Its purpose is stealing, so all stated source conditions are supported.
Answer The supplied facts support robbery under the simplified source: stipulated stealing, force on a person at the relevant time, and force used to steal. The answer should cite those source conditions, rather than substitute a moral label or external authority.
From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Guided: Apply the simplified source to force used on the holder at the time of the stipulated theft to obtain the bag.
Give me a hint
Check foundation, timing and purpose.
Compare my reasoning
- Theft is stipulated.
- Force is on a person at the required time.
- The source's stealing purpose is stipulated.
The stated source supports robbery because each of its conditions is met by the supplied facts. The explanation should explicitly connect the force's timing and purpose to stealing.
Look for these in your work
- Uses the source
- Applies timing
- Applies purpose
Independent: The source stipulates a completed theft in one event and force in a wholly separate later argument, with no stealing purpose. Apply only the simplified source.
Give me a hint
Do not invent a continuing theft.
Compare my reasoning
- Theft is supplied.
- The stipulated force is a separate later event.
- The stealing-purpose connection is absent.
Robbery is not established under this supplied source because its timing/purpose connection is missing. The answer should not invent a continuing transaction or an external rule to override the exercise's stipulated separation.
Look for these in your work
- Uses the stipulations
- Identifies missing connection
- Avoids invented law/facts
Application: A third scenario supplies stealing and force at the relevant time, but gives no evidence of why the force was used. What conclusion is justified from this source?
Give me a hint
A supplied condition remains unproved.
Compare my reasoning
- Foundation and timing are supported.
- The purpose condition still needs evidence.
- Qualify rather than assert a completed offence.
The source does not yet establish every condition: force in order to steal remains unsupported. A proportionate answer identifies that missing connection and explains what fact would resolve it, rather than assuming purpose from timing alone.
Look for these in your work
- Identifies supported elements
- Identifies uncertainty
- Qualifies the conclusion
Common mistakes
- Adding an outside case despite source-only instructions
- Assuming missing facts
- Repeating facts without applying elements
What can you explain now?
What should a Paper 2 Section A answer use under its source-only instruction?
Compare with the explanation
The supplied source, applied to the given facts
Follow the paper's instruction and identify the decisive source conditions.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
What should a Paper 2 Section A answer use under its source-only instruction?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.