Year 12 Legal Studies study notes and practice questions

For Year 11 and 12 students sitting the HSC, VCE, QCE, SACE, WACE and more. Each unit has short study notes, flashcards and practice questions, and the app builds timed practice exams from the whole course.

• Crime: nature of crime and investigationThe nature of crime; Categories of crime and parties; Criminal investigation and police powers; Bail and remand
• Crime: the criminal trial processCourts and pleas; Legal representation and the adversarial trial; Juries; Defences to criminal charges
• Crime: sentencing and punishmentPurposes of punishment; Factors affecting a sentence; Types of penalties and diversion; Appeals and post-sentencing
• Crime: young offenders and international crimeAge of criminal responsibility; Rights of young people and the Children’s Court; Young Offenders Act 1997 and penalties; International crime
• Human rightsNature and development of human rights; International instruments and enforcement; Human rights in Australian law; Contemporary issue: rights of First Nations peoples
• Option: family lawRelationships and the law; Divorce, children and property; Domestic violence and care and protection; Contemporary issues: surrogacy and birth technologies
• Option: consumersConsumers and contracts; The Australian Consumer Law; Regulation and remedies; Contemporary issues

4 multiple choice and 2 written questions. Try each one before you open the answer. Written answers show the model answer and what a full-marks response needs.

1. Question 1. Crime: nature of crime and investigationMultiple choice

   A person who drives the getaway car and waits outside a robbery is a…

   1. AAccessory after the fact
   2. BPrincipal in the first degree
   3. CWitness
   4. DPrincipal in the second degree
   Show answer

   D. Principal in the second degree

   They are present and assisting at the time.

2. Question 2. Crime: the criminal trial processMultiple choice

   Who bears the burden of proof in a criminal trial?

   1. AThe prosecution
   2. BThe accused
   3. CThe judge
   4. DThe jury
   Show answer

   A. The prosecution

3. Question 3. Crime: the criminal trial process: juries2 marks

   Outline the role of the jury in a criminal trial.

   Show model answer and marking criteria

   Model answer. The jury listens to the evidence and decides the facts, including whether the prosecution has proven guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Juries bring community standards into the justice system, while the judge decides questions of law and imposes any sentence.

   A full-marks answer:

   • Decides questions of fact and whether the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt
   • Represents community standards / adds legitimacy; the judge decides questions of law
4. Question 4. Crime: sentencing and punishmentMultiple choice

   Which Act sets out the purposes of sentencing in NSW?

   1. ABail Act 2013
   2. BCrimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999
   3. CEvidence Act 1995
   4. DJury Act 1977
   Show answer

   B. Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999

5. Question 5. Crime: sentencing and punishment: purposes of punishment2 marks

   Distinguish between specific and general deterrence.

   Show model answer and marking criteria

   Model answer. Specific deterrence aims to discourage the particular offender from committing further crimes by making the punishment unpleasant enough. General deterrence uses the sentence as an example to discourage other people in the community from committing similar offences.

   A full-marks answer:

   • Specific deterrence aims to stop the individual offender reoffending
   • General deterrence aims to discourage other members of the community from offending
6. Question 6. Crime: young offenders and international crimeMultiple choice

   The age of criminal responsibility in NSW is…

   1. A7
   2. B14
   3. C10
   4. D18
   Show answer

   C. 10

A few of the 119 Year 12 Legal Studies flashcards. In the app they use spaced repetition: rate each card Again, Hard, Good or Easy and it comes back just before you would forget it.

• Actus reusThe guilty act: the physical element of a crime.
• PleaThe accused’s formal answer to a charge: guilty or not guilty.
• Specific deterrencePunishment aimed at stopping the individual offender from reoffending.
• Age of criminal responsibilityThe age below which a child cannot be charged with a crime (10 in NSW).

Legal Studies is marked on using legal terms correctly and backing every point with a case, a law or a media report. Keep a short list of current examples for each topic, and when a question says evaluate, judge how well the law achieves justice and say why.

Press Study for me and the app builds a 15 to 20 minute session from the cards that are due, the mistakes that are due and questions on your weakest topics. Practice questions come in three levels, and anything you get wrong comes back 1, 3 and 7 days later until you get it right. When an exam is close, sit a timed practice exam with AI marking.

Your state, your exam

Legal Studies goes by different names around Australia. In the app the course shows under your state’s name: NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT, NT: Legal Studies; WA: Politics and Law (Legal Studies content). Where a label says “content”, your state’s course is the closest match rather than the same course, so check the topics against your outline.

When you set up Year 12, you pick your state (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, ACT or NT) and your subjects. The AI then pitches explanations and marking at your certificate’s level. Courses differ between states, so compare the units above with your course outline, and turn your class notes into extra decks for anything that’s different.

Legal Studies in Year 11

Year 11 Legal Studies study notes and practice questions.

More Year 12 courses

Year 12 Maths Advanced, Year 12 Maths Standard, Year 12 English, Year 12 Modern History, Year 12 Biology, Year 12 Chemistry, Year 12 Business Studies, Year 12 PDHPE. All Year 11–12 subjects.