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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/other/journals/WebJCLI/1999/issue2/aclec7gd.html
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EXAMPLE OF LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT : SKILLS

Appendix A

EXAMPLE OF LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT


VERY PROFICIENT PROFICIENT PASS

KNOWLEDGE


  • able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a wide range of legal concepts, values, principles and rules of English law and able to explain the reasons for the relationships between them in a number of complex areas

  • able to give reasons for the major legal institutions and procedures of English law

  • able to demonstrate a comprehensive and accurate knowledge and understanding of the detail of the law and the theoretical issues involved in areas studied and their relationship to the relevant economic, social, commercial or political context


  • able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a wide range of legal concepts, values, principles and rules of English law and able to explain the relationships between them in a number of particular areas

  • able to explain accurately the major legal institutions and procedures of English law

  • able to demonstrate a sound and generally accurate knowledge and understanding of the law and its context in relation to most areas of law which have been studied


  • passed modules which, taken together, require identification and explanation of principal major concepts, values, principles and rules of English law

  • can explain the basic structure of courts, legal professions and main features of criminal, civil and administrative law procedures

  • able to demonstrate some general knowledge and understanding of some areas of English law which includes most of the major principles, supported by some important case-law and statutes and with appropriate, though brief, references to their economic, social, commercial or political context

APPLICATION


  • able to apply knowledge to difficult situations of significant legal complexity, to analyse facts and to produce well-supported conclusions in relation to them


  • able to apply knowledge to complex situations, able to recognise potential alternative conclusions for particular situations, and provide supporting reasons for them

  • able to apply existing knowledge to situations of limited complexity and produce arguable conclusions, treating the situation as an exemplification of established rules and lacking awareness of more sophisticated issues.

SOURCES & RESEARCH


  • able to recognise sophisticated legal and related non-legal issues and to formulate a clear and coherent research plan

  • effective in using a range of research sources to produce up-to-date information

  • able to produce a clear and accurate presentation of the law on a topic directly from primary sources and to use techniques of legal interpretation to complex issues arising from them


  • able to select key relevant issues for research and to formulate them with clarity

  • effective in the use of standard paper and electronic resources to produce up-to-date information

  • with the assistance of secondary sources, able to integrate material from primary sources using standard techniques of legal interpretation to provide a substantially accurate picture of the state of the law

  • able to identify principal issues for research on the basis of similarity to previously encountered situations or those well-established in case-law or doctrine

  • with substantial reliance on secondary sources, able to read cases and statutes and identify the principal rules which they lay down and to apply basic techniques of legal interpretation to them


ANALYSIS, SYNTHESIS, CRITICAL JUDGEMENT & EVALUATION


  • able to produce and justify own ranking of relevance and importance of issues

  • able to demonstrate insight in presenting materials drawn from a wide variety of primary and secondary sources and doctrinal commentary

  • able to produce a synthesis of doctrinal and policy issues in relation to a topic which offers a personal perspective on a topic

  • able to offer a personal and informed criticism in relation to arguments arising in wider reading, including comments on reliability, validity and significance; able to come to conclusions based on contradictory or incomplete information

  • able to rank relevance and importance within unfamiliar arguments in the light of the established law

  • able to bring together and present in a coherent way materials from various primary and secondary sources in an integrated way

  • able to offer an accurate summary of the current state of doctrinal and policy debate in an area

  • able to make a personal and reasoned judgement based on an informed understanding of standard arguments in the area of law in question

  • able to rank relevance and importance of standard arguments based on well established orthodoxies in the area of law

  • able to bring together mainly relevant materials from cases and statutes but not in a well focused way

  • able to produce a brief statement of the principal doctrinal and policy issues in relation to a topic drawn exclusively from secondary sources

  • able to see flaws in an argument in a well-established area of law

  • able to make a choice between positions based on the adoption of the arguments of one of the protagonists with limited supporting reasons

AUTONOMY


  • in areas of law which she or he has already studied, able to take initiative in design of own project and find own sources (both legal and non-legal)

  • in areas of law which he or she has not previously studied, able to use a wide range of information (both legal and non-legal) sources and able to identify complex issues in a topic;

  • able to make independent assessment of own progress, able to present work in timely fashion for feedback and assistance, to establish a programme of action based on feedback given


  • in areas of law which she or he has already studied, able to negotiate the definition of own project and to identify independently a wide range of legal materials and standard non-legal sources

  • in areas of law which he or she has not previously studied, able to use a full range of legal sources to identify the principal controversial issues in a topic;

  • able to make reasonably accurate assessment of own progress, to identify and formulate issues on which assistance is needed and to act on feedback given.

  • a basic ability, with limited guidance, to produce own information (cases, statutes and bibliography) from standard within the framework of an agreed task in areas of law which she or he has already studied;

  • in areas of law which he or she has not previously studied, able to use basic sources (e.g. textbooks, Halsbury's Laws and Current Law) to identify the principal legal rules on a topic;

  • a basic ability to make some assessment of own progress, to ask for help when needed and to follow guidance given by way of feedback.


COMMUNICATION & LITERACY


  • able to use the English language and legal terminology at all times with scrupulous care and accuracy

  • able to present arguments to a variety of audiences and moderating presentation to suit the needs of each

  • able to read with care and discuss a range of complex works about law and other subjects


  • able to write and use orally fluent and complex prose, using legal terminology correctly;

  • can relate material appropriately to the concerns of the intended audience

  • able to read a range of complex works within and about law and to summarise their arguments accurately


  • able to understand presentations in English using legal terminology, to write and speak in generally comprehensible English using legal terminology with satisfactory accuracy

  • able to present largely expository material such that the major points are focused relevantly on the question asked

  • able to read and discuss the contents of standard legal textbooks, cases and statutes showing a basic understanding of their content

OTHER BASIC SKILLS


  • able to generate own numerical or statistical information from either primary data or by combining information from other sources

  • able to create a WWW home page and to produce HTML documents; able to set up and manage email discussion groups

  • able to customise own word-processing formats; able to make design the layout and use of spreadsheets to present information; able to specify technological tools needed to support desired tasks

  • able to make use of unfamiliar electronic retrieval systems; able to use such systems to conduct complex searches

  • able to take initiative as a participant or leader of a group, and able to identify the needs of others in the group


  • able to make relevant use in an argument of numerical and statistical information derived from primary sources

  • able to conduct efficient searches of websites to locate relevant information; able to exchange documents by email and manage information exchanged by email

  • able to use a wide range of formatting and other techniques within a standard software package; able to make limited use of spreadsheets

  • able to conduct searches efficiently using a number of electronic retrieval systems

  • able to work in groups as a participant who contributes effectively to the group's task

  • able to make some relevant use in an argument of numerical and statistical information derived from secondary source

  • able to locate WWW sites from given web addresses and retrieve information from them; able to send and receive basic email messages

  • able to produce the text of an essay with footnotes and basic formatting using a standard software package

  • able to perform basic searches on standard electronic retrieval systems in the institution

  • able to perform adequately assigned tasks within a group setting and to take part in group discussion



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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/other/journals/WebJCLI/1999/issue2/aclec7gd.html