OCR A Level Law
H418/01 The legal
system and criminal
law Combined
Question paper &
Marking Scheme A+
May 2025
Oxford Cambridge and RSA
Thursday 22 May 2025 – Afternoon
A Level Law
H418/01 The legal system and criminal law
Time allowed: 2 hours
You must have:
• the OCR 12-page Answer Booklet
INSTRUCTIONS
• Use black ink.
• Write your answer to each question in the Answer Booklet. The question numbers must be
clearly shown.
• Fill in the boxes on the front of the Answer Booklet.
• Answer five questions in total:
Answer one question from Questions 1 and 2 and one question from Questions 3 and 4 in
Section A.
Choose one Part in Section B. Answer the three questions for that part.
INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 80.
• The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ].
• Quality of extended response will be assessed in questions marked with an asterisk (*).
• This document has 4 pages.
ADVICE
• Read each question carefully before you start your answer.
Turn over
, 2
SECTION A The
legal system
Answer Question 1 or Question 2. Then answer Question 3 or Question 4.
Answer Question 1 or Question 2.
1 Describe the different sources of funding for civil cases. [8]
2 Explain the community sentences available to an adult offender. [8]
Answer Question 3 or Question 4.
3 Discuss the disadvantages of the judiciary. [12]
4 Discuss the benefits of using the civil courts to solve a dispute. [12]
© OCR 2025 H418/01 Jun25
, 3
SECTION B
Criminal law
Choose Part 1 or Part 2.
Part 1
Answer the three questions.
The first two questions are about the scenarios. The scenarios are not related.
Heidi and Casey have been married for ten years when Heidi tells Casey she is divorcing him and going to live
with another man. Casey is very upset and decides to get his revenge on Heidi. He goes to a hardware shop
planning to buy some acid to throw at Heidi. While standing at the checkout with the acid, he notices a CCTV
camera and realises he is being filmed. He leaves quickly without buying the acid. He asks his friend, Felix, a
chemistry teacher, to get some acid for him. Casey tells him he needs it to unblock a drain. Felix can see that
Casey is very upset and he is suspicious about why he wants the acid. He gives Casey a bottle of harmless liquid
instead. Casey goes to Heidi’s work and when she exits the building, he throws the contents of the bottle over
her. Heidi is unharmed.
Beth is over eight months pregnant and is due to give birth in two weeks’ time. Her sister, Jane, is very jealous
of Beth because of the attention she is getting from their family. One day, Jane is helping Beth to look for a
new flat. When they are both standing on the staircase, Jane pushes Beth from behind.
Beth falls to the bottom of the stairs and is seriously injured. She is taken to hospital. While in surgery, Beth
gives birth prematurely to a baby boy. The surgeons are unable to save Beth, and she dies during the operation
due to her injuries. The baby is breathing independently but is in a critical condition. He is quickly taken to
another operating theatre on a trolley by a hospital porter. However, the porter is going so fast that the trolley
crashes into a patient. The baby falls to the floor and dies instantly.
5 Advise whether Casey is criminally liable for any attempted crimes.
Do not discuss the specific crimes. [20]
6 Advise whether Jane has the required actus reus for the murder of Beth and of the baby.
Do not discuss the mens rea of murder. [20]
Essay question on criminal law
7* ‘The current law relating to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, charged under s47 Offences Against
the Person Act 1861 is easily criticised and needs to be reformed urgently.’
Discuss the extent to which this statement is accurate. [20]
© OCR 2025 H418/01 Jun25 Turn over
, 4
Part 2
Answer the three questions.
The first two questions are about the scenarios. The scenarios are not related.
Amos is waiting in a fish and chip shop when he notices that Ben, the owner, has left the cash till open. He
decides to steal some money from the till and goes behind the counter. However, as he approaches the cash
till, Ben returns from the storeroom and sees Amos behind the counter. Amos panics and runs out of the
shop. Ben shouts after Amos, “Don’t you come back in here! You’re banned!” Later, Amos realises that he
has left his wallet on the counter of the fish and chip shop. He goes back and as he can’t see Ben, goes inside.
