Criminal Law: Rules and Theory | AQA A-Level Law (7162)
Criminal Law: Rules and Theory
- 32 questions
- 2 subtopics
- Paper 1: Criminal law
- Paper 1
The building blocks of criminal liability and the theory beneath them: the harm principle, autonomy and why the state punishes at all..
It covers actus Reus, Mens Rea and Coincidence and the Harm Principle and Autonomy.
Sample questions from Criminal Law: Rules and Theory
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Actus Reus, Mens Rea and Coincidence
What must be proved to establish legal causation?
Show the answer
That the defendant's act was an operating and substantial cause of the prohibited consequence -
Actus Reus, Mens Rea and Coincidence
How is negligence as a fault element assessed?
Show the answer
Objectively — by determining whether the defendant fell below the standard of care expected of a reasonable person -
The Harm Principle and Autonomy
What does the principle of individual responsibility hold?
Show the answer
People should only be held criminally liable for their own actions and choices, not for the conduct of others or for matters beyond their control. -
The Harm Principle and Autonomy
By what other names is the principle of maximum certainty sometimes known?
Show the answer
The principle of legality, or the rule of law requirement that criminal laws must be accessible and foreseeable.
The 2 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Actus Reus, Mens Rea and Coincidence | Recall questions on the forms actus reus takes, involuntary acts, legal causation, result and conduct crimes, oblique intention, recklessness and negligence, transferred malice, strict liability and the coincidence requirement. | 15 |
| The Harm Principle and Autonomy | Recall questions on the justification for criminalising conduct, the philosopher behind the harm principle and what autonomy means here. | 17 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Law Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,352 questions with their answers.