Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER IV
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS AND TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

The Ordinances contained in this Chapter are Ordinances of the General Board

In this section

TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

LAW TRIPOS

Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2009–10, p. 932)

Three Parts.

1. The Law Tripos shall consist of three Parts: Part Ia, Part Ib, and Part II.

Standing of candidates.

2. A student may be a candidate for honours in Part Ia if he or she has kept one term, provided that three complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.

3. The following may be candidates for honours in Part Ib:

  1. (a)a student who has not obtained honours in an Honours Examination, provided that he or she has kept four terms and that six complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence;
  2. (b)a student who has obtained honours in Part Ia of the Law Tripos or in another Honours Examination, in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that twelve complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.

4. The Faculty Board of Law may grant to a student, who has passed with sufficient credit before coming into residence an examination in law the standard and scope of which are approved by the Faculty Board, the privilege of being a candidate for honours in Part Ib earlier than as aforesaid, provided that the student has kept one term.

5. Students who have obtained honours in Part Ib of the Law Tripos and have kept seven terms may be candidates for honours in Part II as follows:

  1. (a)A student who has spent a period studying at a European university in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 6, and who has satisfied the requirements of that regulation, may be a candidate for Part II in the year next but one after obtaining honours in Part Ib, provided that fifteen complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.
  2. (b)Any other student may be a candidate for Part II in the year next or next but one after obtaining honours in Part Ib, provided that twelve complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.

6. In order to be a candidate for Part II under Regulation 5(a) a student shall produce evidence to the Secretary of the Faculty Board to demonstrate that during the academical year next before the year of candidature he or she satisfactorily completed a course of study in a member country of the European Community at a university approved for this purpose by the Faculty Board.

7. A student who wishes to study abroad in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 6 shall make application on a form approved by the Faculty Board and obtainable from the Faculty Office. An application shall be submitted through the student's Tutor to the Secretary of the Faculty Board so as to arrive not later than the end of the first quarter of the Michaelmas Term of the academical year next preceding that which the student proposes to spend abroad. The Secretary shall inform each student as soon as possible whether his or her application is approved.

8. A student who has obtained honours in Part Ib under Regulation 4 may be a candidate for honours in Part II,72 provided that he or she has kept four terms.

The Faculty Board may grant to a student, who has passed with sufficient credit before coming into residence an examination in law the standard and scope of which are approved by the Faculty Board, the privilege of being a candidate for honours in Part II earlier than as aforesaid and without having passed any examination after coming into residence, provided that the student has kept one term.

A student who has obtained honours in Part II under this regulation shall be qualified to proceed to the B.A. Degree when he or she has kept six terms, provided that a student who satisfies the Examiners for the LL.M. Examination before completing six terms’ residence, and who elects to proceed to the LL.M. Degree, shall not also be entitled to proceed to the B.A. Degree.

9. A candidate who, under arrangements approved by the Faculty Board of Law, has spent not less than six terms studying at the University of Paris II and has qualified for the degree of Maîtrise en droit of that University shall be deemed thereby to have obtained honours in Part II of the Law Tripos. A list containing the names of persons so qualified shall be certified by the Chairman of the Faculty Board of Law and published in the Reporter.

10. No student shall be a candidate for more than one Part, or for any Part and also for another Honours Examination, in the same term.

11. No student who has been a candidate for honours in any Part shall again be a candidate for honours in the same Part.

Candidates not for honours.

12. Subject to the provisions of Regulation 10, a student who is not eligible to be a candidate for honours shall be entitled, provided that he or she has kept four terms at least, to take the examination for either Part Ib or Part II as a candidate not for honours.

Examiners.

13. There shall be three separate bodies of Examiners, one for Part Ia, one for Part Ib, and one for Part II. For each Part, the Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they shall deem sufficient to conduct the examination.

14. The Faculty Board shall have power to nominate one or more Assessors to examine in any of the subjects of the Tripos. Assessors shall be required to set the paper or papers in the subjects assigned to them and to present such written reports to the Examiners as may be required. Assessors may be summoned to meetings of the Examiners for the purpose of consultation and advice, but shall not be entitled to vote.

