SQE1 Topics Ranked by Difficulty 2026

SQE1 covers 12 areas of Functioning Legal Knowledge across two papers. Not all of them are equally hard — and not all of them carry equal weight. Spending the same revision time on every topic is one of the most common mistakes candidates make.

This ranking is based on SRA pass rate data by topic, community feedback from candidates who have sat multiple sittings, and the structural complexity of each subject area.

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The 12 SQE1 Topics at a Glance

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Tier 1: The Topics That Catch Most Candidates Out

Solicitors Accounts — FLK2 (6% weight)

Consistently produces the lowest topic-level pass rates across all SQE1 sittings. Candidates underestimate it because of its low exam weight — 6% feels negligible until you realise that is still around 22 questions across FLK2.

The difficulty is structural. The SRA Accounts Rules are not intuitive for candidates without a compliance or accounts background. The three-way split (office money, client money, professional disbursements), the prohibited uses of client funds, and the interest calculation rules all require accurate recall under time pressure — not general understanding.

The other factor: Accounts is the only SQE1 topic where a single misunderstood rule propagates wrong answers across multiple questions. If you misapply the client money definition, every related question goes wrong.

What to do: Practice Accounts ledger entries for 10–15 minutes every study day throughout Foundation phase. Do not leave it as a pre-exam cram.

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Land Law — FLK2 (7% weight)

The most technically complex doctrinal topic in SQE1. The overlap between legal and equitable interests, the mechanics of registration, overriding interests, and co-ownership disputes (particularly resulting and constructive trusts in a property context) are all areas where candidates lose marks in bulk.

Land Law also has the problem of historical complexity: the law has been amended repeatedly, and candidates sometimes study rules that have been superseded.

What to do: Work through registration mechanics first — this unlocks the rest. Then tackle overriding interests and co-ownership as separate modules.

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Trusts — FLK2 (8% weight)

Equity and Trusts consistently ranks as one of the least intuitive SQE1 subjects for candidates without a law degree. The distinction between express, resulting, and constructive trusts, the certainty requirements, and the interaction with Solicitors Accounts (particularly in client fund misappropriation scenarios) make this a topic where surface-level knowledge is not enough.

SQE1 questions on Trusts frequently involve multi-step reasoning — working out whether a trust has been validly constituted before answering the substantive question.

What to do: Focus on certainty requirements (subject matter, object, intention) and the key cases. Constructive trusts in cohabitation disputes come up regularly.

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Wills & Administration of Estates — FLK2 (8% weight)

Less conceptually complex than Trusts, but high on procedural detail. The rules on valid execution, revocation, intestacy distribution, and the interaction between will provisions and lifetime gifts generate a large volume of questions.

Most candidates underperform on intestacy — specifically the order of distribution and the rules around survivorship. The 28-day survivorship requirement and the treatment of joint property are frequently tested.

What to do: Memorise the intestacy flowchart. It comes up in almost every sitting.

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Tier 2: High Weight, Manageable with Proper Preparation

Business Law & Practice — FLK1 (15% weight)

The highest-weighted single topic in SQE1 at 15%. This means roughly 54 questions across FLK1. The breadth is the challenge: company law, partnership, employment, taxation, and insolvency are all tested within this category.

Candidates who work in commercial practice often overestimate their knowledge here. The SQE1 tests the rules in their regulatory form — not as applied in any particular firm's practice.

Company law (directors' duties, share capital, insolvency procedures) and employment law (unfair dismissal, redundancy, TUPE) are consistently the heaviest sub-topics.

What to do: Do not revise Business Law as one topic. Break it into company law, employment law, and taxation as separate subjects. Each is essentially its own exam.

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Property Practice — FLK1 (12% weight)

Property Practice is the second-highest weighted topic at 12%. The distinction between freehold and leasehold transactions, the stages of conveyancing, and the interaction with Land Law (which sits in FLK2) means candidates need to carry knowledge across both papers.

SDLT calculations, searches, and the mechanics of mortgage redemption are consistently tested. The rules on contaminated land and environmental searches are lower frequency but appear enough to warrant coverage.

What to do: Work through a residential conveyancing transaction from instruction to completion and understand every step. Most Property Practice questions map onto this sequence.

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Dispute Resolution — FLK1 (10% weight)

The CPR is procedurally detailed and requires accurate recall of limitation periods, pre-action protocols, and track allocation thresholds. Candidates frequently confuse fast-track and multi-track thresholds, get limitation periods wrong, and struggle with the costs rules at different stages.

The good news: Dispute Resolution is highly rule-based. Once you know the procedural sequence, the questions become more predictable than in doctrinal topics.

What to do: Memorise the track allocation thresholds (small claims: up to £10,000; fast track: £10,000–£25,000; multi-track: above £25,000) and the standard limitation periods.

