Whys does A-Level Law have a bad rep?

I'm genuinely curious as to why A-Level Law, as it is today with the updated spec, is seen as a 'soft' or 'easy' subject. I've never seen this stigma explained, despite it being rife (particularly on TSR!).

I certainly don't think it is the hardest A-Level, but it seems unreasonable to claim it is the easiest. The AQA spec is content-heavy with a broad coverage of law (criminal, tort and contract), including concepts and language that will be completely alien to most students. The exams themselves are also quite challenging as they involve an application of law to scenarios, meaning you can't just 'know' the law, you have to have a good understanding of it in order to apply it. The speed at which you are expected to write in the exams is also quite extraordinary!

I agree it may not be as 'difficult' as the traditionally 'hard' essay a-levels such as English Lit/History/Religious Studies/MFL/Geography and so on. But that's not to say it's not without it's difficulties and I can see some students who excel in the previously mentioned A-Levels struggling with Law due to the specific skills it requires. I think the 'hardness' of A-Levels is quite subjective to the individual, so perhaps I am only opening up a redundant conversation!

I did a few months of Biology, Chemistry and Geography before lockdown. From my own experience, Law is far harder than geography and about the same level as Biology, perhaps ever so slightly easier as the concepts do eventually tie in when you finish a module, more so than the biology topics. I have met people who are currently sitting law a-level with a combination of stem/humanties A-Level and there doesn't seem to be any consistency in whether it is seen as their 'hardest' or 'easiest' subject. So perhaps it is all swings and roundabouts and my experience is ofc not authoritative.

What does everyone else think? Not looking for a fight haha just curious to people's opinions :smile:

Reply 1

Holamisamigos213

forget about what the tsr ppl say, look at what unis say they see law a level on the same level as english or any other a level, its not "soft" people on tsr are just really obsessed with stem, english, history and a few other subjects and look at other subjects as easy or "soft"