BPTC content

The main skills taught on the Bar Professional Training Course are:

  • Case Work Skills
  • Legal Research
  • General written skills
  • Opinion-writing (that is, giving written advice)
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Conference Skills (interviewing clients)
  • Resolution of Disputes Out of Court (ReDOC)
  • Advocacy (court or tribunal appearances)

The main areas of knowledge taught on the Bar Professional Training Course are:

  • Civil Litigation & remedies
  • Criminal Litigation & sentencing
  • Evidence
  • Professional Ethics
  • Two optional subjects, selected from a choice of at least six.

 

Assessment


Assessment takes several forms and may differ from institution to institution. Key areas of knowledge are often assessed through multiple choice tests. Written skills are evaluated by means of written papers, while advocacy, ReDOC and conference skills may be appraised by videoed performance of practical exercises. From 2012 three examinations will be set by the BSB. These are Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation and Ethics.

 

Centralised exams

 

The Wood Review of the Bar Vocational Course in 2008 led to a number of changes resulting in the development of the new Bar Professional Training Course. One of the recommendations of the review was to introduce centralised examinations in knowledge subjects in order to ensure consistency across course providers and closer regulatory oversight of standards.


From April 2012 the following papers, each comprising a short answer question (SAQ) section and a multiple choice question (MCQ) section, will be set by a Central Examinations Board comprised of experienced legal practitioners and academics appointed by the BSB:

  •     Civil Litigation, Evidence and Remedies
  •     Criminal Litigation, Evidence and Sentencing
  •     Professional Ethics.


Students at all BPTC providers will attempt the examinations in the knowledge subjects (comprising both an SAQ and MCQ element) on the same day at the same time (dates to be determined by the BSB and published at the start of the academic year). SAQs  will be marked locally by providers and multiple choice questions will be marked electronically at the BSB.


The Central Examinations Board will then sample and take an overview of marks across all providers, making any adjustments that are deemed necessary. Confirmed marks for the centralised subjects will then be returned to providers and combined with marks for other parts of the course to give an overall BPTC score for each student.
 
The Central Examinations Board is concerned only with overall consistency in the three specified knowledge subjects  and at no time will it be involved in discussing the marks of individual students, or in discussing an individual student's mitigating circumstances. Providers will continue to operate local processes for issues pertaining to individual students (e.g. extenuating circumstances and academic misconduct).
 
BPTC course providers have been consulted at every stage in the development of the Centralised Examinations process and we are grateful for their full co-operation.