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Criminal Law & Practice — FLK1 (10% weight)

Criminal Law benefits from being more familiar than other SQE1 topics for candidates with any media or academic exposure to law. The foundational offences (theft, fraud, assault, murder/manslaughter) are well-covered in most preparation materials.

The difficulty lies in Criminal Procedure — custody time limits, bail conditions, sentencing guidelines, and the Youth Court — which is much less intuitive. Many candidates know the substantive law but drop marks on procedure.

What to do: Spend at least as much time on Criminal Procedure as on substantive criminal law. Custody time limits and youth sentencing are regularly tested.

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Tier 3: Lower Risk With Focused Preparation

Contract Law — FLK1 (10% weight)

Contract Law is well-covered in virtually every law degree and GDL programme. Candidates with any prior legal education tend to perform well here relative to other topics.

The SQE1-specific challenge is that questions test application to commercial scenarios — not the ability to recite rules. Candidates who can state the rules but struggle to apply them in an unfamiliar fact pattern will still drop marks.

What to do: Do MCQs rather than reading notes. Contract Law is one of the topics where active practice pays off fastest.

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Tort Law — FLK1 (8% weight)

Negligence, occupiers' liability, and product liability are the main tested areas. Like Contract, this is familiar territory for law graduates. The SQE1 questions tend to test causation and remoteness in unfamiliar scenarios, which is where candidates lose marks.

Professional negligence (solicitor negligence in particular) appears regularly and bridges into Legal Ethics.

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Legal Ethics & Conduct — FLK1 (4% weight)

The SRA Codes of Conduct and the core duties appear across all SQE1 topics, not just as a standalone subject. Ethics questions are integrated into scenario questions in Business Law, Property, and Dispute Resolution.

The low exam weight does not mean low importance — understanding the core duties (acting in clients' best interests, maintaining professional independence, confidentiality) is a prerequisite for getting many scenario questions right.

What to do: Read the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors. It is short. Know the seven principles by heart.

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Constitutional & Administrative Law — FLK1 (2% weight)

The lowest-weighted topic at 2% — approximately 7 questions across FLK1. Parliamentary sovereignty, judicial review, and the Human Rights Act are the main areas. High candidates sometimes skip this almost entirely and absorb the questions on exam day.

What to do: One focused study day is enough for most candidates. Know judicial review grounds and the core HRA provisions.

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How Topic Difficulty Should Change Your Revision Timetable

Most candidates split revision time roughly by exam weight — which means Solicitors Accounts and Land Law get far less time than Business Law, simply because they carry less weight. This is backwards.

The topics in Tier 1 require more time per percentage point because the material is harder to learn, easier to misapply, and produces more wrong answers per unit of misunderstanding.

The revision timetable on this site weights topics by a combination of exam weight and difficulty — meaning Solicitors Accounts gets daily practice in the Foundation phase regardless of its 6% weight, and topics you rate as weak in the confidence step get front-loaded into earlier weeks.

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The FLK1 vs FLK2 Split

One practical point most guides ignore: FLK1 and FLK2 are sat on separate days, and your timetable should reflect that. FLK2 is harder on average — Land Law, Trusts, Wills, and Accounts all sit in FLK2. Candidates who treat both papers as equally demanding tend to underperform on FLK2.

If you are sitting both on the same day (SQE1 runs FLK1 in the morning, FLK2 in the afternoon), your Accounts and Land Law preparation needs to be at the same level as your Business Law preparation — not treated as the easier afternoon paper.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which SQE1 topic has the lowest pass rate?

Solicitors Accounts consistently produces the lowest topic-level pass rates across all SQE1 sittings. This is followed by Land Law and Trusts, both of which require multi-step reasoning and have large bodies of technical rules.

Is Business Law the hardest SQE1 topic?

Business Law is the highest-weighted topic (15%) but not necessarily the hardest in terms of conceptual difficulty. Its challenge is breadth — it covers company law, employment, taxation, and insolvency within one category. Solicitors Accounts, Land Law, and Trusts are harder for most candidates despite carrying less weight.

How long should I spend on each SQE1 topic?

As a rough guide for a candidate with some legal background: Business Law 60–80 hours, Property Practice 50–65 hours, Contract/Criminal/Dispute Resolution 40–55 hours each, Land Law/Trusts/Wills 35–50 hours each, Solicitors Accounts 30–40 hours (with daily 10-minute practice throughout), Legal Ethics 15–20 hours, Constitutional Law 8–12 hours.

Should I use the same preparation approach for all topics?

No. Rules-based topics (Accounts, Procedure, Ethics) respond better to repeated short-practice sessions. Doctrinal topics (Land Law, Trusts, Contract) benefit more from worked examples and MCQ practice. Business Law benefits from breaking it into sub-topics and treating each separately.

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Related:

• Build Your SQE Revision Timetable — Free
• How the Revision Timetable Works
• Best SQE1 Mock Exams 2026
• SQE Self-Study Guide 2026
• SQE Pass Rates by Sitting