AQA A-Level Law 7162
The Nature of Law
The European Union and English Law
Legal Personnel and the Judiciary
Access to Justice and Funding
Parliamentary Law Making
Delegated Legislation
Statutory Interpretation
Judicial Precedent
Law Reform
The Civil Courts and Dispute Resolution
The Criminal Courts and Sentencing
Lay People: Magistrates and Juries
Criminal Law: Rules and Theory
General Elements of Liability
Fatal Offences Against the Person
Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person
Property Offences
Preliminary Offences
Criminal Defences
Tort: Rules and Theory
Negligence
Occupiers' Liability
Nuisance and Rylands v Fletcher
Vicarious Liability
Tort: Defences and Remedies
Contract: Rules and TheoryContract
Formation of a ContractContract
Contract TermsContract
Vitiating FactorsContract
Discharge of a ContractContract
Contract: RemediesContract
Human Rights: Rules and TheoryHuman rights
Human Rights in International and UK LawHuman rights
The European Convention ArticlesHuman rights
Restrictions and EnforcementHuman rights
Reform of Human Rights LawHuman rights
Lay People: Magistrates and Juries
- 4 subtopics
- 14 things to know
- All three papers
What Lay People: Magistrates and Juries covers
Who magistrates and jurors are, how they are selected and what each decides — with the arguments for and against leaving verdicts to lay people.
Where it is assessed
All three papers
The nature of law and the English legal system, 25 marks on each paper.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 4 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Who the Magistrates AreRecall questions on what magistrates are and what else they are called, how many sit together and who assists them on law and procedure.Open →
- Jury Selection and EligibilityRecall questions on the size and role of a criminal jury, the secrecy of deliberations, how jurors are selected, the age, residency and other eligibility rules, disqualification, compulsory service and majority verdicts.Open →
- The Case for Trial by JuryRecall questions on public participation, jury equity, the benefit of secret deliberation and independence from the state.Open →
- Juries: Representation, Secrecy and EquityRecall questions on citizen involvement, how far a jury represents the community, the value of secrecy and what jury equity means.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What is the maximum prison sentence magistrates can impose for either way offences?
What is the age range for appointment as a magistrate?
What rule applies to jury deliberations and disclosure?
What is the age range for jury service eligibility?
What type of verdict should a jury initially aim to reach?
How does the use of juries allow public participation in the justice system?
What concerns exist about juror impartiality in high-profile cases?
What is a perverse verdict?
What advantage does jury trial provide in terms of citizen involvement in the justice system?
How does jury trial act as a constitutional safeguard against the state?
Why does jury secrecy create a problem for scrutinising verdicts?
By what other name are magistrates known, how many sit together, and who assists them?
What is the case for jury independence, and what are the objections about complexity and cost?
Take Lay People: Magistrates and Juries further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Magistrate vs Juror
Magistrate: lay decision-maker handling lower-level cases. Juror: lay fact-finder serving in a trial panel.
Retribution vs Rehabilitation
Retribution: punishment expressing blame for wrongdoing. Rehabilitation: measures intended to reform an offender.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What are magistrates in the context of the criminal justice system?
Model answer
Lay people who sit in the Magistrates' Court to hear criminal cases without formal legal qualifications.
- 2
By what alternative title are magistrates also known?
Model answer
Justices of the Peace (JPs).
- 3
How many magistrates typically sit together to hear a case?
Model answer
Three magistrates sit together as a bench.
- 4
Who assists magistrates on points of law and procedure during hearings?
Model answer
A legally qualified legal adviser (clerk).
- 5
What two decisions do magistrates make when hearing summary and triable either way offences?
Model answer
They determine both the verdict and the sentence.
- 6
What is the maximum prison sentence magistrates can impose for a single summary offence?
Model answer
6 months' imprisonment.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Lay People: Magistrates and Juries revision questions
- What does Lay People: Magistrates and Juries cover in AQA A-Level Law?
- 4 subtopics: who the magistrates are, jury selection and eligibility, the case for trial by jury and juries: representation, secrecy and equity. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Lay People: Magistrates and Juries organised?
- By the AQA 7162 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Lay People: Magistrates and Juries, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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