For the Solicitors Qualifying Examination

How the SQE works

To qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales you pass two assessments set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE1 tests functioning legal knowledge, SQE2 practical legal skills. This page follows the SRA specifications that apply from 1 September 2026.

SQE1: two papers of functioning legal knowledge

SQE1 consists of two assessments, FLK1 and FLK2. Both are closed book, and every question is single best answer with five options. From the January 2027 window each paper has 170 questions, sat in two sessions of 85, and each session draws on a fixed group of subjects.

Ethics and professional conduct are tested throughout both papers rather than as a subject of their own. Where tax matters, the rates, thresholds and reliefs you need are given in the question.

FLK1 subjects

Business Law and PracticeBusiness vehicles: sole trader, partnership, LLP, private/unlisted public company; Incorporation/formation and Companies House requirements; Finance: debt and equity, security, distributions; Corporate governance: directors' and shareholders' rights and duties, decision-making, minority protection; Partnership decision-making (Partnership Act 1890); Corporate and personal insolvency, clawback of assets, order of distribution; Income tax, capital gains tax, corporation tax, VAT; IHT business property relief (income tax calculation for England and for Wales). About 14–20 % of the paper.
Dispute ResolutionADR options: arbitration, mediation, litigation; Pre-action: limitation, pre-action conduct and protocols, applicable law; Venue, issue and service (incl. service out of the jurisdiction); Responding to a claim, default judgment, statements of case; Interim applications and case management (tracks incl. intermediate track); Evidence, disclosure and inspection; Trial, costs (incl. Part 36), appeals; Enforcement of money judgments; Welsh language in civil proceedings (preliminary considerations). About 14–20 % of the paper.
Contract LawFormation and parties (incl. privity); Terms (express/implied, exclusion clauses); Vitiating factors (misrepresentation, duress, undue influence, mistake); Termination (performance, breach, frustration); Remedies. About 14–20 % of the paper.
TortNegligence: duty, breach, causation, remoteness; psychiatric harm and economic loss; Defences: contributory negligence, volenti, illegality; Vicarious liability; Occupiers' liability (1957 and 1984 Acts); Product liability; Nuisance and Rylands v Fletcher. About 14–20 % of the paper.
Legal System of England and Wales and sources of lawCourts structure and personnel; Doctrine of precedent; Primary and secondary legislation; statutory interpretation; Senedd Cymru legislation and its application to England and to Wales. About 14–20 % of the paper.
Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU LawInstitutions of the state, separation of powers, rule of law, parliamentary sovereignty; Royal prerogative and constitutional conventions; Public order law; Judicial review; Human Rights Act 1998 / ECHR; Place of EU law in the UK constitution. About 14–20 % of the paper.
Legal ServicesRegulation of legal services and the SRA's regulatory role; Funding of legal services (incl. conditional fee agreements); Money laundering (Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, reporting duties); Financial services regulation (FSMA 2000) as it applies to solicitors. About 12–16 % of the paper.

