AQA A-Level Law: Preparing for Three Papers That Share a Common Core

AQA A-Level Law 7162 is a linear, untiered qualification assessed by three written papers, each lasting 2 hours and carrying 100 marks. Each paper is built the same way: 25 marks on the nature of law and the English legal system, plus 75 marks on a substantive area – Criminal law on Paper 1, Tort on Paper 2, and either Law of contract or Human rights on Paper 3. Each paper mixes multiple-choice, short-answer and extended-writing questions, and the three papers together total 300 marks. These notes complement the site’s guides to The Nature of Law and the English Legal System and General Elements of Criminal Liability.

The common core is examined three times – it is the highest-value revision on the course

Twenty-five marks on every paper, three papers, is 75 of the qualification’s 300 marks drawn from the same body of material on the nature of law and the English legal system. Exam-preparation priority: revise the common core early, thoroughly, and repeatedly, because it is the only content on the specification that pays back three times. Candidates who treat it as a preliminary topic to be covered once at the start of the course systematically underinvest in a quarter of the qualification. Note that the specification’s Appendix 2 assigns particular topics within this section to particular papers: some, such as the nature of law, types of judge and access to justice, appear on all three, while others, such as statutory interpretation (Paper 1), law reform (Paper 2) and the European Union (Paper 3), are listed for one paper only.

Confirm which Paper 3 option you are taking

Paper 3’s 75 substantive marks come from either Law of contract or Human rights, and this is a choice made at centre or candidate level. Exam-preparation priority: confirm which option you are entered for well before the revision period, and do not attempt to hedge by half-revising both. Seventy-five marks depends on one of them being known properly.

Three papers of equal size means no compensation strategy

Each paper is stated as 33% of the A-level (33.33% in the specification’s weighting table) – equal thirds. Exam-preparation priority: distribute revision evenly across the three substantive areas rather than concentrating on whichever you find most engaging. Criminal law tends to attract the most attention and Tort the least; they carry identical weight.

Authority is what turns a correct statement into a mark

Legal answers are credited for supporting propositions with authority – a named case or a named statutory provision. A correct statement of law with nothing behind it reads as assertion. Exam- preparation priority: for each rule you revise, memorise one authority and one sentence on what it established. A short, reliable list of authorities you can actually recall under pressure is worth more than a long list you half-remember.

Extended-writing questions want application, then evaluation

The extended questions typically present a scenario requiring the law to be applied, or invite critical evaluation of an area of law. Both are structured tasks. Exam-preparation priority: practise the structure separately from the content. Most candidates know more law than their answers demonstrate, because the answer narrates the law rather than applying it to the specific facts given or evaluating it against a stated criterion.

Worked routine: an application answer on a problem scenario

The routine below is an original model written for this resource, not a reproduction of any official past paper, mark scheme or examiner report.

Step 1 - identify the legal issue precisely:
Not "this is about negligence" but "whether a duty of care was
owed to a claimant in this position".

Step 2 - state the rule with authority:
The rule, then the case or statute that establishes it, then one
clause on what that authority decided.

Step 3 - apply the rule to THESE facts:
Quote the specific fact from the scenario that engages the rule.
This is the step that separates strong answers -- and the step most
often replaced by more description of the law.

Step 4 - deal with the counter-argument:
Where a rule has an exception or a competing authority, say so and
say which applies here and why.

Step 5 - conclude on the issue:
A clear, specific conclusion on the issue you identified in step 1,
not a general summary.

Step 3 is the whole exercise. An answer that completes steps 1 and 2 for six issues will usually score below one that completes all five steps for three.

Before/during exam checklist

• Before the exams: revise the nature of law and the English legal system core early and often – it is 75 of 300 marks across the three papers; confirm your Paper 3 option and revise only that one; distribute revision evenly across Criminal law, Tort and your Paper 3 option; memorise one authority plus one sentence of significance per rule.
• During any paper: budget for the 25-mark core section as well as the 75-mark substantive section – it is a quarter of the paper, not a warm-up.
• On problem questions: identify the issue precisely, state the rule with authority, apply it to the specific facts quoted, address the counter-argument, then conclude on the issue.
• On evaluation questions: state the criterion you are evaluating against before evaluating.

Self-test

1. How many of the qualification’s 300 marks come from the common core, and across how many papers?
2. Why is hedging between the two Paper 3 options a poor strategy?
3. What turns a correct statement of law into a creditable one?
4. Which step of a problem answer is most often omitted, and what replaces it?

Answers: 1. Seventy-five marks – 25 on each of the three papers – making it the single highest-return body of content on the specification. 2. Because 75 marks of Paper 3 depends entirely on one option; half-knowing both leaves a quarter of the qualification underprepared. 3. Supporting it with authority: a named case or statutory provision, together with what that authority established. 4. Application to the specific facts of the scenario – it is usually replaced by further description of the law in general terms.

Written against the AQA A-Level Law 7162 specification-at-a-glance (official AQA specification page, verified 2026-08-28). The specification gives each paper as 33% of the A-level, and as 33.33% in its assessment objective weighting table, so the three papers carry equal weight. The application routine above is an original model written for this resource, not a reproduction of any official past paper or mark scheme. Always check the current specification for your examination year at aqa.org.uk.