LAW TRIPOS

Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2018–19, p. 618)

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

2. The Faculty Board, after consulting the professional and other bodies concerned, shall have power to determine the subjects and/or papers for examination or parts thereof that shall be designated by supplementary regulation as Examinations for Professional Exemption.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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 7, 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 her or his first term of residence.
2. (b)Any other student having obtained honours in Part Ib of the Law Tripos may be a candidate for Part II in the year next after obtaining honours in Part Ib, provided that twelve complete terms have not passed after her or his first term of residence.

7. In order to be a candidate for Part II under Regulation 6(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 Union at a university approved for this purpose by the Faculty Board.

8. A student who wishes to study abroad in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 7 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.

9. A student who has obtained honours in Part Ib under Regulation 5 may be a candidate for honours in Part II1, provided that he or she has kept four terms.

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.

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.

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.

13. There shall be three separate bodies of Examiners, one for Part Ia, one for Part Ib, and one for Part II. The Faculty Board shall have power to nominate one or more Examiners to examine in any of the subjects of the Tripos. Examiners shall be responsible for setting the paper or papers in the subjects assigned to them. For each Part, the body of Examiners shall be those appointed to examine in the subjects of that Part.

14. The Faculty Board shall have power to nominate one or more Assessors to assist the Examiners in any of the subjects of the Tripos. Assessors may be summoned to meetings of the Examiners for the purpose of consultation and advice, but shall not be entitled to vote.

15. A student who fails to take or is unsuccessful in the examination in any subject or paper designated as an Examination for Professional Exemption in accordance with Regulation 2 shall be eligible for re-examination. Subject to Regulation 24, no student shall be a candidate in any Examination for Professional Exemption on more than two occasions in total.

16. 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 6(a). Successful candidates in the Examinations for Professional Exemption shall be informed by the Academic Secretary of the Faculty of Law after results are confirmed by the Faculty Board.

17. (a) The papers for the Law Tripos which shall be divided into Groups I–IV shall be as follows:

Group I

Group II

Group III

Group IV

1. (b)The Faculty Board shall have power, in the year preceding the examination to which they apply, to prescribe not more than twelve subjects for Paper 49 and to prescribe not more than twelve subjects for Paper 50, or to transfer any paper from Group II to Group III. Subjects shall be prescribed by the Faculty Board not later than its last meeting of the academical year and published in the Reporter as soon as possible thereafter in the Long Vacation period of residence next preceding the academical year in which the half-papers and the seminar courses are to be conducted.
2. (c)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 half-paper or seminar course was to have been conducted. Each candidate intending to take such a half-paper or seminar course shall be informed of its withdrawal by the Secretary of the Faculty Board.
3. (d)Each paper shall be of three hours’ duration, except Papers 14, 49, and 50. Paper 14 shall be assessed by extended essay. In Paper 49, the examination of each prescribed subject shall consist of a half-paper of two hours’ duration. Paper 50 shall be assessed by dissertation, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 21.

18. A candidate for honours in Part Ia of the Tripos shall offer Papers 10–14 from Group I.

19. A candidate for honours in Part Ib shall offer five papers chosen from among Papers 10, 11, and 13 and Groups II and III, provided that

1. (i)a candidate who has not offered successfully Paper 14 in Part Ia shall also offer Paper 14 in Part Ib;
2. (ii)a candidate who was not a candidate for honours in Part Ia shall also offer Paper 14 in Part Ib;
3. (iii)a candidate shall not offer any paper which he or she has previously offered in another University examination.

20. A candidate for honours in Part II shall offer five papers chosen from among Paper 12 (Criminal law) and Groups III and IV, 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 10 (Civil law I) may not offer Paper 30 (Civil law II).

21. A candidate who under Regulation 20 chooses Paper 50 (seminar course) shall be assessed by the Assessors appointed by the Faculty Board. 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 notifying a candidate’s intention to choose Paper 50, and for submitting and assessing the dissertation submitted in connection with the paper, shall be as follows:

1. (a)A candidate wishing to take part in Paper 50 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.
2. (b)The topic of a dissertation on a prescribed subject shall be approved by a lecturer conducting a seminar course (Paper 50). A dissertation shall not exceed 12,000 words including footnotes and appendices, but excluding bibliography. Candidates shall be required to state in a preface that the dissertation represents their own work unaided except as may be specified in the declaration. Dissertations 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 a dissertation after this date may be penalized. The dissertation shall be computer-written.
3. (c)The Assessors of Paper 50 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 dissertation.

22. 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.

23. The Faculty Board of Law shall establish a procedure for the review of the Board’s decision in respect of students who have applied exceptionally for an additional attempt at an examination designated as an Examination for Professional Exemption under Regulation 15. No person who applies for review under the procedure so established shall be entitled to apply also for review under the procedure for determining complaints by members of the University in statu pupillari established under the Regulations for complaints by students.3

24. A student may seek review of a decision made by the Faculty Board of Law following application exceptionally for an additional attempt at an examination designated as an Examination for Professional Exemption under Regulation 15. The request for review shall be made under the Procedure for the Review of Decisions of University Bodies established by the General Board.2

Examination in Law for European Students

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 (Paper 50) and submit a dissertation 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 21 for the Law Tripos.

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

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.

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