ocr a level law and morality essay

OCR A-Level Law Past Papers

This section includes recent A-Level Law (H4180 past papers  from OCR. (H415) and AS-Level Law (H015) past papers from OCR are also available. You can download each of the OCR A-Level Law past papers and marking schemes by clicking the links below.

June 2022 OCR A-Level Law (H418) Past Papers

(H418/01) A-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

(H418/02) A-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

(H418/03) A-Level Law: The nature of law and human rights Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

(H418/04) A-Level Law: The nature of law and the law of contract Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2021 OCR A-Level Law (H415) Past Papers

November 2021 (H415/01) A-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2021 (H415/02) A-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2021 (H415/03) A-Level Law: Further Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 OCR A-Level Law (H415) Past Papers

November 2020 (H415/01) A-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 (H415/02) A-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 (H415/03) A-Level Law: Further Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 OCR AS-Level Law (H015) Past Papers

November 2020 (H015/01) AS-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 (H015/02) AS-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

2019 OCR A-Level Law (H415) Past Papers

June 2019 (H415/01) A-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 (H415/02) A-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 (H415/03) A-Level Law: Further Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 OCR AS-Level Law (H015) Past Papers

June 2019 (H015/01) AS-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 (H015/02) AS-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Past Paper    -   Download Mark Scheme

OCR A-Level Law (H415) Specimen Papers

(H415/01) A-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Paper and Mark Scheme

(H415/02) A-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Paper and Mark Scheme

(H415/03) A-Level Law: Further Law Download Paper and Mark Scheme

June 2018 OCR AS-Level Law (H015) Past Papers

June 2018 (H015/01) AS-Level Law: The Legal System and Criminal Law Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

June 2018 (H015/02) AS-Level Law: Law Making and the Law of Tort Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

OCR A-Level Law (H134, H534) June 2017

Unit G153: Criminal Law -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G154: Criminal Law Special Study -  Download Special Study Material   -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G155: Law of Contract -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G156: Law of Contract Special Study -  Download Special Study Material  -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G157: Law of Torts -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G158: Law of Torts Special Study -  Download Special Study Material  -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme  

OCR A-Level Law (H134, H534) June 2016

Unit G151: English Legal System -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G152: Sources of Law -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G154: Criminal Law Special Study - Download Special Study Material   -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G156: Law of Contract Special Study -  Download Special Study Material -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G158: Law of Torts Special Study - Download Special Study Material -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

OCR A-Level Law (H134, H534) June 2015

OCR A-Level Law (H134, H534) June 2014 

Unit G154: Criminal Law Special Study - Download Special Study Material -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit G156: Law of Contract Special Study -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

For more A-Level Law past papers from other exam boards  click here .

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A Level Law online

As promised we have collected a number of resources to help A level students with their OCR A level Law exams and some of the material may be useful for AQA students

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Course information.

OCR  and AQA A Level Law are two-year courses designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the English legal system and its application in society. 

Both curriculums aim to provide students with a solid understanding of the English legal system and its application in society. They cover similar areas of law, such as criminal law, tort law, and contract law. Both curriculums require students to develop their analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving skills through the study of case law, legislation, and legal commentary. Assessment is through exams at the end of the second year, which test students’ knowledge and understanding of the course content, as well as their ability to apply legal principles to hypothetical scenarios.

The Oxford, Cambridge and  A LEVEL qualification (OCR) 

The OCR A Level Law H418 specification covers a wide range of legal topics and aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the English legal system and its key areas of law. Here's a quick overview of the OCR A Level Law H418 specification which started to be taught in 2020 and was first assessed in the Summer of 2022:

Component 1A: The Legal System and Criminal Law

This component covers the following topics:

• Civil courts and other forms of dispute resolution
• Criminal courts and lay people
• Legal personnel
• Access to justice

Component 1B: Criminal Law

• Rules and theory
• General elements of criminal liability
• Fatal offences against the person
• Non-fatal offences against the person
• Offences against property
• Mental capacity defences
• General defences
• Preliminary offences
• Critical evaluation of:  non-fatal offences against the person defences: intoxication, self-defence and consent, ideas for reform

Component 2A: Law Making 

• Parliamentary law making
• Delegated legislation
• Statutory interpretation
• Judicial precedent

Component 2B:  Tort Law

• Liability in negligence
• Occupiers’ liability
• Torts connected to land
• Vicarious liability
• Critical evaluation of:  liability in negligence, occupiers’ liability, vicarious liability

Component 3A: The nature of law

• Introduction to the nature of law
• Law and morality
• Law and justice
• Law and society

Component 3B: Further Law

in this section students can choose between Contract Law and Human Rights law. However, schools and colleges  will often make this choice for students. 

