'ELS' introductary module for the GDL
Hey,
is anyone else currently doing the English Legal System module for the GDL? I'm not sure if this happens everywhere, but where i'm studying I've been sent roughly 40 hours worth of work to get through before I start (a week on monday) at which point I have a week of lectures before an exam. I'm finding the book quite challenging, mainly because the legal language takes some getting used to. I was just wondering how anyone else is getting on with it, if theyre doing it?
Cheers,
is anyone else currently doing the English Legal System module for the GDL? I'm not sure if this happens everywhere, but where i'm studying I've been sent roughly 40 hours worth of work to get through before I start (a week on monday) at which point I have a week of lectures before an exam. I'm finding the book quite challenging, mainly because the legal language takes some getting used to. I was just wondering how anyone else is getting on with it, if theyre doing it?
Cheers,
Lell
I too am doing this but I don't have books-just i-tutorial and internet materials? Should I have books?! I am completing the work just because it will make it easier when term starts, I don't want to start the year behind on my work.
If you're at College of Law, you can (and probably should) do it online before term starts, but when term starts they'll give you a text book which is really just a hard copy version of the online stuff (exact same text and exercises).
I did it last year and managed to cram it in in the week before the start of term. It's definitely good to get it out of the way before term starts as you'll have enough to do when lessons begin; I still remember everyone panacking over having to read 80+ pages for Crime in week 2.
ETA: I should add, we had a test on the ELS stuff mid-October, but it was multiple choice, you only needed 50% to pass and nobody in the year got below 60% (even my lazy friend), just try and get used to the language and system etc. and don't panic (I'm not sure what it's like at other providers but it's probably not much worse).
Moxie
If you're at College of Law, you can (and probably should) do it online before term starts, but when term starts they'll give you a text book which is really just a hard copy version of the online stuff (exact same text and exercises).
I did it last year and managed to cram it in in the week before the start of term. It's definitely good to get it out of the way before term starts as you'll have enough to do when lessons begin; I still remember everyone panacking over having to read 80+ pages for Crime in week 2.
ETA: I should add, we had a test on the ELS stuff mid-October, but it was multiple choice, you only needed 50% to pass and nobody in the year got below 60% (even my lazy friend), just try and get used to the language and system etc. and don't panic (I'm not sure what it's like at other providers but it's probably not much worse).
I did it last year and managed to cram it in in the week before the start of term. It's definitely good to get it out of the way before term starts as you'll have enough to do when lessons begin; I still remember everyone panacking over having to read 80+ pages for Crime in week 2.
ETA: I should add, we had a test on the ELS stuff mid-October, but it was multiple choice, you only needed 50% to pass and nobody in the year got below 60% (even my lazy friend), just try and get used to the language and system etc. and don't panic (I'm not sure what it's like at other providers but it's probably not much worse).
Yep I am at CoL, I work full time so I won't be able to cram it into one week which is why I am doing it now. Having watched most of the i-tutorials now I can see how it will be helpful later although I'm not going to learn every little detail.
Also I have been told to take a 'suitcase with wheels' on my first day for my books-how many books do we get?!!
Lell
Yep I am at CoL, I work full time so I won't be able to cram it into one week which is why I am doing it now. Having watched most of the i-tutorials now I can see how it will be helpful later although I'm not going to learn every little detail.
Good idea. I only decided to do the GDL 2 weeks before it began and so I only got my internet access a week before. But it sounds like you're doing the right thing.
Lell
Also I have been told to take a 'suitcase with wheels' on my first day for my books-how many books do we get?!!
More than you can carry. Seriously. You get one thick academic textbook for each of the 7 subjects (read: about 3" thick each), one A4 1" thick coursebook for each of the 7 subjects + 1 for the legal method, 1 ring binder for each of the 7 subjects + 1 for legal method + 1 for general CoL information and a book of statutory extracts (not too heavy, only about as thick as the coursebooks).
I could be misremembering but I believe we got ours spread out over two days (i.e. half one day and half the next) and it was still bloody hard to carry very far (although maybe I just have weak upper body strength). I remember sitting down for lessons after I got the books and struggling to see the lecturer over them. I didn't know we were supposed to take a suitcase but luckily I live with my parents so I had someone I could call for a cheeky lift home.
So yes, definitely bring a suitcase!
Yeah similar thing, I only applied two weeks ago! Cost was putting me off but I just decided to go for it.
I am doing it part time so will probably get half those books but still sounds pretty hefty, thank god for my car I guess! At least I don't have to buy them on top of paying the fees, so that's pretty good
I am doing it part time so will probably get half those books but still sounds pretty hefty, thank god for my car I guess! At least I don't have to buy them on top of paying the fees, so that's pretty good
If you're doing part-time I believe you only do Contract, Tort and Public in the first year (I think those are the right ones anyway) so it would be weird if they gave you the others too now.
