Cambridge AS & A Level Law 9084 May/June 2026 Past Papers: What Came Up and How It Was Marked
The Cambridge AS & A Level Law (9084) May/June 2026 papers and mark schemes are out, and they’re free. All four papers, 9084/12 to 9084/42, can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below is every question set in 2026 and how the mark scheme gave marks, taken from the papers themselves.
Key points from the 2026 9084 papers
- The Theft Act 1968 carried Paper 2. Section A was all about handling stolen goods (s22), and one Section B essay was on burglary (s9).
- “Fair” and “effective” were the key words. The Paper 3 essays asked whether rules on minors, part-payment and terms are fair. Paper 2 asked how effective s9 is.
- Both Paper 3 problems could be solved with one rule set each: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for the washing machine, and the presumptions on intention to create legal relations for the design firm.
- Paper 4 problems covered medical negligence, vicarious liability and Rylands v Fletcher. The fireworks scenario also credited private nuisance or negligence as alternatives.
- Long answers are marked separately for each AO. You get a mark for knowledge (AO1), for analysis and application (AO2) and for evaluation (AO3).
All May/June 2026 9084 papers
| Paper | Code | Duration | Marks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 English Legal System | 9084/12 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 75 | Courts, personnel, law-making and dispute resolution (AS) |
| Paper 2 Criminal Law | 9084/22 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 60 | A source-based problem and one essay (AS) |
| Paper 3 Law of Contract | 9084/32 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 75 | One problem and two essays (A Level) |
| Paper 4 Law of Tort | 9084/42 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 75 | One problem and two essays (A Level) |
Timings and marks are taken from the front cover of each 2026 paper. All four papers are answered in an answer booklet. For the full syllabus content, see the Cambridge International AS & A Level Law 9084 syllabus.
Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The papers here are variant 2: 9084/12, /22, /32 and /42. All variants cover the same syllabus at the same difficulty, so variant 2 is just as good for practice as the one your school sat.
Download the 9084 May/June 2026 papers →
What came up in 9084 Paper 1 (English Legal System), May/June 2026?
You answer all five questions in Section A (25 marks) and two of the three questions in Section B (25 marks each).
| Question | Topic | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One intrinsic aid to statutory interpretation | 1 |
| 2 | Two reasons a person might not qualify as a magistrate | 2 |
| 3 | The three Bail Act 1976 grounds for refusing bail | 6 |
| 4 | Two key aspects of an adversarial legal system | 6 |
| 5 | Criticisms of delegated legislation | 10 |
| 6 | (a) Civil justice reforms after the Woolf report (10); (b) assess their effects (15) | 25 |
| 7 | (a) How mediation and conciliation work, with examples (10); (b) which is more effective for civil disputes (15) | 25 |
| 8 | (a) How judges are trained (10); (b) whether judges are independent of political bias (15) | 25 |
Watch for: Question 6(a) wants the reforms in detail: small claims, fast and multi-tracks, the intermediate track from 2023, pre-action protocols, case management and the Civil Procedure Rules.
What came up in 9084 Paper 2 (Criminal Law)?
Paper 2 had Question 1 in Section A (30 marks) and one of two Section B questions (30 marks).
Section A gave you source material: s22 Theft Act 1968 (handling stolen goods) and three cases, R v Pitchley (1972), Haughton v Smith (1975) and R v Moys (1984). You apply only that material to three people:
| Part | Scenario | Key issue in the mark scheme | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(a) | Bella keeps a distinctive bracelet her partner gave her after seeing the shop’s appeal for it | Retaining goods once you know they are stolen (Pitchley) | 10 |
| 1(b) | Frank buys a phone he thinks is stolen from a police officer who has seized the stock | Goods back in lawful custody are no longer stolen (Haughton v Smith) | 10 |
| 1(c) | Ranjit buys a cheap watch from a friend; his suspicion is calmed by a fake receipt | Suspicion alone is not knowledge or belief (Moys) | 10 |
Section B (choose one):
- Question 2: (a) mitigating factors when sentencing adults (5); (b) evaluate the law on legal causation in the actus reus (25).
- Question 3: (a) requirements that can be attached to a youth rehabilitation order (5); (b) evaluate the effectiveness of s9 Theft Act 1968 (25).
What made it hard: each Section A scenario turns on a different element. Bella has both actus reus and mens rea; Frank has the mens rea but not the actus reus; Ranjit has the actus reus but not the mens rea.
What came up in 9084 Paper 3 (Law of Contract)?
You answer one problem from Section A and two essays from Section B, 25 marks each.
| Question | Topic | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (or 2) | Zac’s “quietest on the market” washing machine is noisy and won’t clean at low temperatures: rights and remedies under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 | 25 |
| 2 (or 1) | Eve’s lunch-meeting deal with a restaurant and her brother’s printing work: intention to create legal relations in a commercial and a family agreement | 25 |
| 3 | Whether the rules on contracts with minors are fair to both parties | 25 |
| 4 | Whether part-payment of a debt and promissory estoppel strike a fair balance | 25 |
| 5 | Whether the rules that separate terms from representations ensure fairness | 25 |
What came up in 9084 Paper 4 (Law of Tort)?
Paper 4 has the same layout as Paper 3: one problem and two essays, 25 marks each.
| Question | Topic | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (or 2) | A recently qualified hospital doctor misdiagnoses cancer and the wrong medication causes a heart condition: negligence (duty, breach, causation, remoteness) and the hospital’s vicarious liability | 25 |
| 2 (or 1) | Fireworks stored in a shed catch fire from a garden bonfire; smoke damages one neighbour’s house and a firework damages another’s roof: Rylands v Fletcher, with credit for private nuisance or negligence | 25 |
| 3 | The importance of intention in trespass to the person (assault, battery, false imprisonment) | 25 |
| 4 | Whether volenti non fit injuria should never succeed for employees at work | 25 |
| 5 | Whether non-pecuniary damages can be calculated accurately | 25 |
Watch for: the Question 1 mark scheme specifically credits explaining the standard of care expected of a recently qualified specialist, so deal with Doctor Green’s inexperience directly.
