ACCA - F4 Case law

mark057

Hi,

I'm studying for my ACCA F4 law paper.

I was wondering if anyone knew how much of the case law you need to know for the exam?

Having completed a few exam questions I noticed references were made to case law in the answer e.g. Salomon v Salomon Co Ltd (1897) and what they referrred to e.g. Salomon v Salomon Co Ltd (1897) refers to the seperation of legal personality between a company and it's members.

My question is really this. In an exam question is it necessary to just quote the name of the case and what it refers to as I've said above in the case of Salomon or do you need to know the intricate detail of each case law?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mark

wolfe

hi. ive done the f4 paper. it helps t know the case names as then you can name drop! also you need to know the cases because youll need them in the last 3 questions especially!
gud luck

Richard

If you can remember the name of a case then use it, but don't go into specific details of what the case involved - this will save you time in the exam.

As long as you are using the correct case in context with the question, then by citing the name of the relevant case law, then you are demonstrating an understanding. If you cannot remember the name of a case, but can remember details about it, then you would expand on the specifics.

For example, if you couldn't remember the name of the Salomon v Salomon case you would write a few sentences to explain that law regarding separate legal identity is based around a case where a sole trader became a limited company to avoid liability of debts, etc. Again, don't go into too much detail of the actual 'story' of the case, as this will not gain extra marks. Just keep it simple, but make sure that you can demonstrate an understanding of what is required.

When I studied for F4 last year, I was told that it is entirely possible to pass the exam without mentioning a single case name, but in doing so, you are throwing away about 20 easy marks!

You might find this article useful, particularly the final few paragraphs on page 3

http://www.accaglobal.com/pubs/students/publications/student_accountant/archive/sa_dec09_osborne.pdf