Legal studies – CRIME

The first module in the legal studies course is crime and is a core that is recommended to consume 30% of class time.

This core focuses on criminal law and its processes, institutions, and the potential tensions between various players such as individuals, society, and offenders.

Students will be required to critically analyse the different proceedings in Australian courts and alternative pathways to achieving justice. As a final portion, there is an investigation into international crime, the institutions, and the capacity of differing states to tackle such issues.

The first part of this core explores the nature of crime, which ultimately looks at its elements, categories, parties to a crime, different offenses, factors affecting criminal behaviour, and crime prevention mechanisms. This section is usually very heavily focused on multiple choice questions in the HSC Legal Exam, and students are taught the theory needed to answer these types of questions.

Essay questions in legal studies are usually focused on the rest of the Crime content, which of course also entails multiple choice questions, which focuses on:

1. Criminal Investigation Process

2. Criminal Trial Process

3. Sentencing and Punishment

4. Young Offenders

5. International Crime

Students will learn the theory required to gain an overview of each of the above sub-topics, in order to comprehensively understand each section, but to also allow them to answer the multiple choice questions presented in exams.

At Master Coaching, we teach legal studies with a strong focus on preparing students with all the tools necessary to answer essay questions. After presenting the theory on each topic, each sub-section is taught using case law, legislation, and media articles in order to provide students with the knowledge they require to produce Band 6 responses on Crime. We also model paragraphs to allow students to see the structure required for excellent paragraphs.

An often neglected component of the syllabus is the Themes and Challenges section, which is crucial for students to integrate in their responses as some questions can come from this section. At MasterCoaching we will have a strong focus on incorporating this section in our teaching.