15. There shall be a separate class-list for each Part of the Tripos. In each list the names of the successful candidates shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes, and in each division of the second class, shall be arranged in alphabetical order. In each class-list a mark of distinction shall be affixed to the names of those candidates placed in the first class whose work is of special merit. In the class-list for Part II the symbol (e) shall be placed against the names of those candidates who have taken the examination under Regulation 5(a).

16. The names of candidates who have satisfied the Examiners under Regulation 12 shall be published in an alphabetical list headed ‘The following (who are not candidates for honours) have attained the honours standard’; and such candidates shall be deemed to have been granted an allowance towards the Ordinary B.A. Degree.

Allowances towards Ordinary B.A. Degree.

17. The Examiners may grant an allowance towards the Ordinary B.A. Degree to a candidate who has failed under Regulation 12 to attain the honours standard.

Scheme of Examination.

18. The papers for the Law Tripos which shall be divided into Groups I–IV shall be as follows:

Group I

 Paper  1.

Civil law I.

 Paper  2.

Constitutional law.

 Paper  3.

Criminal law.

 Paper  4.

Law of tort.

 Paper  5.

French law.73,74

Group II

 Paper 10.

Law of contract.

 Paper 11.

Land law.

 Paper 12.

International law.

Group III

 Paper 13.

Civil law II.

 Paper 20.

Administrative law.

 Paper 21.

Family law.

 Paper 22.

Legal history.

 Paper 23.

Criminology, sentencing, and the penal system (also serves as Paper Int. 6 of the Politics, Psychology, and Sociology Tripos).

 Paper 25.

Criminal procedure and criminal evidence.

 Paper 26.

European Union law.

 Paper 42.

Intellectual property.

 Paper 46.

Comparative law.

 Paper 47.

Jurisprudence.

Group IV

 Paper 24.

Equity.

 Paper 40.

Commercial law.

 Paper 41.

Labour law.

 Paper 43.

Company law.

 Paper 44.

Aspects of obligations.

 Paper 45.

Conflict of laws.

 Paper 48.

Prescribed subjects (half-papers).

The Faculty Board shall have power, not later than the end of the Easter Term in the year preceding the examination to which they apply, to prescribe not more than twelve subjects for Paper 48, or to transfer any paper from Group II to Group III. Each paper shall be of three hours’ duration, except Paper 48, for each subject of which the examination shall consist of a half-paper of two hours’ duration.

19. A candidate for honours in Part Ia of the Tripos shall offer Papers 1–4 from Group 1, provided that a candidate who has been approved to follow a course at the University of Paris II under Regulation 9 and who intends to follow such a course shall offer Paper 5 instead of Paper 1.

20. A candidate for honours in Part Ib shall offer five papers chosen from among Papers 1, 2, and 4 and Groups II and III, provided that

  1. (i)a candidate shall not offer any paper which he or she has previously offered in another University examination;
  2. (ii)a candidate who has been approved to follow a course at the University of Paris II under Regulation 9 and who intends to follow such a course may in addition choose from among the following papers in Group IV: 40–43, 45, and 47. He or she may also choose to substitute for one paper participation in a seminar course together with the submission of an essay on a prescribed subject in accordance with Regulation 22.

21. A candidate for honours in Part II shall

  1. either (a)offer five papers chosen from among Paper 3 (Criminal law) and Groups III and IV,
  2. or (b)offer four papers chosen from among Paper 3 (Criminal law) and Groups III and IV and in addition participate in a seminar course and submit an essay on a subject prescribed by the Faculty Board or chosen by the candidate from a number of subjects so prescribed,

provided that

  1. (i)a candidate shall not offer any paper which he or she has previously offered in another University examination;
  2. (ii)a candidate who has not previously offered Paper 1 (Civil law I) may not offer Paper 13 (Civil law II).
Seminar course.

22. A candidate who under Regulation 20(ii) or 21 chooses to substitute for one paper of Part Ib or Part II, respectively, participation in a seminar course together with submission of an essay on a prescribed subject, as provided in those regulations, shall be assessed by the Examiners for Part Ib or Part II, as applicable, after they have considered a report from the lecturer or lecturers appointed by the Faculty Board to conduct the seminar course. Candidates may be called for viva voce examination on the subject or subjects of any seminar course in which they have participated.

