How to Answer A Level Law Problem Questions
Problem questions are where A Level Law exams are won or lost. It’s rarely about who knows the most law — it’s about who applies it best. Two students can walk into the same exam with the same knowledge and come out with completely different grades, purely based on how they structured their answers.
Here’s the method that actually works.
What Examiners Are Looking For
Before technique, understand what’s being marked. Cambridge A Level Law problem questions test three things: your knowledge of the law (AO1), your ability to apply it to the facts (AO2), and — in some questions — your ability to evaluate it (AO3).
Most students are reasonably strong on AO1. They know the rules. Where marks disappear is AO2. Stating the law and applying the law are two different things, and a lot of students never quite make the jump. That’s the gap this guide is designed to close.
The Three Mistakes That lose Marks
Retelling the scenario. The examiner wrote it. They don’t need it repeated back. Every sentence spent describing what happened is a sentence not spent on legal analysis.
Stating rules without applying them. “The actus reus of theft is the appropriation of property belonging to another” is AO1. It tells the examiner you know the rule. But what did the defendant in this scenario actually do? Does their conduct satisfy that element? That’s AO2 — and that’s where the marks are.
Missing issues. Problem scenarios often contain multiple legal issues, sometimes in a single sentence. Students who only address the obvious one leave marks behind every time.
The IRAC Method
IRAC is your structure for every issue a problem question raises. Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion.
Issue — Be specific. Not “the issue is whether D committed a crime” but “the issue is whether D satisfies the mens rea for theft under the Theft Act 1968, specifically whether D had a dishonest intention to permanently deprive.”
Rule — State the legal rule precisely with case or statute authority. “Under s.1 Theft Act 1968, mens rea requires dishonesty and an intention to permanently deprive. In R v Ghosh [1982], the Court of Appeal established a two-stage test for dishonesty.”
Application — This is the most important part. Connect the rule directly to the facts you’ve been given. “D took the watch intending to sell it and keep the proceeds. This indicates an intention to permanently deprive, as D had no plan to return the item itself.”
Conclusion — Short and direct. “D would therefore likely satisfy the mens rea requirement for theft.” No hedging unless the law genuinely is unclear — and if it is, explain why.
Run IRAC for every separate legal issue the scenario raises. Three issues means three rounds of IRAC — not one general sweep.
How to Spot Every Issue
Read the scenario twice. First time for the story. Second time slowly, asking: what legal rule could apply here? Every action is a potential issue. A defendant who hits someone, takes their phone, then drives off dangerously has potentially committed three separate offences.
Watch for loaded words. “Believing he owned it” hints at a defense. “Without thinking” hints at mens rea. “Told him it was worth far more” hints at misrepresentation. Examiners plant these deliberately. Spotting and addressing them is what separates a B from an A.
Using Cases the Right Way
Cases are authority for the rule you’re applying — not decoration. Use them precisely: full name, relevant principle, and why it connects to these specific facts.
One well-applied case beats four cases dropped in without explanation every single time. And don’t only cite cases that support one outcome. If a defense is available to the defendant, address it. Examiners reward completeness.
Under Exam Conditions
Spend two minutes planning before you write anything. List the issues, note the applicable law, identify the key cases. Then write in IRAC order, issue by issue.
Conclude each issue before moving to the next. At the end, one short overall conclusion ties the answer together and shows you’ve addressed the question as a whole — not just written everything you know and hoped for the best.
Watch your time. If a question is worth 25 marks and you have 45 minutes, distribute your effort across all the issues. A perfect first section with a rushed second half doesn’t maximize your marks.
The Difference Between a B and an A*
A* answers aren’t longer or more detailed. They’re more precise. Every issue is identified. IRAC runs cleanly every time. Cases are applied, not listed. Conclusions are definite. Nothing is wasted.
At A Level Law Teacher, Sir Owais Mirchawala teaches problem question technique as a core part of his AS and A2 Level Law online courses — with worked examples, marked practice answers, and direct feedback. For students in Pakistan, the UK, UAE, and India preparing for Cambridge exams, that kind of structured practice is what moves the needle.