Human Rights Law

• Protection of the individual’s human rights and freedoms in the UK
• Key provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights
• Human rights and English law
• Enforcement of human rights law
• Critical evaluation of human rights protection in the UK: Articles 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Human Rights Act 1998 , ideas for reform

Contract Law 

• Vitiating factors
• Critical evaluation of:  formation , contract terms , ideas for reform

The OCR A Level Law H418 specification is assessed through written exams each 2 hours long. 

All exams consist of a mixture of short answer questions and essay questions.

Overall, the OCR A Level Law H418 specification provides students with a thorough understanding of the English legal system and its key areas of law.

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A Level Philosophy & Religious Studies

OCR Ethics possible exam questions

These questions are taken from the wording of the specitication, meaning they could all actually come up in the exam. They are roughly sorted into easy, medium and hard.

Find revision notes for Ethics here.

Natural Law

Easy Does natural law provide a helpful method of moral decision-making? Assess Aquinas’s natural law ethics.

Medium Can judging something as right or wrong be based on whether it achieves its telos? Is reducing ethics to telos the best way to make moral decisions? Does human nature have an orientation towards the good? ‘Ethics can be derived from human nature’ – How far do you agree? Assess Aquinas’ claim that there is a tier of natural law between human and divine. How ethical are the primary precepts? Are there any primary precepts? Is there a moral law of God within human nature that is discoverable by reason?” Is human nature a source of moral guidance? Evaluate Aquinas’ view that human law should be related to the natural law. “Human law should be based on the divine law” – Discuss

Hard Is the universe designed with a telos? How ethically valid is the doctrine of the double effect? Does the doctrine of the double effect justify actions like killing in self-defence? If human nature is sinful, can natural law theory work? Analyse Aquinas’ four tiers of law. “The eternal, divine and human laws are the only valid laws” – Discuss. Critically assess Aquinas’ religious development of Aristotle’s concept of  telos .

Situation Ethics

Easy ‘Situation ethics provides a helpful method of moral decision-making’ – How far do you agree? Can judging something as right or wrong be based on the extent to which, in any given situation, agape is best served “Any action can be good, so long as the result is love” – Discuss

Medium Is Fletcher’s understanding of agape really religious? Does Fletcher’s view of agape reduce to wanting the best for the person involved in a given situation rather than a religious view. ‘The rejection of absolute rules makes situation ethics entirely individualistic and subjective’ – Discuss. Assess whether love should be the ruling norm in ethical decision-making. Is love the only intrinsically good? “If love is the end, that justifies the means” – Discuss “With the guiding principle of agape, moral laws are an unnecessary burden” – Discuss “Persons, not laws or anything else, are at the centre of ethics” – Discuss “the laws of Christian ethics are relative” – Discuss

Hard How successfully do Fletcher’s six propositions give rise to situation ethics? “Fletcher’s four working principles should be applied to all moral actions” – Discuss. Is conscience a verb or a noun? Is Fletcher correct that conscience is a term the describes attempts to make decisions creatively? “The laws of christian ethics cannot be relativised” – Discuss. “Persons should be at the centre of ethics” – Discuss. Does Fletcher have the most convincing theory of the conscience?

Kantian Ethics

Easy Does Kantian ethics provide a helpful method of moral decision-making? Can judging something as right of wrong be based on the extent to which duty is best served? Is ethics deontological?

Medium ‘Excluding empathy and love from moral decision making is wrong’ – Discuss. Are categorical imperatives our duty? “Moral action is based on whether a maxim can be estabished as a universal law” – Discuss. Should we take a deontological and absolutist approach to ethics? Should our moral framework require treating others as ends? Are acts good in themselves regardless of consequences?

Hard To what extent is Kantian ethics is too abstract to be applicable to practical moral decision-making? Critically assess Kant’s view that the hypothetical imperative cannot be the imperative of morality. Is Kant correct that consequences are irrelevant to the morality of an action? “The three postulates must be accepted in obeying a moral command” – Discuss. Does ethics require postulating the existence of freedom, immortality and God? “Kantian ethics is overly reliant on reason” – Discuss. “Kantian ethics unduly rejects the importance of sympathy, empathy and love in moral decision-making” – Discuss. Should morality be based on hypothetical imperatives? Does Kant succeed in showing that hypothetical imperatives are not the imperatives of morality? “Consequences are irrelevant to moral decision-making” – Discuss. “When obeying a moral command, we accept the existence of immortality” – Discuss Would humanity’s highest ethical achievement be a kingdom of ends?

Utilitarianism

Easy Does utilitarianism provide a helpful method of moral decision-making? Can moral judgement be based on the extent to which, in any given situation, utility is best served?