The procedure for prescribing the subject or subjects of a seminar course, for notifying a candidate's intention to participate in such a course, and for assessing that participation and the essay submitted in connection with the course, shall be as follows:

  1. (a)Subjects which may be prescribed shall be provisionally notified to Directors of Studies by the Faculty Board and shall be published in the Reporter not later than the division of the Easter Term next preceding the academical year in which the seminar courses are to be conducted.
  2. (b)A candidate wishing to take part in a seminar course shall make written application to the Secretary of the Faculty Board before the end of the Easter Term next preceding the academical year in which he or she wishes to take part. The Board shall have power to accept or reject applications, having regard to the number of candidates who apply to take part in each course, and the Secretary of the Faculty Board shall notify each candidate, before 31 July, of the acceptance or rejection of his or her application. Later applications, provided that they are submitted not later than the end of the first week of Full Michaelmas Term in the academical year in which the seminar course is to be conducted, may be accepted at the discretion of the Board; if such an application is accepted, the candidate shall be notified before the division of the Michaelmas Term.
  3. (c)Subjects shall be prescribed by the Faculty Board and published in the Reporter before the end of the Long Vacation period of residence next preceding the academical year in which seminar courses are to be conducted. Any subject prescribed by the Faculty Board may be withdrawn by the Board upon notice given in the Reporter within the first three weeks of Full Michaelmas Term in the academical year in which the seminar course was to have been conducted. Each candidate who has applied to take part in such a seminar course shall be informed of its withdrawal by the Secretary of the Faculty Board.
  4. (d)A lecturer conducting a seminar course shall set each candidate an essay on a prescribed subject. An essay shall not without leave of the Faculty Board exceed 12,000 words including footnotes and appendices, but excluding bibliography. Such leave may be sought no later than fourteen days before the date, specified below, by which essays must be received by the Secretary of the Faculty Board. Candidates shall be required to state in a preface the sources that they have used and to declare that the essay represents their own work unaided except as may be specified in the declaration. Essays shall be sent to the Secretary of the Faculty Board so as to arrive not later than the seventh day of Full Easter Term in the year in which the examination is to be held. A candidate who submits an essay after this date may be penalized. The essay shall be computer- or type-written.
  5. (e)A lecturer conducting a seminar course shall, if not an Examiner, be an Assessor for Part Ib or Part II, as applicable and shall report to the Examiners a mark for each candidate (equivalent to the mark for a paper in the examination) based upon the assessment of the candidate's essay and performance in class.
Supplementary regulations.

23. The Faculty Board of Law shall have power to issue from time to time supplementary regulations defining or limiting all or any of the subjects of examination, and determining the scope, character, and conditions of the papers and the credit that shall be assigned to each, and to amend or withdraw such regulations; provided that due care is taken to give sufficient notice of any supplementary regulation or of any amendment of an existing supplementary regulation.

Examination in Law for European Students

Papers.

1. The papers for the examination in Law for European Students shall be the papers set in Groups I–IV of the Law Tripos. Each candidate shall

  1. either (a)offer three papers;
  2. or (b)offer two papers and in addition participate in a seminar course and submit an essay on a subject prescribed by the Faculty Board of Law or chosen by the candidate from a number of subjects so prescribed, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 22 for the Law Tripos.
Standing of candidates.

2. A student may be a candidate for the Examination if he or she

  1. (a)has been approved by the Faculty Board of Law and
  2. (b)has kept one term under an exchange scheme agreed between the Faculty Board and a university of a member country of the European Community,

provided that three complete terms have not passed after the student's first term of residence.

Examiners and Assessors.

3. The Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they shall deem sufficient, and shall have power to nominate one or more Assessors to the Examiners.

Class-list.

4. The names of candidates who have satisfied the Examiners shall be arranged in alphabetical order in a single class.

Footnotes

  1. 72. See also the regulations for Affiliated Students.a
  2. 73. This paper is only available to candidates who have been approved to follow a course at the University of Paris II under Regulation 9 (see Regulation 19).a
  3. 74. This paper is suspended until 1 October 2011.a