For me, I was going to get a job for a couple of years and then do the GDL (having only just finished my first degree and being thoroughly sick of exams and coursework) but with the recession and everything I thought it would be good to do a couple of years of studying and hope the job market had picked up again afterwards (of course I didn't realise then that you generally have to apply for training contracts two years in advance though!).
Don't be put off by the size of the thick academic text books like I was at first - I barely touched mine except for one coursework and looking up a couple of things which weren't explained very well in class (eg the mesothelioma stuff in Tort) and I got a distinction; you can just use the CoL coursebooks generally. I think the big textbooks are very useful if you want to do essays on the exams but I personally wouldn't reccomend doing essays generally anyway - there are 6 questions on each exam, of which you have to answer 3, and at least 4 of which will be problem questions and at most 2 will be essays (except for public law which is always 2 problems and 4 essays) and the essays can be very in-depth and on any one of a number of different topics, whereas problem questions tend to be more predictable. The essays in Public Law aren't bad though as they are always on the same things so you can just learn the structures from previous years' exams.
For me, I was going to get a job for a couple of years and then do the GDL (having only just finished my first degree and being thoroughly sick of exams and coursework) but with the recession and everything I thought it would be good to do a couple of years of studying and hope the job market had picked up again afterwards (of course I didn't realise then that you generally have to apply for training contracts two years in advance though!).
Don't be put off by the size of the thick academic text books like I was at first - I barely touched mine except for one coursework and looking up a couple of things which weren't explained very well in class (eg the mesothelioma stuff in Tort) and I got a distinction; you can just use the CoL coursebooks generally. I think the big textbooks are very useful if you want to do essays on the exams but I personally wouldn't reccomend doing essays generally anyway - there are 6 questions on each exam, of which you have to answer 3, and at least 4 of which will be problem questions and at most 2 will be essays (except for public law which is always 2 problems and 4 essays) and the essays can be very in-depth and on any one of a number of different topics, whereas problem questions tend to be more predictable. The essays in Public Law aren't bad though as they are always on the same things so you can just learn the structures from previous years' exams.
Good advice Moxie, thanks for that. What subject did you do before the GDL?
Basically its not e-learning or i-tutorials, they've sent me a heftyish booklet with various tasks and activities (and some extracts), and told me to buy a set text book and a law dictionary to get me started (my tuition fees aren't as large as COL, so I doubt I'll be getting all these books for free). I'm muddling through it, seem to be making alright progress though I'm not looking forward to the sections on reading statutes and stuff, looks quite baffling.
If anyone wants to trade any tips on the upcoming exam, I'd be happy to hear them. Mine is very early (September 22nd rather than October), so I only have a few weeks to cram everything, but I do only need 50%. I was having a look at a past paper (if anyone is interested, i'll give a few samples), the multiple choice shouldn't be too problematic, the longer questions might be a little tricky though.
Edit - was also meaning to ask, how many hours of tuition (compulsary) does the average week have during the GDL? I have my timetable for the first 3 weeks but its schedules to change, and each of those 3 weeks are quite different. I think wednesdays are considered a teaching-free day, but how busy are the other days?
Basically its not e-learning or i-tutorials, they've sent me a heftyish booklet with various tasks and activities (and some extracts), and told me to buy a set text book and a law dictionary to get me started (my tuition fees aren't as large as COL, so I doubt I'll be getting all these books for free). I'm muddling through it, seem to be making alright progress though I'm not looking forward to the sections on reading statutes and stuff, looks quite baffling.
If anyone wants to trade any tips on the upcoming exam, I'd be happy to hear them. Mine is very early (September 22nd rather than October), so I only have a few weeks to cram everything, but I do only need 50%. I was having a look at a past paper (if anyone is interested, i'll give a few samples), the multiple choice shouldn't be too problematic, the longer questions might be a little tricky though.
Edit - was also meaning to ask, how many hours of tuition (compulsary) does the average week have during the GDL? I have my timetable for the first 3 weeks but its schedules to change, and each of those 3 weeks are quite different. I think wednesdays are considered a teaching-free day, but how busy are the other days?
Brave the Storm
Good advice Moxie, thanks for that. What subject did you do before the GDL?
Engineering (aka the most boring subject ever invented)
Brave the Storm
I'm not at COL, I'm at MMU, so I think things might be slightly different. Basically its not e-learning or i-tutorials, they've sent me a heftyish booklet with various tasks and activities (and some extracts), and told me to buy a set text book and a law dictionary to get me started (my tuition fees aren't as large as COL, so I doubt I'll be getting all these books for free). I'm muddling through it, seem to be making alright progress though I'm not looking forward to the sections on reading statutes and stuff, looks quite baffling.