Medium Is it possible to measure good or pleasure and then reach a moral decision? “The moral action is the one which has the greatest balance of pleasure over pain” – Discuss. Is moral action a matter of following accepted laws that lead to the greatest balance of pleasure over pain? Is an action morally justified if it produces the greatest amount of good over evil? Assess whether rule utilitarianism successfully improves on act utilitarianism. Critically compare act and rule utilitarianism

Hard How morally valid is the hedonic calculus? “Morality is not based on utility” – Discuss. Should Utilitarianism aim to promote the greatest overall balance of good over evil or the greatest amount of good over evil? “The morality of a law depends on the consequences of following it” – Discuss

Easy Assess whether natural law is helpful for dealing with the issue of euthanasia Assess whether situation ethics is helpful for dealing with the issue of euthanasia ‘euthanasia can be the loving choice in some situations’ – Discuss. ‘euthanasia goes against God’ – How far do you agree? Can euthanasia ever be justified? To what extent is euthanasia morally good? What determines the value of life?

Medium Should a person have complete autonomy to choose euthanasia? Is quality of life a basis on which euthanasia might be justified? ‘Life should never be ended because it is sacred’ – Discuss. Can it ever be morally justifiable to end a person’s life without their consent? Must human life possess certain attributes in order to have value? Is euthanasia in the case of incurable illness morally justifiable? “The sanctity of life trumps autonomy” – Discuss What should we do with patients who are in a persistent vegetative state? “A person’s life can be justifiably ended at their request” – Discuss Is a secular approach best regarding euthanasia? “Religious approaches to euthanasia are better than secular ones” – Discuss

Hard “consent is the key factor in the ethics of euthanasia” – Discuss ‘The religious concept of sanctity of life has no meaning in twenty-first century medical ethics’ – How far do you agree? Is there a moral difference between euthanasia for incurable verses terminal illnesses? Critically compare sanctity of life with autonomy as principles for judging the issue of euthanasia Is there a moral difference between active and passive euthanasia? Critically compare the morality of voluntary with non-voluntary euthanasia

Business Ethics

Easy How useful is utilitarianism in dealing with issues in business ethics? Assess whether Kantian ethics applies successfully to business ethics What does it take for business to be ethical?

Medium Does the principle of utility lead to ethical business? ‘the categorical imperative leads to ethical business’ – Discuss. Is Corporate social responsibility just ‘hypocritical window-dressing covering the greedy profit motive of business. Can human beings flourish in the context of capitalism and consumerism? Assess whether corporate social responsibility makes business ethical To what extent is whistle-blowing ethical? How successful is Kantian ethics at dealing with the issue of (CSR/Whistleblowing/Globalisation)? How helpful is Utilitarianism at dealing with the issue of (CSR/Whistleblowing/Globalisation)? “Employees have no rights” – Discuss

Hard Assess whether globalisation encourages or discourages the pursuit of good ethics as the foundation of good business. Is good ethics good business? Should whistle-blowing be considered good ethical business practice? How should a business treat its stakeholders? What ethical significance do stakeholders have? What does morality have to say about the contract between employee and employer? Is profit-making moral?

Very hard Is the integration of economies with markets a greater ethical issue with globalisation than its integration with policy-making?

Meta-ethics

Easy Assess whether ethical terms such as good and bad have an objective factual basis that makes them true or false in describing something. Do ‘good’ and ‘bad’ reflect only what is in the mind of the speaker? Is the word ‘good’ meaningless? ‘Ethical naturalism is true’ – Discuss. Assess intuitionism Assess emotivism

Medium Does common sense suggest that people just know within themselves what is good and bad? “Values can be defined in terms of some natural property in the world” – Discuss. “Basic moral truths are self-evident” – Discuss. Can the word “good” be defined? “Ethical terms evince approval or disapproval” – Discuss.

Hard “What is meant by the word ‘good’ is the defining question in the study of ethics” – Discuss.

Critically compare relativism with absolutism How fully can emotivism be applied to relativism? Is meta-ethics the most important topic in ethics?

Easy Critically compare Aquinas and Freud’s view of the conscience Are the workings of God present in the conscience?

Medium ‘Freud makes more sense of the concept of guilt than Aquinas’ – Discuss. Does a theological approach to conscience work better than a psychological approach? Critically compare Aquinas and Freud’s views on the process of moral decision-making. Whose voice is the voice of conscience?

Hard Does conscience exist at all or is it an umbrella term for culture, environment, genetics and education? Is conscience merely an umbrella term for the psychological factors involved in moral decision making? Critically assess Freud’s psychosexual approach. What are the consequences for our understanding of the conscience of our having instinctive impulses. Is the conscience essentially the superego “Conscience is separate from reason” – Discuss “The conscience does not exist” – Disucss Is culture the most important factor in accounting for the conscience?