How the 9084 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks
Every 9084 mark scheme defines three assessment objectives: AO1 is knowledge and understanding, AO2 is analysis and application, and AO3 is evaluation. Here’s how they were used in 2026.
1. Short questions are point-marked. Paper 1 Question 3 gave 1 mark for naming each Bail Act ground and up to 2 for describing it. Question 4 gave 1 mark for naming each aspect of the adversarial system and more for describing it. Paper 2 Questions 2(a) and 3(a) gave 1 mark per correct point, up to 5.
2. Paper 1 Section B splits each question by AO. Part (a) is 10 marks of AO1 on a four-band grid (9 to 10 for accurate, detailed knowledge with key cases or statutes). Part (b) is 8 marks of AO2 and 7 of AO3. For Question 8(b) on political bias, the scheme listed cases on both sides, such as Miller (2019) and the Fire Brigades Union case against the government, and the GCHQ case for it.
3. Paper 2 Section A is mostly application. Each 10-mark part gives 2 marks for AO1 (identifying and citing the relevant law) and 8 for AO2. The top AO2 band (6 to 8) needs analysis leading to a developed, logical conclusion. In Question 1(b) that means saying Frank will not be convicted, because Haughton v Smith makes the phone no longer stolen.
4. Stick to the source. Section A says to use only the source material. The mark scheme’s AO1 credit is for s22 and the three cases given.
5. Answer the exact question. Paper 2 Question 2(b) was on legal causation, and the scheme gave no credit for factual causation. The cases it expected included Blaue, Smith, Cheshire, Jordan, Roberts, Pagett and Williams and Davis.
6. Papers 3 and 4 use a 12, 5, 8 split. Every 25-mark question gives up to 12 for AO1, 5 for AO2 and 8 for AO3. Knowledge carries the most marks, so cite the right sections and cases. For Paper 3 Question 1 that means s9, s10, s11 and the remedies in s20 to s24 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
7. Reach a conclusion for each party. The Paper 3 Question 2 scheme asked for a reasoned conclusion on the Eve and restaurant agreement and again on the Eve and Felix agreement. The top AO3 band (6 to 8) needs a coherent argument on most of the relevant issues.
8. Levels are best fit. The 9084 scheme tells examiners to pick the level that best fits your answer. They give the top mark in a level if you meet it convincingly, a middle mark if you meet it adequately and the bottom mark if you only just meet it.
Which papers should you sit?
- AS Level: Paper 1 and Paper 2.
- Full A Level: Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Each paper has a choice. On Paper 1 you pick two of three Section B questions; on Paper 2 one of two Section B questions; on Papers 3 and 4 one of two problems and two of three essays. Read all of them before you choose.
How to use the 2026 papers as a mock
- Keep them for last. Use older 9084 papers for topic practice and save May/June 2026 for a timed mock close to your exam.
- Time each 25-mark answer. On Papers 3 and 4 you have three 25-mark answers in 90 minutes, so about 30 minutes each.
- Structure problem answers in the same order. State the law and cases (AO1), apply them to each person (AO2), then evaluate and conclude (AO3).
- Practise the source question on its own. For Paper 2 Section A, work out which element each scenario turns on before you write.
- Mark each AO separately. Use the grids to give your essay an AO1, AO2 and AO3 mark, then add them up.
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Frequently asked questions
Are the 9084 May/June 2026 past papers free? +
Yes. All four question papers (9084/12, 9084/22, 9084/32 and 9084/42) and their official mark schemes are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.
What came up in 9084 Paper 2 May/June 2026? +
Section A was on handling stolen goods under s22 Theft Act 1968, with source material on R v Pitchley, Haughton v Smith and R v Moys, applied to three scenarios. Section B offered mitigating factors and legal causation, or youth rehabilitation order requirements and burglary under s9 Theft Act 1968.
What were the 9084 Paper 3 and Paper 4 questions in 2026? +
Paper 3 (Contract) offered a Consumer Rights Act 2015 problem or an intention to create legal relations problem, then essays on minors' contracts, part-payment and promissory estoppel, and terms and representations. Paper 4 (Tort) offered a medical negligence and vicarious liability problem or a Rylands v Fletcher problem, then essays on intention in trespass to the person, volenti for employees, and non-pecuniary damages.
How are the 25-mark questions in 9084 marked? +
Each assessment objective is marked separately on a level grid. On Papers 3 and 4, every 25-mark question gives up to 12 marks for AO1 (knowledge), 5 for AO2 (analysis and application) and 8 for AO3 (evaluation). On Paper 2 the 25-mark essay splits 10, 6 and 9.
Why can't I find 9084/21 or 9084/23 for 2026? +
Only variant 2 of the May/June 2026 papers is on the portal at the moment. Cambridge sets different variants for different time zones; variants 1 and 3 test the same syllabus in the same format, so variant 2 prepares you just as well.
When will the October/November 2026 9084 papers be available? +
Cambridge usually releases the October/November papers in the new year. We add them to the Learning Portal once they are published.
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Mahira Kitchil
Connect on LinkedIn →Project Head, Tutopiya
Mahira Kitchil is a Project Head at Tutopiya, where she works with Cambridge IGCSE and Edexcel A-Level teachers in more than 20 countries on how exams are set and marked. She writes practical guides that help students find the right past papers and use the mark scheme the way examiners do, so every practice paper counts.
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