What to do over Christmas

UPDATED FOR 2020 AND THE BVS ON 19 DECEMBER 2020

 

Dear Students

I realise you are all in real need of a break. How I understand! The tiredness and exhaustion have set in over the relentless first term! I feel the tiredness in every bone in my body, and I am pretty sure I am carrying a luggage set under my eyes these days.

But to simply take rest and not take advantage of the break from classes would be a mistake. By all means take the festive dates off; Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day. Except for those days, you are going to have to commit to getting some work done. 

Crimbo Snowdude

So, all you need to do is revise Ethics and Drafting, right? Wrong.

Obviously, it would be a great idea to revise Ethics and Drafting. The exams are in Mid January 2021. 

 

You will need to look over your drafting work, make notes based on the feedback you have received in class, and if you missed and sessions or practice, fill those gaps. If you are using the CLS Drafting manual, you will need to ensure you have carefully read and re-read these chapters: 

Chapter 7 – Particulars of Claim

Chapter 8 – Defences

Chapter 9 – Advanced Particulars of Claim

Chapter 10 – Advanced Defences

Chapter 13 – Defence and Counterclaim

It will also help to refer to the Remedies manual for remedies for personal injury, remedies for negligence, and remedies for breach of contract. 

 

For Ethics, some students make the mistake of simply reading and re-reading the manual, the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the Farquharson guidelines. Firstly, you need to make sure you understand everything you have covered before you start revising. Revising has a “re” in front of it. This means you should be looking at the topics for the second or third time. Do you best to fill in gaps in your knowledge and understanding before beginning your revision in earnest. 

 

This is the advice from my former students on how to pass Ethics: http://snigsclassroom.blogspot.com/2018/02/ethics-how-to-pass-from-former-bptc.html

Active learning techniques are best, when revising, particularly self testing. I have covered how to get the most out of your revision here: http://snigsclassroom.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/revising-how-to-get-more-bang-for-your.html

I would strongly suggest you do not simply use the break for Ethics and drafting revision. You should try to cover and ground you missed this term. It isn't always possible to do everything to the best of your ability, I understand that, so there's nothing wrong in going back to things you want to do better, like your advocacy work. 

Another thing to do is to get organised if you have not been able to do so. Here is how: http://snigsclassroom.blogspot.com/2015/11/how-to-get-organised-on-bptc.html

 

I advise that it would be a good idea to ensure you get all of your civil litigation, criminal litigation and evidence learning up to date. You may have a working understanding of most of the concepts and topics covered. If so, great. If not, that is your first task. You need to fill up any gaps in BOTH your understanding and your notes.

 

Here are my top 10 tips for the knowledge subjects: http://snigsclassroom.blogspot.com/2018/10/10-bptc-knowledge-subject-tips.html

 

The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree donated by the people of Norway

 

There will be very little opportunity for you to do any other catching up after the start of term. You will have classes, hand ins and assessments running side by side from now to the end of the course. Learning time will be hard to come by. The revision period will be short.

Do not expect to revise the other knowledge subjects either from the textbook or one of the revision titles alone. Books are resources for learning, not tools for revision. You therefore need to have good notes. Notes which cover the syllabus areas in the level of detail specified by the syllabus. I advocated hand written notes, as they have a better link to memory.

Poinsettia

 

The syllabus provides guidance from the central exam board about what you do and do not need to learn. Certainly, for civil litigation, the elements of commentary from the practitioner text (the White Book) have been defined and set out. You cannot “learn” these from the White Book itself; make up your notes summarising the principles. Remember that for civil litigation, you do not need to know the names of cases (other than the six set out in the syllabus). 

If you are not a CLS student, then you may have different assessments coming in January. I would suggest that you consolidate all of your knowledge subjects in the way I have suggested above. You may not have the immediate demands of exam revision, but you have got the opportunity to get the bedrock of your knowledge subject learning solid. 

 

Here is Brian Mondoh's advice on tackling the knowledge subjects: http://snigsclassroom.blogspot.com/2017/12/nuggets-of-wisdom-for-smashing-bptc.html

Do yourself a favour. Get your work sorted this Christmas break. When your mum or best friend is annoyed with you for not spending enough time with them, I am sure when you explain that awful Snigdha woman from the law school has told you you must do this, that you will be forgiven. Blame me. I give you carte blanche. Show them my picture and say “it is all her fault, she is that horrible tutor at the law school”.

Blame me, get on with you work.

And you can then enjoy Christmas and New Year 2021 guilt free and without annoying old me gnawing your ears.

Wouldn't that be great?

Please do send me pictures of your Christmas tree all decked out in 2021 so that I can see you celebrating in style when you have put the BVS behind you.

Lots of love

Snigdha

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