Topic Tests for A Level OCR Law

Write-on and non-write-on versions provided.

Identify your students’ strengths and weaknesses and track their progress.

Build student confidence with these comprehensive topic-by-topic tests covering every aspect of the OCR AS / A Level Law 2020 specification. A wide range of question types helps consolidate learning and pinpoint strengths and weaknesses for class recap or individual student support.

[Would you purchase this resource?] Yes absolutely...

...This is a fantastic resource for testing and reinforcing knowledge in a very tricky area of the syllabus for both students to learn and teachers to deliver.

G Shepherd-Etchells, Former head of department & Peer Reviewer

An easy-to-set homework or in-class exercise for periodic assessment and revision.

Each test includes:

  1. Section A: Short, quick-fire questions easily identify gaps in knowledge on the key ideas/principles
  2. Section B: Scenario-based questions practise analysis and application
  3. Section C: Essay-based evaluation questions provide relevant exam practice
  4. Comprehensive answers – quick and easy to mark!

Tests are typically 25–46 marks and designed to last for 30–50 minutes each.

What do teachers say about this resource? (12126)

I think its excellent. The resource is clear and well laid out. I like the layout and breakdown of short answers as it covers a range of skills to reinforce knowledge on topics. I think it would embed key terms in students knowledge, it will allow teachers to identify misconceptions within topics, the short problem as address key areas and well thought out. It's excellent and very clear - clearly able to be used at the end of topics for mini tests or homework tasks. [Matches the specification] excellently; one of the clearest on the market.

A Christie, Head of Law & Peer Reviewer

A good resource and very useful to centres delivering the Human Rights option on paper 3. Some centres will be covering this for the first time as it is a relatively new addition to the specification. For some centres such as ourselves in will be the first time post COVID that we have had a cohort sit the exam proper. This resource is a real time saver for teachers and supports learning for this unit well. It is a versatile resource than can be set for revision, independent study or used in lesson. It is very appropriate as all articles could be the subject of an essay question. Students often struggle with this skill.

The content is of high quality and suitable for OCR law students. The specification is fully covered and in an appropriate amount of detail.

[Would you purchase this resource?] Yes, I would. Human Rights is a newer addition to the course and as a centre we have not been offering it as an option for long. We therefore have less of a bank of resources than for other topics. The scenarios in particular are useful as I can use them as an activity in class or use the whole resource as independent study. It supports metacognition and gapped revision well. It saves me time having to write a scenario myself. The student get quite competitive with low stake quizzes so it is also good for motivation and monitoring of progress.

C Vorley Vaughan, Teacher, Examiner & Expert Reviewer

Very useful to check the understanding of students. I feel that this would enhance the learning and understanding of my students. I liked the short questions as an aid to checking the understanding of students during initial teaching of paper 3. It was also good to see some different scenarios to those available in past papers etc. from OCR.

L Pugsley, Teacher at Great Marlow School & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (12090)

I was extremely impressed by this as I think the level it was pitched at was just right for these tricky questions and covered the content (AO1) and moved into evaluation (AO3) in the 9 mark questions. The activity questions in Section B were also great, as so often students don't use examples to illustrate their points here, but when these use cases, e.g Re A or legislation, this is fantastic to really reinforce this point and the activities will do this.

Very accessible. I could see how this would fit into my teaching straight away (could be given as test, homework or even Section A as flipped learning after directing students to some reading) The answers were also thorough so that students could be given these to self-mark their work.

I would use this a test post teaching this area which would test all areas needed in the exam. It covers everything and develops skills -very nicely done!

I thought the 9 mark questions were great and really reflected the style of exam questions on this. When the Section B questions were focussed on a case or legislation I thought these were excellent as it brought home the point of students using examples in their work too illustrate points made.
[Would you purchase this resource?] Yes absolutely, this is a fantastic resource for testing and reinforcing knowledge in a very tricky area of the syllabus for both students to learn and teachers to deliver.

G Shepherd-Etchells, Former head of department & Peer Reviewer

There is a very little already out there for Section A of this paper and this resource is a good one to support teaching and learning as well as revision.

I like the mixture of questions which can be used to consolidate information when learning. The short questions are really good questions to prompt thinking and can also be used to test knowledge.

This resource enhances learning because it contains a variety of questions which allow the teacher to test student knowledge, as well as allows students to use the questions to prompt their thinking.

This resource matches the specification well as it covers Paper 3 section A which is the nature of law section. The resource covers questions on each area on the specification.

M Ahmed, Teacher of Law & Peer Reviewer

Helpful to candidates – a range of activities that can be worked on individually or as group or class work, and the inclusion of mark schemes obviously allows for self assessment, which is helpful.

All very clear and user-friendly. I liked the layout, and I liked the use of specific cases to provide a context for the discussion of what can be quite abstract concepts as Section B activities in some of the tests.

The resource is geared well towards different teaching and learning contexts. The use of cases as focus for some questions allows for revision of those cases, and also helpfully trains students in referring to actual cases in their discussions, which is a good exam skill.

The nature of the tests themselves is good, moving from short form questions to an essay-type question.