Does the feeling of guilt imply that there is one we feel guilty to? Does Aquinas’ theory of the conscience actually need his distinction between vincible and invincible ignorance?

Sexual ethics

Easy Are secular views on sexual ethics superior to traditional religious views? ‘Secular sexual ethics are an improvement on traditional religious views’ – How far do you agree? Assess religious views on sexual ethics How useful is natural law in dealing with issues in sexual ethics? How useful is situation ethics in dealing with issues in sexual ethics? How useful is Kantian ethics in dealing with issues in sexual ethics? How useful is utilitarianism in dealing with issues in sexual ethics?

Medium Do religious views on sexual ethics have a continuing role today? Are normative theories useful for issues within sexual ethics? Should sexual behaviour be entirely private or a matter of public norms and legislation? Assess Aquinas’ on sexual ethics Should sexual ethics be judged based on the loving thing to do in each situation? How successful is the categorical imperative applied to sexual ethics? ‘Issues in sexual ethics should be judged based on the principle of utility’ – Discuss. Can premarital sex ever be ethical? Can extramarital sex ever be ethical? Can homosexuality ever be ethical?

Hard To what extent are traditional religious views on sexual ethics relevant today? ‘Developments in religious views on sexual ethics have had a significant impact’ – Discuss. Have religious view on sexual ethics changed for the better?

OCR A Level Law

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A Level Law: Law and Justice Essay // Law and Morality Essay

Subject: Law and legal studies

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

19 May 2019

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Here are two exemplar essays for Law and Justice and Law and Morality. Use them in conjunction the the two revision posters. Hope you enjoy them!

Law and Justice

Law and Morality

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As and a level law - h018, h418, specification at a glance, assessment overview.

All components include synoptic assessment.

Students must complete 01, 02 and either 03 or 04 to be awarded the OCR A Level in Law.

Content overview

Students develop knowledge and understanding of the English legal system, the nature of law and both private and public law. They develop their understanding of legal method and reasoning through the study of statutory interpretation and judicial precedent.

Component 01: The legal system and criminal law

Section A: The legal system focuses on civil and criminal courts, the legal professions, and access to justice. Students develop knowledge and understanding of the processes and people involved in the law and the changing nature of the legal system. They will gain a critical awareness of the legal system.

Section B: Criminal law focuses on the rules and general elements of criminal law, criminal liability, offences against the person, offences against property and defences. Students develop their understanding of criminal law, apply their legal knowledge to scenario-based situations, and gain a critical awareness of the present state of criminal law.

Component 02: Law making and the law of tort

Section A: Law making focuses on law making in England and Wales as well as the European Union. Students develop an understanding of legal method and reasoning as used by lawyers and the judiciary. They will gain a critical awareness of law making in England and of EU law.

Section B: The law of tort focuses on the rules of tort, liability in negligence, occupiers’ liability and remedies. Learners develop their understanding of the law of tort, apply their legal knowledge to scenario-based situations, and gain a critical awareness of the present state of the law of tort.

Component 03: The nature of law and Human rights

In Section A: The nature of law focuses on the nature of law in a wider context and how it interacts with morality, justice and society.

Section B: Human rights law focuses on the protection of human rights and freedoms, key provisions of the European convention on human rights and the restrictions and enforcement of human rights law. Students will develop their knowledge and understanding, the skills to apply their legal knowledge to scenario-based situations and gain a critical awareness of the present state of the law.

Component 04: The nature of law and the law of contract

Section A: The nature of law focuses on the nature of law in a wider context and how it interacts with morality, justice and society.

Section B: The law of contract focuses on the central elements of contract law from the formation of contracts to their enforcement. Students will develop their knowledge and understanding, the skills to apply their legal knowledge to scenario-based situations and gain a critical awareness of the present state of the law.

Both components include synoptic assessment.

Students must complete both components (01 and 02) to be awarded the OCR AS Level in Law.

Section A: The legal system focuses on the legal system, including the nature of law, the civil and criminal courts and the legal profession. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of the processes and people involved in the law and the changing nature of the legal system.

Section B: Criminal law focuses on the on the rules and general elements of criminal law and non-fatal offences against the person. It provides an introduction to criminal liability. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of criminal law and the skills to apply their legal knowledge to scenario-based situations.

Section A: Law making focuses on law making in England and Wales as well as the European Union. Students will study law making methods and their underpinning concepts. They will develop an understanding of legal method and reasoning as used by lawyers and the judiciary.

Section B: The law of tort focuses on the rules of tort, liability in negligence, occupiers’ liability and remedies. It provides an introduction to civil liability. Learners will develop knowledge and understanding of the law of tort and the skills to apply their legal knowledge to scenario-based situations and gain a critical awareness of the present state of the law of tort.