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Law

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Entry Requirements

The principal requirements are interest, enthusiasm and commitment! Law is an interesting but demanding course and prospective students would be well advised to note that a key to success at Level 3 Law is a proven ability in English (a minimum grade C or above in English Language at GCSE is required for this subject). The BSFC entry criteria for Level 3
advanced courses also apply.

About the Subject

Law can affect many aspects of our lives, yet most of us have little understanding of our legal system. Large law firms offer a vast range of legal services to their clients in addition to high profile criminal work. You will probably be familiar with seeing or hearing headlines such as ‘murderer jailed for life, but released after just 6 years’ or ‘rapist told to pay victim £500 compensation.’ You may also be aware of television advertisements demanding ‘Have you had an accident that wasn’t your fault in the last three years?’

In reality, the law covers an enormous and diverse range of situations, and the legal system in England and Wales has a variety of courts and methods for dealing with different types of cases.

The main aim of BSFC Law courses is to stimulate an interest in the Law and enable students to achieve a well regarded and valuable qualification.

Level 3 Law is available at BSFC through either GCE Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced Level (A2) Law (AQA specification) or the BTEC Level 3 Certificate and Subsidiary Diploma in Applied Law (Edexcel specification).

Both courses offer Law qualifications at Level 3 and are equally recognised by Higher Education providers and professional bodies. The main difference between the courses lies in their assessment criteria.

Advanced GCE law is assessed entirely through four external examinations offered in January and June throughout the course. There is no coursework involved.

By comparison BTEC Level 3 Applied Law is continually assessed throughout the course. There are no external examinations.

Following an initial assessment, students will be assigned to the course of study which best suits their individual learning styles.

At the end of the first year GCE students will be awarded an “AS” level qualification in Law while BTEC students will be awarded a BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Applied Law.

Successful “AS” students who wish to continue with their study of Law will then complete the “A2” specification in the second year, while successful BTEC Certificate students can go on to complete the Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma.

General Information

Level 3 Law subject content

Regardless of which course students undertake, the subject content for GCE
Advanced Level and BTEC Level 3 is virtually identical.

In the first year all students will study;

  • Dispute Solving; how the Criminal and Civil Courts operate in England and Wales.
  • Law Making; the process by which both Parliament and the Courts develop the law.
  • Criminal Liability; an examination of non fatal offences against the person.
  • Civil Liability; an examination of the law of negligence.

In the second year students will study additional topics including;

  • Homicide; murder and manslaughter.
  • Property Offences; theft, robbery, burglary, criminal damage etc.
  • Criminal Defences; insanity, intoxication, duress, consent etc.

What Next?

A number of students go on to study Law at a higher level. A career in the Law can be most worthwhile.

In addition Level 3 Law helps students to develop many transferable skills, for example reasoning, problem solving and analytical skills. In addition, they encourage students to develop an understanding of the Law as a changing body of rules that affects them in all aspects of their lives.

From a vocational point of view, Level 3 Law courses have obvious benefits. Level 3 Law serves as a recognised qualification for Higher Education, and also stands as a respected area of study, useful for a variety of occupations and professions.

Law is recognised as one of the most cost effective courses of study in terms of future earnings potential, an important consideration in view of rising tuition fees and student loans.