P Braddick , Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Students do struggle with the concepts in this module as they are more abstract and based on the views of different theorists. For this module students often need to use different revision techniques and learning strategies to what they use elsewhere on the course so resources like this are very useful.

The quality is good and appropriate for A level law students to test their knowledge and understanding of the nature of law aspect of the course.

The resource does cover all aspects of the specification for this unit.

This paper is the last of the three for A level law and is taught last by the majority of centres as it draws on knowledge covered elsewhere on the course. While students would be expected to have a small understanding of how contract law or human rights law might be applied, students who have covered these topics for the optional part of the paper will have more knowledge to draw on. I feel the resource balances this and does not go into too much detail on either option.

The activities provide a useful way to practice their knowledge and help them create examples which they could use in their essays which is very useful.

Nature of law is a fairly new addition to the OCR specification so it is useful to have some activities to use with students that I have not had to make myself. The resource is good to embed knowledge and for retrieval practice. I could use it in class, using some of the activities as starters or for independent learning. Low stakes quizzes are a good way for students to test their knowledge to help them prepare for the exam.

C Vorley Vaughan, Teacher, Examiner & Expert Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11827)

Overall I found the resource well structured with a good variety of questions and styles. I particularly like the short evaluation type questions as these are areas where students often struggle and the relevant mark scheme helps to highlight key areas for development. I think this resource would be highly effective to be used at the end of topics to measure understanding or as a recall exercise for students to continually build long term retention.

I think the structure is good as it allows for a mix of a variety of questions. It also would allow staff to mix up the types of questions offered to students as a means of testing.

I think the resource is highly effective in enhancing learning. As part of my own schools drive to build long term retention, topic tests and knowledge tests have become part of everyday practice. These topics tests allow that knowledge to be tested regularly as part of the lesson and these can be built into the first/last 10-15minutes to measure understanding and identify misconceptions. Using the answers as part of the learning too can really improve progress.

I think the presentation and layout is simple and straightforward. It can easily be handed out as a full test for students, or could be, with a licence, adapted to fit the needs of the class.

I think it matches and interprets all areas of the specification well. All topic areas are covered and the key principles in all areas are there as needed. Easy to refer to and access by staff and students.

I think the resource is excellent on the whole. The questions and resources are excellent. Yes, I would definitely use this resource, as it would allow for many hours of planning to be saved due to the nature of the way we teach. Every lesson requires a short knowledge test and this would really supplement that.

I think this is a highly effective resource that would really support our students in the classroom. I would have no hesitation in using this resource as part of my everyday teaching.

J Scott, Head of Law Department and Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Excellent for recall

A Christie, Head of Department, Examiner & Peer Reviewer

A well thought out resource. It is well written and enables teachers to test students over the whole of the topic within the current syllabus, with both short-answer, and longer questions. It enables the students to gain valuable exam practice, while affording teachers the opportunity to gauge students' progress. The educational value is that students will gain a deeper understanding of the topics, particularly if the teacher goes through the answers with the students in detail. The resource mirrors the specification (H418) exactly. A well written resource with a range of questions.

J Shaw, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

This is a really useful resource for teachers, and does ask effective questions. Allows learners to build on their skills - knowledge, then application, then evaluation. This is good and allows teachers to stretch and challenge students well. Students can clearly see how to progress, and it enables them to identify their weaknesses - understanding, recall, application or evaluation.

E White, Teacher of Law & Peer Reviewer

I would use this with my students for independent study and revision. New scenarios for students to consider are always welcome. The resource also provides opportunities for retrieval practice.

The resource fits in well with others from ZigZag to provide a good range of support materials for teachers and students.

C Vorley Vaughan, Law Teacher and Expert Reviewer

The resource is useful for in class formative assessments which is its purpose.

I did really like the range of questions, and the 2 mark questions would form part of my first 10 minutes of retrieval in a lesson. I would allocate 1 mark for each of those as they are basic factual recall.

Valuable learning resource and very valuable to save teacher time when planning assessments

L Rainford, Head of Law & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (12092)

A helpful and time-saving resource for teachers; a range of valid and clear activities which can cover a range of purposes and situations, and are closely focused on key elements of the topics.

The scenario questions are helpful in applying understanding and also promoting a more rounded understanding of each topic, by providing a realistic context.

The resource would be valuable in many ways: it can reinforce learning via the Section A quick factual questions, and provide an opportunity for consolidating AO1 learning; the Section B questions might promote group/class discussion; and the section C essays are helpful in providing exam practice in writing to time.
All tasks could be set for whole-class, individual or catch-up learning.

It follows the OCR spec and delivery guide very closely, and includes relevant cases and statutes where appropriate, which is a helpful pointer for students’ knowledge and developing exam technique.

P Braddick , Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Low stakes quizzes and retravel practice are useful for preparing students for the exam. Topic tests can help support this in class or as independent study. The section A and B questions, I would use these as starters or plenaries in my lessons or as independent study activities. The activities in section B can help students consolidate their knowledge and enhance their understanding.

C Vorley Vaughan, Teacher, Examiner & Expert Reviewer

The resource is written with knowledge of the spec.

