The Criminal Courts and Sentencing | AQA A-Level Law (7162)
The Criminal Courts and Sentencing
- 45 questions
- 4 subtopics
- The nature of law and the English legal system, 25 marks on every paper
- Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3
How offences are classified and where each is tried, the powers of the criminal courts and the aims and forms of sentencing for adult offenders..
It covers offence Classification and Criminal Appeals, the Magistrates' Court and Its Jurisdiction, judge and Jury in the Crown Court and sentencing Aims and Types of Sentence.
Sample questions from The Criminal Courts and Sentencing
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Offence Classification and Criminal Appeals
If magistrates accept jurisdiction for a triable either way offence, what option does the defendant retain?
Show the answer
The defendant can still elect to have trial by jury in the Crown Court. -
Offence Classification and Criminal Appeals
Apart from upholding a conviction, what alternative decision can the Court of Appeal make regarding a conviction it finds unsafe?
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It can quash the conviction. -
The Magistrates' Court and Its Jurisdiction
What happens when an indictable offence comes before the Magistrates' Court?
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Magistrates conduct preliminary hearings for indictable offences before sending them to the Crown Court for trial. -
The Magistrates' Court and Its Jurisdiction
Besides fines, what other non-custodial sentences can magistrates impose?
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Community orders, conditional discharges, and absolute discharges. -
Judge and Jury in the Crown Court
Who decides questions of law in a Crown Court trial—the jury or the judge?
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The judge decides questions of law and directs the jury on relevant legal principles; juries do not decide legal questions. -
Judge and Jury in the Crown Court
What type of verdict is initially required from a jury?
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A unanimous verdict is initially required. -
Sentencing Aims and Types of Sentence
What is protection of the public as a sentencing aim?
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Protection of the public aims to keep society safe by incapacitating dangerous offenders, for example through imprisonment. -
Sentencing Aims and Types of Sentence
What is a community order?
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A community order requires offenders to comply with requirements such as unpaid work, curfews, or supervision in the community.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Offence Classification and Criminal Appeals | Recall questions on summary, indictable and either way offences and where each is tried, and on appeals from the Magistrates' Court and the Crown Court, the Court of Appeal's powers, unduly lenient sentences and the Criminal Cases Review Commission. | 16 |
| The Magistrates' Court and Its Jurisdiction | Recall questions on who magistrates are, how many sit, who advises them and what happens when an indictable offence reaches them. | 9 |
| Judge and Jury in the Crown Court | Recall questions on what the jury decides, who rules on law, the jury's part in sentencing and the rule of secrecy. | 9 |
| Sentencing Aims and Types of Sentence | Recall questions on retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, protection of the public and reparation as sentencing aims, aggravating and mitigating factors, and custodial sentences, community orders, fines and conditional and absolute discharges. | 11 |
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.