Teaching and assessment
You’ll work with expert tutors, who are also qualified legal practitioners, experienced in vocational and professional legal training. Your learning activities and assessments will provide a foundation for further professional training programmes, and legal practice.
Teaching format
Our LLB is taught mainly through problem-based learning. This method will develop your skills of analysis, reasoning and judgement. Through this approach you'll also develop communication and project management skills that will enhance your effectiveness in the world of work.
You will be part of a student law firm during your studies. Your firm will be faced with complex legal issues as part of each of your modules; you will decide how you want to operate as a firm, build relationships within your team, and collectively approach these problems in a realistic way. Your firm may be working alongside or in opposition to other firms.
You will learn to identify the key legal principles, and establish what you know as well as what you need to ascertain. Through this process, you will reflect on deeper social and theoretical issues, such as questions of justice, fairness and human rights. Tutor-facilitators will guide you through particular points and issues, helping you maximise your time of study.
You'll also learn through a range of other resources including: plenary lectures, written subject guides, and a variety of relevant material in our virtual learning environment.
Timetabled activities
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures |
6-7 hours per week |
| Seminars |
6-7 hours per week |
These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
Facilities
York Law School has a dedicated Problem Based Learning Suite and mock up court room for our students. You can use these during your contact hours and for independent studying.
Teaching location
York Law School is located on Campus East. Most of your teaching will take place within the Law and Sociology building or nearby on Campus East.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.
Assessment and feedback
York Law School uses two main forms of assessment, formative and summative.
- Formative assessment provides feedback on coursework tasks and your general contribution in PBL and Skills sessions. This does not count towards your final module grades.
- Summative assessment consists of formal skills-based coursework tasks, examinations and formal assessment of individual contribution in PBL and Skills sessions as part of some modules. These assessments will count towards your final module grades.
You will sit all examinations (and assignments generally) as an individual. They have, however, been specially designed to reflect the PBL learning process and so facilitate group work as a means of preparation.
In addition, many modules, including all Foundation Stream modules, will assess your performance using coursework, including focused essays and more general reflective assignment.