Topic 2 is a good set of questions around delegated legislation, the scenario gets students to think about which types of Del leg needs creating which will help them remember the different types when doing the AO1 exam questions. Topic Test 2.2. - there is a good balance between judicial review questions and parliamentary review questions, the use of a scenario to assess judicial review is a good way of assessing the knowledge 

P Hamer, Law Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (12004)

The resource is highly accurate and includes up to date cases.

The activities are at a suitable level for A level students. There is a good range of different activities – mix and match, tables etc which will help keep student’s interest.

All of the specification topics are covered and the case law/legal principles included are accurate. The emphasis on the legal principles from case law and statute law mirrors the emphasis placed by OCR when marking of exam papers.

The questions are suitably worded. The scenarios are well written and use recent, relevant examples which is really useful for teachers.

The answers are all legally and factually correct. The marks available are also appropriate and in line with the specification.

The application questions are particularly useful. There is such an emphasis on application of law on the paper but there are not many past paper questions for teachers to use. Having appropriate application questions is so useful for teachers. Students often find application questions for contract difficult as it is not always clear what aspect of the specification they are asking students to apply so any opportunity to practice this skill would be great. Also essay questions are something that students really struggle with so evaluation questions for topics which can come up as an essay in the exam are really useful.

I would use the resources as a revision aid at the end of the teaching of each topic area. I could also use the activities as starters/plenaries in lesson to assist regular recall of knowledge, supporting metacognition. The application questions could be set as independent study. Contract is a difficult topic area for non-subject specialist teachers so I think they would find this resource even more valuable.

C Vorley Vaughan, Teacher, Examiner and Expert Reviewer

This resource is a helpful tool for teachers and students to help consolidate their Paper 3 - Section B knowledge. It covers the topics as per the specification and reflects the knowledge required for the exam.

I particularly liked the mixture of questions in this resource. The shorter section A questions can work well as end of topic quizzes, whilst Section B and Section C can work as good group work and even homework tasks.

This resource will enhance learning as it consists of a mixture of questions and can therefore support knowledge delivery as well as act as a revision tool for different ability learners.

The resource matches the Alevel Law (OCR) specification well. The author has kept the content in line with the OCR guidance in terms of the order of the topic tests which shows consistency.

M Ahmed, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

This review is very comprehensive
I particularly like the shorter scenario-style questions as these will assist students in breaking down of longer exam scenarios and should aid structure. I also believe that the shorter essay questions will only help to make discussions feel more manageable but give students a kickstart to think about basic evaluation points (particularly in the formation parts of the test)

It requires students to draw upon specific knowledge of case law and statute, but also develops each examinable skill throughout the test - explain, apply, discuss. It is a scaffold approach which works well.

L Davies, Head of Law & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11655)

Overall this is a well structured and well written resource with clear separation of topics covered within the specification. All technical work seems to be accurate and well supported within the questions

I like the clear short answer style questions that test the areas of law covered by ELS. The questions test a wide ranging scope of the specification. I like the wide variety of knowledge based questions that really test the AO1 aspects of the specification and the evaluative aspects.

I feel this resource would be highly beneficial used as part of continued learning at the start or end of topics. It could be used to base line after a specified flipped learning unit or to measure progress after a unit has been completed. This would allow for a continual measure of progress.

[How does the resource match and interpret this specification?]
Really well - all aspects are covered. The specific evaluation areas are covered well and focus on the styles of questions that are usually found within the specification.
I like how smaller topics have been built into similar ones to allow for distinction.

A great range of questions suitable for use in the classroom. Highly effective.

J Scott, Head of Law Department & Peer Reviewer

The resource was well thought-out and covered the topics of the Legal System in detail. In particular I thought the mini scenarios in each test helped to assess the application of knowledge of each topic to a good degree.

This resource would be excellent for checking the memory and knowledge of students. It would be great for using at the end of each topic to see how much knowledge has been retained and what gaps are there which need to be revisited.

The layout and presentation was clear and detailed.

This resource matches and interprets this specification very well.

S Mohammed, Law Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Topic tests can be a very useful resource for students and teachers. Regular testing of knowledge is very important and retrieval practice in essential. While teachers write regular quizzes and tests for their students it is good to also be able to purchase this type of resource.

It may be useful as a starter or plenary for a lesson or for students to test themselves during revision.

Students would find the scenarios interesting and it is a good way to test knowledge.

All areas of the specification are covered.

The marks schemes are very detailed and comprehensive.

C Vorley Vaughan, Teacher and Expert Reviewer

Great as always

J Scott, Teacher and Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (12522)

All the topic areas are covered. The content is suitable for level 3 law students on the A level course OCR specification as it is sufficiently challenging. The topic tests can be a really useful resource for students and teachers. For students they can assist them to make accurate notes and test their knowledge, helping them to effectively prepare for the exam. For teachers they can be used as tests in class or as independent study as a check on learning.

C Vorley Vaughan, Teacher, Examiner and Expert Reviewer,

A good mix of questions - smaller specific questions through to long answer question. I like the variety of questions and there is emphasise on requiring a case to support as required by the exam board. Will prove of immense help to teacher and student alike.

K Harding, teacher & Peer Reviewer