He cannot see his wallet, but in front of the counter is a fridge. He decides he will take a bottle of water from
the fridge and leave without paying for it.
However, when he tries to open the fridge he finds that it is locked.
Rishi’s hobby is playing video games. He wants to buy the latest instalment of his favourite game, but he has no
money to pay for it. He decides to steal a copy from a video games shop. Rishi is nervous about stealing the
game so drinks several beers to overcome his fears. Rishi does not realise how strong the beer is. He goes into
the shop and puts a copy of the video game under his shirt before walking out without paying. Felix works in
the shop. He suffers badly with anxiety. His doctor has prescribed a sedative drug to help with the anxiety. On
this occasion, the drug has had an unusual side effect which makes Felix feel confused and angry. When he sees
Rishi walk out the shop without paying for the video game, he chases after him. Felix punches Rishi and knocks
him to the ground, breaking his pelvis. Felix cannot remember anything about the incident.
8 Advise whether Amos is criminally liable for burglary. [20]
9 Advise whether Rishi and Felix can avoid liability for any offences using the defence of intoxication. Do not
discuss the specific crimes. [20]
Essay question on criminal law
10* ‘The current law relating to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, charged under s47 Offences Against the
Person Act 1861 is easily criticised and needs to be reformed urgently.’
Discuss the extent to which this statement is accurate. [20]
END OF QUESTION PAPER
Oxford Cambridge and RSA
Copyright Information
OCR is committed to seeking permission to reproduce all third-party content that it uses in its assessment materials. OCR has attempted to identify and contact all copyright holders whose work is used
in this paper. To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced in the OCR Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is
produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download from our public website (www.ocr.org.uk) after the live examination series.
If OCR has unwittingly failed to correctly acknowledge or clear any third-party content in this assessment material, OCR will be happy to correct its mistake at the earliest possible opportunity.
For queries or further information please contact The OCR Copyright Team, The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8EA. OCR is part of
© OCR 2025 H418/01 Jun25
H418/01 The legal
system and criminal
law Combined
Question paper &
Marking Scheme A+
May 2025
Oxford Cambridge and RSA
Thursday 22 May 2025 – Afternoon
A Level Law
H418/01 The legal system and criminal law
Time allowed: 2 hours
You must have:
• the OCR 12-page Answer Booklet
INSTRUCTIONS
• Use black ink.
• Write your answer to each question in the Answer Booklet. The question numbers must be
clearly shown.
• Fill in the boxes on the front of the Answer Booklet.
• Answer five questions in total:
Answer one question from Questions 1 and 2 and one question from Questions 3 and 4 in
Section A.
Choose one Part in Section B. Answer the three questions for that part.
INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 80.
• The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ].
• Quality of extended response will be assessed in questions marked with an asterisk (*).
• This document has 4 pages.
ADVICE
• Read each question carefully before you start your answer.
Turn over
, 2
SECTION A The
legal system
Answer Question 1 or Question 2. Then answer Question 3 or Question 4.
Answer Question 1 or Question 2.
1 Describe the different sources of funding for civil cases. [8]
2 Explain the community sentences available to an adult offender. [8]
Answer Question 3 or Question 4.
3 Discuss the disadvantages of the judiciary. [12]
4 Discuss the benefits of using the civil courts to solve a dispute. [12]
© OCR 2025 H418/01 Jun25
, 3
SECTION B
Criminal law
Choose Part 1 or Part 2.
Part 1
Answer the three questions.
The first two questions are about the scenarios. The scenarios are not related.
Heidi and Casey have been married for ten years when Heidi tells Casey she is divorcing him and going to live
with another man. Casey is very upset and decides to get his revenge on Heidi. He goes to a hardware shop
planning to buy some acid to throw at Heidi. While standing at the checkout with the acid, he notices a CCTV
camera and realises he is being filmed. He leaves quickly without buying the acid. He asks his friend, Felix, a
chemistry teacher, to get some acid for him. Casey tells him he needs it to unblock a drain. Felix can see that
Casey is very upset and he is suspicious about why he wants the acid. He gives Casey a bottle of harmless liquid
instead. Casey goes to Heidi’s work and when she exits the building, he throws the contents of the bottle over
her. Heidi is unharmed.
