What's the difference between a-level law problem question writing and LLb law?

Is it pretty significant in terms of stating the law and applying it to the scenario? is it meant to be more significantly detailed (from an A* student)

Hi there,

I'm a current final year Law LLB student and I also studied Law at A Level (also getting an A*) so hopefully I can shed some light on this as it was one of my biggest worries before I started my degree..!

There is definitely a change and a step-up between A Level and Degree study. A Level is largely more descriptive and a memory-game in that you have to memorise the content and regurgitate it to show your knowledge. At university, it is not enough to just 'know the law,' this is the key difference. A Law degree centres around the critical analysis you give on the Law, not just about knowing what the Law is.

It is for this reason that the actual writing styles between A Level and Law LLB are also different. In reference to your question specifically, yes you will still be expected go do problem questions and in such will expected to state the Law and apply it to a given scenario. The difference is the next layer, the critiquing of the Law, the reform of the Law, what you have to say on the matter, etc...

However, while this may sound a littttllleee bit daunting, I would say it is a transition that all Law students will have to make to some extent and universities know this. You will likely have some kind of specific skills workshops on essay writing and you will be given support in making the change in your writing as required. It is one of many reasons why most universities do not count your first year towards your final result as they recognise your first year to be a transitional period.

I hope this helps explain things a bit more and importantly makes the point that, while there is a change, it is a manageable and universal one!

Leah
UEA Law

Thank you very much!!! My end of year exams is in person and there will be essay questions but how am I supposed to use law reviews if I don’t know which topics will come up and don’t know the critique. Do you know any websites/links that have critique on areas of law? Since in the lectures they explain the law they never critique it

Hi again!

I will caveat my response firstly be saying that I can only give a general response, your professors/tutors may want different things from you so it is worth thinking about what has been specifically asked of you.

That being said, you have found one of the biggest bug bearers of a Law Degree right there! You likely won't know what topics you may be faced with in an exam, even more relevant for closed-book exams. Therefore, to some extent you can only do what you can and hope for the best.

At university level, your best friend ought to be journal databases - i.e. Lexis, Westlaw, Jstor, Google Scholar, etc. These are the key sources of critique and commentary of the Law. Here you will be able to see whether general discussions centre on reform of the Law, or perhaps comparison to another jurisdiction, maybe the Law is working really well and represents a success story of the legal system, etc.

In regard to using this in exams, I would recommend finding a few sources for each key area that can apply flexibly within a topic. Overview arguments, the key points, what someone who knew nothing of the law would absolutely need to know to understand the realities of the Law.

In closed-book exams you will likely not have to reference (at least to a full extent) and so it will be often be enough to say something like 'Smith argues... / Jones states... / Robson suggests ...', or some professors may allow you to just present arguments without any referencing of sources at all.
* This is a key area where you will need to consider this in light of your professors instructions and the specific exam requirements, etc.

Also, just for clarification, this only really applies majorly to university Law students, not so much at A Level.

I hope this helps!

Leah
UEA Law