Pearson Edexcel International A Level Law (YLA1): syllabus, papers and marking

A popular A Level choice for law-school applicants in Pakistan. Both papers are sat in one June series; the 20-mark answers are marked in levels with case citation checked.

Specification Issue 4 (November 2021), first teaching 2015; linear, no AS · June series · grades A*–E

IAL Law: where the marks go

Edexcel IAL Law (YLA1) is two 3-hour, 100-mark papers, each with five compulsory 20-mark questions, sat in the June series. Each question builds from a short point to a 6-mark analysis and a 12-mark assessment. Pearson’s reports say candidates know the law but are vague, repeat the question, or fail to give the evaluation that “assess” asks for.

Our papers are original, with scenarios written for each question. Marking returns the level for the 6- and 12-mark answers with the descriptor quoted, and checks case and statute citation.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — Underlying Principles of Law and the English Legal System3 h10050%Five compulsory 20-mark questions, short and extended open-response
Paper 2 — The Law in Action3 h10050%Five compulsory 20-mark questions applying legal principles to cases and statutes

Syllabus outline

  1. Nature and purpose of law; law, justice and morality
  2. Parliamentary and judicial law making: statutory interpretation and precedent
  3. Dispute resolution and legal personnel
  4. The market: contract and consumer law
  5. The criminal offender
  6. The individual: tort and human rights

How each paper is marked here

Where IAL Law candidates lose marks

  1. “Assess” answered without evaluation — Advantages and disadvantages listed with no weighing or conclusion stay in the lower levels.
  2. Vague answers — Statements about the process with no detail, such as the role of the House of Lords, are held at Level 1 or 2.
  3. Question repeated — Restating the question in the answer earns nothing and uses time.
  4. Knowledge in isolation — Isolated elements of law do not reach Level 2; the answer must link them to the question.
  5. Case or statute missing — A legal principle without its authority loses credibility in the higher levels.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for IAL Law

See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.

Questions teachers ask

Is there question choice?
No. All five questions on each paper are compulsory.
Which sitting?
Pearson offers IAL Law in June only.
Which legal system is covered?
English law and the English legal system, as the specification sets out.
Is this official Pearson Edexcel marking?
No. Pearson Edexcel International marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for IAL Law. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every YLA1 paper here is original and written to the specification issue 4 (november 2021), first teaching 2015; linear, no as, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?
None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?
From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?
June series. Grades A*–E.

Other Pearson Edexcel International A Level courses

Start marking Law scripts · See a real marked script