Key term
OCR A-Level Law H418
Civil Courts and Other Forms of Dispute Resolution
Criminal Courts and Lay People
Legal Personnel
Access to Justice
Rules and Theory of Criminal Law
General Elements of Criminal Liability
Fatal Offences Against the Person
Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person
Offences Against Property
Mental Capacity Defences
Preliminary Offences
Evaluation in Criminal Law
Parliamentary Law Making
Delegated Legislation
Statutory Interpretation
Judicial Precedent
European Union Law
Rules and Theory of Tort
Liability in Negligence
Occupiers’ Liability
Torts Connected to Land
Vicarious Liability
Defences
Remedies in Tort
Evaluation in Tort
Introduction to the Nature of Law
Law and Society
Rules and Theory of Human RightsHuman rights
Protection of the Individual’s Human Rights and Freedoms in the UKHuman rights
Key Provisions of the European Convention on Human RightsHuman rights
Human Rights and English LawHuman rights
Enforcement of Human Rights LawHuman rights
Evaluation in Human RightsHuman rights
Rules and Theory of ContractContract
FormationContract
Vitiating FactorsContract
Remedies in ContractContract
Evaluation in ContractContract
Criminal Courts and Lay People
- 5 subtopics
- 15 things to know
- Component 1
What Criminal Courts and Lay People covers
How a criminal case moves through the courts, how it is sentenced, and the part played by magistrates and juries.
Where it is assessed
Component 1
The legal system, Section A of the first paper.
Check the OCR specification ↗The 5 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The criminal process and classification of offencesRecall questions on summary, either-way and indictable offences, jurisdiction and pre-trial procedure.Open →
- Appeals and appellate courtsRecall questions on grounds of appeal and the routes to the Crown Court, the Divisional Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.Open →
- Sentencing and the powers of the courtsRecall questions on the aims of sentencing under section 57 of the Sentencing Act 2020, aggravating and mitigating factors, imprisonment and suspended sentences, and non-custodial sentences from community orders and fines to conditional and absolute discharges.Open →
- Lay magistratesRecall questions on the age, residence and other requirements for lay magistrates, who is disqualified, how they are selected and appointed, and their role in trying cases, issuing warrants, deciding bail and sentencing with the advice of a legally qualified clerk.Open →
- Juries: selection, role and evaluationRecall questions on who is eligible, disqualified or excused from jury service, how jurors are selected and what juries decide, and on the arguments for and against juries, including jury equity, independence, complex evidence, media influence and the secrecy of deliberations.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Who and when
On what basis, and with whose permission, can a case be appealed to the UK Supreme Court from the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) or King's Bench Divisional Court?
Key term
How does a suspended sentence differ from immediate imprisonment?
Evaluation
Name the first three aims of sentencing listed in s57 of the Sentencing Act 2020.
Who and when
How is it decided whether a triable either-way offence is tried by magistrates or in the Crown Court?
Key term
How do an absolute discharge, a conditional discharge and a community order differ?
Who and when
Who formally appoints lay magistrates?
Evaluation
Identify reform and rehabilitation as an aim of sentencing under s57 Sentencing Act 2020.
Key term
How many lay magistrates typically sit together, and who advises them on law?
Key term
To which court can a defendant appeal from the Crown Court against conviction or sentence?
Key term
What are summary offences and where are they tried?
Key term
Who can bring a case stated appeal to the King's Bench Divisional Court?
Key term
Is permission required to appeal to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)?
Numbers
Which statutory provision sets out the aims of sentencing for adult offenders?
Process
Describe the pre-trial procedure for summary offences.
Take Criminal Courts and Lay People further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Summary offence vs Indictable offence
Summary offence: a less serious offence tried only in the magistrates' court. Indictable offence: a serious offence tried only in the Crown Court.
Either-way offence vs Committal for sentence
Either-way offence: an offence that may be tried in either court after a mode of trial hearing. Committal for sentence: the magistrates convicting but sending the defendant to the Crown Court to be sentenced.
Lay magistrate vs District judge
Lay magistrate: an unpaid volunteer justice sitting without formal legal qualification. District judge: a legally qualified professional sitting alone in the magistrates' court.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What are summary offences and where are they tried?
Model answer
Summary offences are the least serious criminal offences, triable only in the Magistrates' Court.
- 2
Define triable either-way offences and explain where they may be heard.
Model answer
Triable either-way offences can be tried in either the Magistrates' Court or the Crown Court, depending on the seriousness of the case and the defendant's choice.
- 3
Can a defendant choose to have their triable either-way case heard in the Crown Court?
Model answer
Yes, the defendant can elect Crown Court trial even if magistrates consider the case suitable for summary trial.
- 4
What are indictable offences and in which court must they be tried?
Model answer
Indictable offences are the most serious criminal offences, triable only in the Crown Court.
- 5
Over which types of offences does the Magistrates' Court have jurisdiction?
Model answer
The Magistrates' Court has jurisdiction over summary offences and triable either-way offences where the case remains in that court.
- 6
What jurisdiction does the Crown Court have in criminal cases?
Model answer
The Crown Court has jurisdiction over indictable offences and triable either-way offences that are sent or committed to it.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Criminal Courts and Lay People revision questions
- What does Criminal Courts and Lay People cover in OCR A-Level Law?
- 5 subtopics: the criminal process and classification of offences, appeals and appellate courts, sentencing and the powers of the courts, lay magistrates and juries: selection, role and evaluation. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Criminal Courts and Lay People organised?
- By the OCR H418 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Criminal Courts and Lay People, 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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