I was worried about statute at first too but you get used to it. Some are more "user-friendly" than others - I never got my head around the corporate manslaughter stuff for example because the statute's pretty incomprehensible. But you'll probably get the hang of it soon enough. We had a booklet of statutory extracts anyway which you could take into the exam so you never had to remember stuff word for word or anything, and I assume you'll get something similar at MMU.
Brave the Storm
Part of the reason I didn't chose COL was because I went along to a sample lecture at my uni (uni of liverpool) and the learning style wasn't my cup of tea at all (too interactive, too much e-learning involved, the woman said ''no one likes/listens in one hour lectures'' but I actually do).
I can only speak from my personal experience but I think they might be overstating the e-learning aspect of the course. There are i-Tutorials available (About 5 basic ones for each of the 7 subjects plus another 5 advanced ones for each) which are probably 45 minutes long each. But I watched all the i-tutorials (or nearly all) in the first month or two to get an overview and then didn't bother with them again. They had podcasts available too but you only needed to use them if you missed the advanced lectures. The structure was generally 1) go to lecture about what will be coming up in next workshop (small tutorial group) and reviewing the topic from the last workshop 2) read 30-50ish pages from the coursebook about the upcoming topic, 3) do a 10 question multiple choice quiz about it online (which a lot of people didn't bother with), 4) prepare an activity for the workshop, 5) go to workshop, 6) repeat + occasional advanced lectures on more complex topics. So really it was mostly lectures, workshops and textbook reading. And nobody misbehaved in lectures or anything. They would ask questions in lectures and the workshops were done in small groups (about 12 in our class and then we'd often split into groups of 2-4) so I guess it's interactive but not in a bad way.
Brave the Storm
If anyone wants to trade any tips on the upcoming exam, I'd be happy to hear them. Mine is very early (September 22nd rather than October), so I only have a few weeks to cram everything, but I do only need 50%. I was having a look at a past paper (if anyone is interested, i'll give a few samples), the multiple choice shouldn't be too problematic, the longer questions might be a little tricky though.
We only had multiple choice so I guess ours was different. But I think technically it's a formality so that they course can be certified or something and they don't want you to fail and the bar is set very low. If it was hard they probably wouldn't give it to you at the start of the course! And it was just a question of pass/fail - the points didn't actually count towards anything (ie 50% is just as good as 100%) and I think you could even fail it once and still get a commendation/distinction as long as you passed the second time.
Brave the Storm
Edit - was also meaning to ask, how many hours of tuition (compulsary) does the average week have during the GDL? I have my timetable for the first 3 weeks but its schedules to change, and each of those 3 weeks are quite different. I think wednesdays are considered a teaching-free day, but how busy are the other days?
We were supposed to do 45 hours total, we didn't have classes Wednesday and on other days we'd normally have 3 hours of workshops and lectures (so 12 hours spoonfeeding, 33 hours on your own).
I should add, to people doing the GDL, if I could only give one bit of advice it's this:
When you're reading the textbooks/preparing for lectures, make a table on your computer of the case name and the ratio (main principle) of the case - and then occasionally look back over your tables, try covering the names and guess them from looking at the ratios, or try guessing the ratios from looking at the case names. We had 7 exams over a week and a half last summer (the horror!) which involved remembering about 1500 cases and this was invaluable for me.
And don't worry too much about the latin phrases (stare decisis, expressio unius... blah blah blah), you won't need to use them after your ELS test. You'll need the for the test but the rest of the course won't be like that.
When you're reading the textbooks/preparing for lectures, make a table on your computer of the case name and the ratio (main principle) of the case - and then occasionally look back over your tables, try covering the names and guess them from looking at the ratios, or try guessing the ratios from looking at the case names. We had 7 exams over a week and a half last summer (the horror!) which involved remembering about 1500 cases and this was invaluable for me.
And don't worry too much about the latin phrases (stare decisis, expressio unius... blah blah blah), you won't need to use them after your ELS test. You'll need the for the test but the rest of the course won't be like that.
I am at BPP and we are not firing off until the 1st/2nd October, hope that ELS is not as bad as I read 
Moxie, can't put a value on that advice - it gives me faith when there are people around willing to spare some time to be so helpful. Thanks.
Im at UoS and am about to do the ELS test today, we have had 2 weeks of lectures/seminars for it so i'll let you lot know what its like, its a pass or fail test at UoS and doesnt count towards final grade, if thats the same as your GDL then you really dont have to stress too much. I know a lot of the GDL exams are multiple choice and SAQ with approx 1 to 3 essay style questions so it shouldnt be as heavy as what we are all expecting.
Out of curiosity has anyone bought any of the "notes" online, theres a few forums about them but I dont know if I could trust them due to the variation in textbooks from one intstitute to another
Out of curiosity has anyone bought any of the "notes" online, theres a few forums about them but I dont know if I could trust them due to the variation in textbooks from one intstitute to another
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