Select your Law exam year and paper route
Match the year and level to the paper requirements without treating unequal raw marks as unequal AS weights.
Section Paper 2 · Criminal law
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
- Select 2026–2028 Version 2 or 2029–2030 Version 1
- Explain AS/full A Level routes and paper choices
Start with the examination year
Cambridge lists 2026–2028 Version 2 and 2029–2030 Version 1 and states there are no significant changes affecting teaching in the later version. The school should still check the correct-year document, updates and actual legal developments. The teaching here covers English legal system and criminal law for AS, with contract and tort added for full A Level. Linked lessons are foundations; deeper authority reading, full unseen papers and specialist review remain outstanding.
Each paper is 90 minutes. Paper 1 is 75 marks and Paper 2 is 60, but each contributes 50% of AS. Full A Level adds Papers 3 and 4 at 75 marks each; all four contribute 25% each. Different raw maxima must not be added as if they imply those weightings.
Use each paper's choices and sources
Paper 1 Section A is 25 marks across five compulsory questions; Section B is two of three structured essays, each split 10/15 marks. Paper 2 Section A is a compulsory 30-mark source task with three 10-mark scenarios, answered using only the supplied source; Section B is one of two questions split 5/25 marks without supplied source.
Papers 3 and 4 each use one of two 25-mark scenario questions and two of three 25-mark essays. They require relevant legal support, application and evaluation. All routes assess knowledge, analysis/application and evaluation, but this platform's model answers are formative and do not award Cambridge marks.
Confirm entry and longer-term preparation
June and November entries are available, including private candidates. Confirm the exam year, administrative-zone timetable and centre entry. AS uses Papers 1 and 2 in the same series. Full A Level uses all four papers together or an authorised staged route; carry-forward eligibility and time limits must be confirmed with the exams officer.
Do not confuse a map with readiness. Exact statutory text, case reading, extended legal argument, unseen sources and teacher feedback remain important. The short original exercises here do not replicate a full timed paper or certify that a candidate can answer every exam demand.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Do the 75- and 60-mark AS papers have different qualification weights?
Worked example
A hypothetical AS rehearsal gives 45/75 on Paper 1 and 24/60 on Paper 2. Illustrate the equally weighted percentage without predicting a grade.
Show the worked solution
- Paper 1 converts to 60%.
- Paper 2 converts to 40%.
- Take half of each because the papers have equal AS weights.
Answer The illustrative weighted percentage is 50%. Adding raw marks and dividing by 135 would apply different weights. This arithmetic rehearsal does not produce an official mark or predicted Cambridge grade.
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: An AS learner plans Papers 1 and 2 only. What content and entry checks are needed?
Give me a hint
Separate the AS syllabus from a full A Level plan.
Compare my reasoning
- AS covers English legal system and criminal law.
- Both components are in the same series.
- Confirm year, zone, centre and source/choice instructions.
The AS learner needs the English legal-system and criminal-law requirements, both papers in one series, and the correct-year entry and paper instructions. Full A Level additionally requires contract and tort. Their linked lessons and outstanding exam preparation should be planned separately.
Look for these in your work
- Identifies AS content
- Identifies same-series entry
- Checks the correct year
Independent: A full A Level learner omits Paper 4 because criminal law already covers every wrong. Explain the error.
Give me a hint
Criminal law and tort are separate syllabus areas.
Compare my reasoning
- Full A Level includes four components.
- Paper 4 assesses tort.
- The criminal sequence cannot substitute for the separate tort sequence.
The plan omits a required full A Level component. Criminal law and tort have different purposes and requirements, and Paper 4 is not replaced by Paper 2. The learner needs a complete tort sequence and its exam preparation.
Look for these in your work
- Uses the full route
- Distinguishes areas
- Identifies the omitted component
Application: A learner wants to carry AS marks into a later A Level series. What must be verified?
Give me a hint
A published staged route does not prove individual eligibility.
Compare my reasoning
- Check the applicable carry-forward rules and time limits.
- Confirm entry options and the later examination year.
- Plan the additional contract/tort papers and teaching.
The exams officer must confirm carry-forward eligibility, time limits and entry options for the relevant series. The learner must also use the later-year syllabus and complete contract/tort preparation; the existence of a staged route is not automatic approval for every earlier result.
Look for these in your work
- Checks eligibility
- Checks year and entry
- Includes the additional content
Common mistakes
- Using a syllabus year based on study start rather than exam date
- Adding unequal raw maxima without weighting
- Ignoring Paper 2 source-only instructions
- Treating linked topics as proof of full exam readiness
What can you explain now?
Do the 75- and 60-mark AS papers have different qualification weights?
Compare with the explanation
No, each contributes 50% of AS
Convert each component separately before applying its qualification weighting.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Do the 75- and 60-mark AS papers have different qualification weights?
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.