FLK2 subjects

Property Law and PracticeFreehold and leasehold residential/commercial transactions: title investigation, searches, exchange, completion (in each of England and Wales); Commercial leases: grant, assignment, covenants and breach, break clauses; Security of tenure under LTA 1954 Part II; Planning law in England and Wales and building regulations; Property taxation: SDLT (England), LTT (Wales), VAT, CGT (private residence relief). About 14–20 % of the paper.
Wills and the Administration of EstatesValidity and interpretation of wills; intestacy and partial intestacy; Property passing outside the estate; Grants of representation; Inheritance tax on lifetime gifts and death; Administration of estates incl. Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claims; Personal representatives, trustees and beneficiaries' remedies. About 14–20 % of the paper.
Solicitors AccountsSRA Accounts Rules: client and business money, client account; Double-entry bookkeeping; Interest, breaches and their correction. Tested within the other FLK2 subjects.
Land LawEstates and interests in land; registered and unregistered title; Co-ownership and trusts of land (TOLATA 1996); Leases; Easements, freehold covenants; Mortgages; Priority of interests. About 14–20 % of the paper.
Trusts LawExpress trusts: requirements and formalities; Charitable vs non-charitable purpose trusts; Resulting and constructive trusts; trusts of the family home; Fiduciary duties; Trustees: appointment, powers, duties, liability; Equitable remedies and tracing. About 14–20 % of the paper.
Criminal LiabilityActus reus, mens rea, causation; Specified offences against the person (common assault: assault and battery), property offences, homicide; General defences; Parties: accomplices; Inchoate offences (attempts). About 14–20 % of the paper.
Criminal Law and PracticePolice station advice incl. vulnerable clients; PACE, interviews and identification; First hearings, legal aid, bail; Allocation/sending to the Crown Court (s. 50A and s. 51 CDA 1998); Case management and disclosure; Evidence: hearsay, confessions, bad character (s. 100(1) CJA 2003 gateways); Trial procedure, sentencing, appeals, youth court; Welsh language in criminal proceedings (preliminary considerations). About 14–20 % of the paper.

Ethics and professional conduct

Ethics and Professional ConductSRA Principles; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs (and RSLs); SRA Code of Conduct for Firms (managers, compliance officers); Scenarios from SRA warning notices (e.g. NDAs, SLAPPs).

SQE2: 16 stations of practical skills

SQE2 has 16 stations: four oral stations over two half days and twelve written stations over three half days. Each station is graded per criterion, and skills and the application of law count equally.

Client interview and attendance note/legal analysis2 oral stations (Property Practice; Wills/probate); skills and law weighted equally overall
Advocacy2 oral stations (Dispute Resolution; Criminal Litigation); skills and law weighted equally overall
Case and matter analysis3 written stations; skills and law weighted equally overall
Legal research3 written stations; skills and law weighted equally overall
Legal writing3 written stations; skills and law weighted equally overall
Legal drafting3 written stations; skills and law weighted equally overall

The skills are tested in five practice areas: Criminal Law and Practice (Criminal Litigation), Dispute Resolution, Property Practice (incl. money laundering), Wills and the Administration of Estates, Business Law and Practice. Ethics and professional conduct run through all 16 stations.

Lexxington prepares you for SQE1. SQE2 is not covered yet.

How Lexxington prepares you for SQE1

The course follows the FLK1 and FLK2 subjects, with short scenarios to judge, questions in the single-best-answer style and flashcards for the rules.

Scenariosmore than 1,100 short cases, worked statement by statement, with the rule and the reasoning.
Questionsmore than 2,500 practice questions with an explanation for every answer.
Flashcardsmore than 1,100 cards for rules and elements, repeated before you forget them.
Leading cases100 leading cases you should know.
LexxiAn AI tutor that answers questions about the material and names the authorities it relies on. Check them: Lexxi can be wrong.

All questions are original study material, not SRA sample questions. Lexxington is not affiliated with the SRA or Kaplan.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are in SQE1?

From the January 2027 window, each of the two papers, FLK1 and FLK2, has 170 single-best-answer questions, sat in two sessions of 85.

Which subjects are in FLK1 and FLK2?

FLK1: Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract Law, Tort, Legal System of England and Wales and sources of law, Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law, Legal Services. FLK2: Property Law and Practice, Wills and the Administration of Estates, Solicitors Accounts, Land Law, Trusts Law, Criminal Liability, Criminal Law and Practice. Ethics and professional conduct are tested across both.

Is SQE1 open book?

No. Both FLK papers are closed book.

What does SQE2 test?

Practical legal skills in 16 stations: client interviews with an attendance note, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, writing and drafting, across five practice areas.

Does Lexxington cover SQE2?

Not yet. The course prepares you for SQE1.

Are these official SRA questions?

No. All questions and cases are written for Lexxington from public sources.

Sources

The facts on this page come from these official documents. The current version published by the responsible body always prevails.

Prepare for the SQE, case by case.

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