Introduction to the Nature of Law | OCR A-Level Law (H418)
Introduction to the Nature of Law
- 29 questions
- 2 subtopics
- The nature of law, on whichever third paper you sit
- Component 3 and Component 4
Section A of the third paper, taken whichever option follows it.
What law is, how it differs from other rules, and how English law developed.
Sample questions from Introduction to the Nature of Law
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Law, rules and the rule of law
What is the rule of law?
Show the answer
The rule of law is the principle that all persons and institutions, including the government, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced, and independently adjudicated. -
Law, rules and the rule of law
How does the rule of law underpin justice, protect human rights, and guide legal development?
Show the answer
It underpins justice by ensuring fair treatment, protects human rights by limiting arbitrary state power, and guides legal development by requiring consistency and predictability. -
Civil and criminal law and the development of English law
Who brings a prosecution in criminal proceedings?
Show the answer
The state (the prosecution) brings the case. -
Civil and criminal law and the development of English law
Outline the appeal route for a criminal case from the Crown Court to the highest appellate level.
Show the answer
From the Crown Court, appeals go to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), and then to the Supreme Court.
The 2 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Law, rules and the rule of law | Recall questions on how legal rules differ from other rules of behaviour and from legal principles, and on the rule of law: its meaning, core elements such as equality, clarity and independent courts, its importance for justice and human rights, and what undermines it. | 9 |
| Civil and criminal law and the development of English law | Recall questions on the differences between civil and criminal law in parties, standard of proof, outcomes and courts, including the civil and criminal appeal routes, and on the development of English law through custom, common law, precedent and statute. | 20 |
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
OCR A-Level Law Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,624 questions with their answers.