Optimize – Your Blueprint for Exam Success

Why Optimize?

In developing the Optimize format, Routledge have spent a lot of time talking to law students like you, and to your lecturers and examiners about assessment, about teaching and learning, and about exam preparation. The aim of our series is to help you make the most of your knowledge to gain good marks – to optimize your revision.

Students

Students told us that there was a huge amount to learn, and that visual features such as diagrams, tables and flowcharts made the law easier to follow. Learning and remembering cases was an area of difficulty, as was applying these in problem questions. Revision guides could make this easier by presenting the law succinctly, showing concepts in a visual format and highlighting how important cases can be applied in assessment.

Lecturers

Lecturers agreed that visual features were effective to aid learning, but were concerned that students learned by rote when using revision guides. To succeed in assessment, they wanted to encourage them to get their teeth into arguments, to support their answers with authority, and to show they had truly understood the principles underlying their questions. In short, they wanted them to show they understood how they were assessed on the law, rather than repeating the basic principles.

Assessment criteria

If you want to do well in exams, it’s important to understand how you will be assessed. In order to get the best out of your exam or essay question, your first port of call should be to make yourself familiar with the marking criteria available from your law school; this will help you to identify and recognise the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed. Like course outlines, assessment criteria can differ from school to school and so if you can get hold of a copy of your own criteria, this will be invaluable. To give you a clear idea of what these criteria look like, we’ve collated the most common terms from 64 marking schemes for core curriculum courses in the UK.

Common Assessment Criteria, Routledge Subject Assessment Survey

Optimizing the law

The format of this Optimize Law volume has been developed with these assessment criteria and the learning needs of students firmly in mind.

• Visual format: Our expert series advisors have brought a wealth of knowledge about visual learning to help us to develop the books’ visual format.
• Tailored coverage: Each book is tailored to the needs of your core curriculum course and presents all commonly taught topics.
• Assessment led-revision: Our authors are experienced teachers with an interest in how students learn, and they have structured each chapter around revision objectives that relate to the criteria you will be assessed on.
• Assessment led-pedagogy: The Aim Higher, Common Pitfalls, Up for Debate and Case precedent features used in these books are closely linked to common assessment criteria – showing you how to gain the best marks, avoid the worst, apply the law and think critically about it.
• Putting it into practice: Each chapter presents example essay or problem questions and template answers to show you how to apply what you have learned.

Companion Website

This companion website has been designed to complement and support the features in the books. You will find:

• Revision tips products
• Topic overview podcasts
• Subject maps for each topic
• Downloadable versions of chapter maps and other diagrams
• A Flashcard Glossary
• MCQ questions

Routledge and the Optimize team wish you the very best of luck in your exams and essays!