OCR A-Level Law Active Recall Guide (H418)
OCR · A-Level
OCR A-Level Law Active Recall Guide
Every topic of specification H418 written as exam-style questions with the answers printed after them. 1,624 questions across 44 topics and 97 subtopics, including both third-paper options so the guide fits whether you sit human rights or contract.
- OCR
- A-Level
- Specification H418
- 1,624 questions
Guide overview All 44 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What the exam asks of you
OCR A-Level Law is three papers of two hours and 80 marks each, weighted equally. Everyone sits the legal system and criminal law, then law making and the law of tort. The third paper pairs the nature of law with either human rights or the law of contract, and your school chooses which.
Law is marked on named cases, named statutes and the precise tests they establish. A point made without its authority is worth less than the same point with it, which makes this a recall subject before it is an argument subject.
| Paper | Covers | Length | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Component 1 The legal system and criminal law |
Section A on the legal system, worth 20 marks, with a choice of medium tariff questions Section B on criminal law, worth 60 marks, with legal scenario and extended response questions Includes synoptic assessment across the specification |
2 hours | 80 marks | 33.3% |
|
Component 2 Law making and the law of tort |
Section A on law making, worth 20 marks Section B on the law of tort, worth 60 marks Same structure as Component 1, with scenario and extended response questions |
2 hours | 80 marks | 33.3% |
|
Component 3 The nature of law and human rights |
Section A on the nature of law, worth 20 marks, answered by extended response Section B on human rights law, worth 60 marks Sat instead of Component 4, not alongside it |
2 hours | 80 marks | 33.3% |
|
Component 4 The nature of law and the law of contract |
Section A on the nature of law, identical to the Component 3 section Section B on the law of contract, worth 60 marks The alternative to Component 3 |
2 hours | 80 marks | 33.3% |
What is in the guide
All 44 topics
Every topic has its own page with its subtopics, what it covers and sample questions.
Sample questions
Taken from the guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Civil courts: jurisdiction, procedure and appeals
What types of cases does the Family Division of the High Court handle?
Show the answer
Complex family matters including wardship, adoption, and cases under the Children Act. -
The criminal process and classification of offences
What are indictable offences and in which court must they be tried?
Show the answer
Indictable offences are the most serious criminal offences, triable only in the Crown Court. -
Barristers, solicitors and legal executives
What is conveyancing and which type of legal professional typically handles it?
Show the answer
Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership, and it is typically conducted by solicitors. -
Government funding of civil and criminal cases
Besides the means test, what other test must be satisfied for criminal legal aid?
Show the answer
The interests of justice test. -
The rules of criminal law
On whom does the burden of proof lie in criminal cases?
Show the answer
The burden of proof lies on the prosecution, meaning it is the prosecution's responsibility to prove the defendant's guilt. -
Actus reus: acts, omissions and states of affairs
What is a state of affairs offence?
Show the answer
A state of affairs offence is one where the actus reus consists of the defendant being in a particular situation or condition, rather than performing a positive act or omission. -
Murder
What is the test for factual causation in murder?
Show the answer
The 'but for' test: but for the defendant's conduct, would the victim have died as and when they did (R v White 1910). -
Common assault and the offence of assault
What mental state must the victim experience for the actus reus of assault to be satisfied?
Show the answer
The victim must apprehend (anticipate or fear) the application of unlawful force.
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Look inside
Questions for a subtopic print together and the answers for that section print after them.
- Civil Courts and Other Forms of Dispute Resolution51
- Criminal Courts and Lay People63
- Legal Personnel41
- Access to Justice48
- Rules and Theory of Criminal Law37
- General Elements of Criminal Liability57
- Fatal Offences Against the Person57
- Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person63
- Offences Against Property50
- Mental Capacity Defences39
- General Defences38
- Preliminary Offences33
- and 32 more
- What are summary offences and where are they tried?
- Define triable either-way offences and explain where they may be heard.
- Can a defendant choose to have their triable either-way case heard in the Crown Court?
- What are indictable offences and in which court must they be tried?
- Over which types of offences does the Magistrates' Court have jurisdiction?
- What jurisdiction does the Crown Court have in criminal cases?
- What happens at an allocation hearing for a triable either-way offence?
- What is the pre-trial procedure for indictable offences?
- What is a plea before venue hearing?
- Summary offences are the least serious criminal offences, triable only in the Magistrates' Court.
- Triable either-way offences can be tried in either the Magistrates' Court or the Crown Court, depending on the seriousness of the case and the defendant's choice.
- Yes, the defendant can elect Crown Court trial even if magistrates consider the case suitable for summary trial.
- Indictable offences are the most serious criminal offences, triable only in the Crown Court.
- The Magistrates' Court has jurisdiction over summary offences and triable either-way offences where the case remains in that court.
- The Crown Court has jurisdiction over indictable offences and triable either-way offences that are sent or committed to it.
- If the defendant pleads not guilty, an allocation hearing is held to determine whether the case is suitable for summary trial or should be sent to the Crown Court.
- A preliminary hearing takes place in the Magistrates' Court before the case is sent to the Crown Court.
- A hearing where the defendant indicates their plea for a triable either-way offence before the court decides where the case will be tried.
questions
Scroll sideways to turn through the pages.
Questions students ask first
Do I sit human rights or contract?
Your school chooses. The third paper pairs the nature of law with either human rights (Component 3) or the law of contract (Component 4). You sit one of the two.
Both are in the guide because schools choose differently. The nature of law topics are on whichever one you sit, so they are never skipped.
Do I need to memorise case names?
Yes. A legal point without its authority scores less than the same point with it, and examiners expect the case that established the test you are applying. The guide asks for the case, the facts in brief and the principle separately.
Is EU law still on the specification?
It is a topic in the guide because it remains on the specification as part of law making. What is examinable is the mechanism and its relationship with domestic law rather than current UK membership.
How is the nature of law examined?
As the first section of your third paper, whichever option you take. It covers law and morality, law and justice, and law and society, and it asks you to apply those to the substantive law you have studied.
OCR A-Level Law Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic and subtopic, ready to work in three passes.