Law
BTEC LEVEL 3 APPLIED LAW
​
What will I be studying?
​
Students will develop a knowledge and understanding of the legal system and an ability to evaluate its operation and performance. Students will also develop the ability to communicate legal arguments and conclusion, referring to legal authority as appropriate. Furthermore, you will develop techniques of logical reasoning, critical thinking and be able to solve problems by applying legal rules.
​
How will it be assessed?
UNIT 1 - Dispute solving in Civil Law
​
External Assessment
​
We all need to be aware of how civil disputes are settled and where to seek advice when things go wrong. This unit uses the law of negligence and the way in which claims, such as damage or losses resulting from a car crash or causing injury to another person, are dealt with in English law.
In this unit, you will learn about the courts that deal with civil law disputes, in addition to alternative methods of resolution. The basic principles of the law of negligence are considered and applied, together with sources of advice, funding, resolution and remedies. You will develop legal skills in research and will use these research skills to investigate the way in which the law is developed and applied through precedent.
You will learn how to reference legal sources and how to communicate professionally with colleagues and clients. The legal skills, knowledge and understanding covered in this unit will help you progress to higher education and professional qualifications, either in law or another sector. It will also help you to progress to employment in the legal profession or in other forms of business.
Unit 2
Investigating aspects of criminal law and the legal system
- Internal assessment
Everyone has to live and operate within the law; punishments can be imposed for breach of the laws, and where advice on those laws can be obtained.
In this unit, you will develop the skills to investigate and research how different laws are made both inside and outside Parliament and then interpreted in courts. You will use these research skills to investigate the way in which the law is developed and applied. You will investigate who decides the outcome of criminal cases and where advice and representation can be obtained and how it can be paid for. You will apply and present this information professionally to clients with the aid of non-fatal offence case studies.
This unit will give you an understanding of the way the criminal justice system works in the United Kingdom. It will provide the opportunity to develop decision-making, communication, presentation and critical-thinking skills. These skills will be a good foundation for progression to higher education courses in law, business or any other sector.
Unit 3
Applying the Law
- External assessment
Crime has an enormous impact on society and particularly on those directly involved in a case. In this unit, you will be encouraged to consider the impact and consequences of crime. You will examine homicide offences, including murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. You will examine crimes against property such as theft, robbery and burglary.
You will also examine the law relating to arrest, detention and searching people and property. Criminal law applies to everyone and it is important that you keep up to date with changes in the law. In this unit, you will examine case law relating to real-life crimes. You will need to be aware of specific Acts of Parliament that relate to criminal offences and police procedures. You will develop problem-solving skills and legal research skills. You will use these research skills to investigate the way in which the law is developed and applied. You will have the opportunity to apply the relevant law to a scenario involving a crime. You will develop your decision-making and communication skills, as you may have to decide how to advise clients or how the police should respond to a particular situation. You will also develop analytical and critical-thinking skills.
Criminal law is a specialist area of study and the legal skills, knowledge and understanding covered in this unit will help you progress to higher education and professional qualifications, either in law, criminology or criminal justice or another sector. It will also help you to progress to employment in the legal profession or in other forms of business.
Unit 6
Contract Law
- Internal assessment
Contract law is an important part of our legal system. It governs all the purchases and sales that we make and the conditions under which we work. This unit will help you to understand how contracts are formed and why they are so vital.
​
In this unit, you will learn about the rules in relation to setting up a contract and how the contract is completed. You will study the terms that can be found in standard form contract and the ways parties to a contract can exercise their rights. You will investigate the remedies that are available when terms in a contract are breached.
​
This unit will give you a valuable introduction to the ways that contract law affects your everyday life, and will help you to determine your rights in the day-to-day contracts you encounter.
Assessment
​
Each unit you cover is split up into Assessment Objectives. You will cover this by completing tasks set by your teacher. For each Assessment Objective you will be awarded a grade:
​
Pass (grade E) Merit (grade C) Distinction (grade A) Distinction*(grade A*)
​
All of the Assessment objectives will then be added up to combine to give the final grade for that unit.
​
At the end of the two years all of your grades from each unit will be added together to give you your overall grade for the qualification. It will be graded as the following:
​
Pass (grade E) Merit (grade C) Distinction (grade A) Distinction*(grade A*)
Which other subjects will complement this one?
​
Past students have combined Law with a wide range of other subjects, particularly Business Studies, History, ICT etc.
​
How will this subject help me in my application to Further/Higher Education and in my future career?
​
Studying Law provides a useful background for the further study of Law either as the main subject or subsidiary part of a degree, foundation degree or for the many professional qualifications which have a law component.