Study A level Law online and learn how to apply the rule of law to ‘real-life’ scenarios. With the support of a personal tutor, you’ll explore key aspects of the English legal system including tort, criminal law, human rights and the nature of law.

You’ll have the flexibility to fit study around your lifestyle, learning at your own pace. Like many NEC students, perhaps you’ll go on to study law at university, or use your qualification to support your next career move?

Our Law A level course is ideal if you:

• Are keen to study law at degree level, or a related humanities or social science subject.
• Want to gain a deeper understanding of the UK legal system.  
• Enjoy constructing compelling arguments and debating.
• Would like to build key employability skills, such as research, written communication and analytical thinking.

Future opportunities

• Studying a law course at university.
• Working in the legal profession as a solicitor, barrister or legal executive.
• A wide range of rewarding career paths in fields such as the civil service, social research, policing, education, HR, charity, journalism and marketing.

Section 1: Law-making

• The nature of law and the rule of law
• Parliamentary law-making
• Delegated legislation
• Statutory interpretation
• Judicial precedent
• Law reform
• European law

Section 2: The English legal system

• The civil courts and alternative dispute resolution
• Criminal courts and sentencing
• Lay people
• Legal personnel
• The judiciary
• Access to justice and funding

Section 3:  Criminal law

• General rules of criminal law
• Actus reus
• Mens rea
• Strict liability
• Common assault and actual bodily harm
• Grievous bodily harm and wounding

Section 4: Tort  

• General rules of tort and duty of care
• Breach of duty
• Causation of damage
• Occupiers’ liability to visitors
• Occupiers’ liability to trespassers
• Remedies

Section 5: Criminal law – offences against the person

• Criminal theory and murder
• Voluntary manslaughter: loss of control
• Voluntary manslaughter: diminished responsibility
• Involuntary manslaughter

Section 6: Criminal law – property offences

• Theft
• Robbery and attempt
• Capacity defences
• Necessity defences

Section 7: Tort

• Theory of tort and economic loss
• Psychiatric harm
• Nuisance and the escape of dangerous things
• Vicarious liability, general and special defences

Section 8: Human rights 1

• Theory and history of human rights
• The right to life and the right to liberty
• Rights and restrictions under Articles 8, 10 and 11

Section 9: Human rights 2

• English Law and Articles 8, 10 and 11
• Balancing the rights and enforcement
• Criticisms and reform of human rights

Section 10: Nature of law

• Law and morality
• Law and justice
• Law and society: fault
• Law and society: balancing competing interests

Your learning experience

Study A level Law with us and benefit from:

• Flexible learning
• Support from a personal tutor by email, phone or Skype
• Any time enrolment
• Our exam booking service
• Assignments with tutor feedback
• Ongoing support from Student Support
• Forums to discuss your course with other students

learn@nec

Choose when and where you access your course, using learn@nec our 24/7 learning platform.

This easy-to-use learning platform includes interactive checkpoints, quizzes and activities to help you evaluate your progress.

You’ll have access to support from a personal tutor. All NEC tutors are subject experts, with experience of supporting online learners.

Meet Julie who is just one of our first-class law tutors:

“I love learning and I love inspiring other people to learn. I’ve worked with students from primary to undergraduate level as I have taught in schools and universities. Now, I specialise in home education and distance learning, teaching people in the UK and overseas. I have a degree in physics with astrophysics and a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) in physics, science and maths, both from the University of Birmingham, and an LLM in Law from the University of Leeds. A senior examiner for several exam boards, I am also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors.”

Exam board

• AQA 7162

Format

• Online learning with support from a personal tutor

Hours

• Complete at your own pace
• Approx. 250-300* hours plus time for completing assignments

*The specification suggests that 300 hours is needed. You’ll also need time to complete assignments and prepare yourself for exams and some courses like English literature involve a lot of reading. Everyone is different so it’s impossible to say with certainty how long a course will take you, but you should expect to spend longer than 300 hours. Taken across the length of time we recommend, this equates to approximately 5 hours per week. This will increase if you choose to take it over a shorter time frame or may be less if you are retaking a subject and have covered a lot of of the course content.

Assignments

• 11 assignments (one introductory) – these do not contribute towards our final grade

Resources

Set textbooks – included as a free ebook with your course:

• AQA A level Law for Year 1/AS, J Martin and N Price, Hodder Education, 2017
• AQA A level Law for Year 2, J Martin and R Wortley, Hodder Education, 2018

Requirements

• Internet access
• Computer operating system and browser to support learn@nec

What’s included?

Our course fees are open and honest to help you plan for any additional costs.

Your course fee includes:

• Access to learn@nec
• All the course materials you need to complete the course
• Support from a personal tutor for up to 24 months from your date of enrolment
• Assignment marking
• Marking for one past paper
• Guaranteed exam place
• Free e-book version of the essential textbooks
• NEC’s guide to study skills: How to Succeed as an Independent Learner
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar guide
• Time planner to help you plan your study timetable
• Information on how to apply for exams
• Academic references if needed

Your course fee does not cover:

• Exam entry fees

Optional extras:

• Additional past paper marking
• Revision tutorial
• Optional tutorial
• Additional review

Exams (three):

• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)
• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)
• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)

There is no non-exam assessment (NEA) for this course

We know that our younger students often need an extra helping hand with their studies.  In our experience, learning online works best when the parents are involved, so when you enrol your child with NEC, you’ll have a unique set of services to help you to support your child.

This includes:

• Your own log in to learn@nec to access the course so you can view the course materials and other information for yourself.
• Access to your child’s gradebook to help you to monitor progress and provide appropriate and timely intervention and support
• You’ll receive emails and forum posts so that you have all the examination and assessment updates/information provided by the NEC team
• Dedicated Progress Portal Pages and targeted blogs with updates/information/help and advice on many aspects of home education.
• Access to the Kudos career platform for young learners to explore career choices.

Read more about how we work with young students who are studying at home or through a school.