Beth is over eight months pregnant and is due to give birth in two weeks’ time. Her sister, Jane, is very jealous
of Beth because of the attention she is getting from their family. One day, Jane is helping Beth to look for a
new flat. When they are both standing on the staircase, Jane pushes Beth from behind.
Beth falls to the bottom of the stairs and is seriously injured. She is taken to hospital. While in surgery, Beth
gives birth prematurely to a baby boy. The surgeons are unable to save Beth, and she dies during the operation
due to her injuries. The baby is breathing independently but is in a critical condition. He is quickly taken to
another operating theatre on a trolley by a hospital porter. However, the porter is going so fast that the trolley
crashes into a patient. The baby falls to the floor and dies instantly.
5 Advise whether Casey is criminally liable for any attempted crimes.
Do not discuss the specific crimes. [20]
6 Advise whether Jane has the required actus reus for the murder of Beth and of the baby.
Do not discuss the mens rea of murder. [20]
Essay question on criminal law
7* ‘The current law relating to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, charged under s47 Offences Against
the Person Act 1861 is easily criticised and needs to be reformed urgently.’
Discuss the extent to which this statement is accurate. [20]
© OCR 2025 H418/01 Jun25 Turn over
, 4
Part 2
Answer the three questions.
The first two questions are about the scenarios. The scenarios are not related.
Amos is waiting in a fish and chip shop when he notices that Ben, the owner, has left the cash till open. He
decides to steal some money from the till and goes behind the counter. However, as he approaches the cash
till, Ben returns from the storeroom and sees Amos behind the counter. Amos panics and runs out of the
shop. Ben shouts after Amos, “Don’t you come back in here! You’re banned!” Later, Amos realises that he
has left his wallet on the counter of the fish and chip shop. He goes back and as he can’t see Ben, goes inside.
He cannot see his wallet, but in front of the counter is a fridge. He decides he will take a bottle of water from
the fridge and leave without paying for it.
However, when he tries to open the fridge he finds that it is locked.
Rishi’s hobby is playing video games. He wants to buy the latest instalment of his favourite game, but he has no
money to pay for it. He decides to steal a copy from a video games shop. Rishi is nervous about stealing the
game so drinks several beers to overcome his fears. Rishi does not realise how strong the beer is. He goes into
the shop and puts a copy of the video game under his shirt before walking out without paying. Felix works in
the shop. He suffers badly with anxiety. His doctor has prescribed a sedative drug to help with the anxiety. On
this occasion, the drug has had an unusual side effect which makes Felix feel confused and angry. When he sees
Rishi walk out the shop without paying for the video game, he chases after him. Felix punches Rishi and knocks
him to the ground, breaking his pelvis. Felix cannot remember anything about the incident.
8 Advise whether Amos is criminally liable for burglary. [20]
9 Advise whether Rishi and Felix can avoid liability for any offences using the defence of intoxication. Do not
discuss the specific crimes. [20]
Essay question on criminal law
10* ‘The current law relating to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, charged under s47 Offences Against the
Person Act 1861 is easily criticised and needs to be reformed urgently.’
Discuss the extent to which this statement is accurate. [20]
END OF QUESTION PAPER
Oxford Cambridge and RSA
Copyright Information
OCR is committed to seeking permission to reproduce all third-party content that it uses in its assessment materials. OCR has attempted to identify and contact all copyright holders whose work is used
in this paper. To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced in the OCR Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is
produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download from our public website (www.ocr.org.uk) after the live examination series.
If OCR has unwittingly failed to correctly acknowledge or clear any third-party content in this assessment material, OCR will be happy to correct its mistake at the earliest possible opportunity.
For queries or further information please contact The OCR Copyright Team, The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8EA. OCR is part of
© OCR 2025 H418/01 Jun25
