SQE1 · Paper 1 of 2
FLK1: what is on the first SQE1 paper
FLK1 is the first of the two SQE1 assessments. It tests your functioning legal knowledge across six subject areas, in 71 topics, through 180 single-best-answer questions. Here is what it covers and how to get ready for it.
What FLK1 is
FLK (Functioning Legal Knowledge) is the knowledge half of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. SQE1 splits it into two papers, FLK1 and FLK2. FLK1 is the first paper, sat over two timed sessions in a single day. Every question is set at the standard of a day-one newly qualified solicitor, and professional conduct can come up in any scenario.
How FLK1 is structured
- 180 questions, split across two timed sessions in one day.
- Single best answer. A scenario, five options, one best answer.
- About 1 minute 42 seconds per question. Pace is part of the test.
- No negative marking. A wrong answer costs the same as a blank, so you answer everything.
- Standard-set. The pass mark moves with each sitting, so you are clearing a bar, not chasing a fixed score.
The six FLK1 subjects
These are the subject areas FLK1 draws from, with the topics under each. Lawdojo has verified questions across all of them.
Business Law & Practice
18 topics
- Business & organisational characteristics (sole trader, partnership, LLP, company)
- Legal personality & limited liability
- Company incorporation & constitution (articles, memorandum)
- Company decision-making & resolutions (board, members, meetings, written resolutions)
- Directors — appointment, duties, removal
- Shareholders — rights & protection (incl. unfair prejudice, derivative claims)
- Share capital — allotment, transfer, maintenance of capital
- Partnership law (Partnership Act 1890)
- Limited liability partnerships
- Financing a business — equity, debt, charges & registration
- Corporate insolvency (liquidation, administration, CVA, receivership, wrongful/fraudulent trading)
- Personal insolvency (bankruptcy, IVAs)
- Income tax
- Capital gains tax (incl. business reliefs)
- Corporation tax
- Value added tax
- Inheritance tax & business property relief
- Taxation of partnerships & sole traders
Dispute Resolution
13 topics
- Analysis of claim — causes of action, forum, merits
- Pre-action conduct & protocols
- Limitation periods
- Parties, issue & service, statements of case
- Tracks & case management
- Interim applications (summary judgment, interim payments, injunctions, security for costs)
- Disclosure & inspection
- Evidence — witness, expert, hearsay
- Settlement & Part 36 offers
- Trial, judgment & interest
- Costs
- Enforcement of judgments
- ADR — mediation & arbitration
Contract
14 topics
- Formation — offer & acceptance
- Consideration & intention to create legal relations
- Privity & third-party rights
- Terms — express, implied, interpretation
- Exemption clauses & unfair terms (UCTA / CRA 2015)
- Misrepresentation
- Mistake
- Duress & undue influence
- Illegality
- Discharge — performance & breach
- Frustration
- Remedies — damages (incl. remoteness, mitigation)
- Equitable remedies (specific performance, injunctions)
- Unjust enrichment & restitution
Tort
10 topics
- Negligence — duty of care
- Negligence — breach & standard of care
- Negligence — causation & remoteness
- Pure economic loss & psychiatric harm
- Employers' liability & vicarious liability
- Occupiers' liability (1957 & 1984 Acts)
- Product liability (Consumer Protection Act 1987)
- Nuisance & Rylands v Fletcher
- Defences (consent, contributory negligence, illegality)
- Remedies & damages in tort
Legal System (incl. Constitutional/Admin & EU)
10 topics
- Courts — structure & jurisdiction
- Sources of law & doctrine of precedent
- Statutory interpretation
- Parliamentary sovereignty & rule of law
- Separation of powers & constitutional conventions
- Royal prerogative
- Judicial review — grounds, standing, remedies
- Human Rights Act 1998 & ECHR
- Retained/assimilated EU law post-Brexit
- Legal personnel & the judiciary
Legal Services
6 topics
- SRA Principles & Code of Conduct
- Regulation & reserved legal activities
- Money laundering & proceeds of crime
- Financial services regulation in legal practice
- Funding options (private, CFA, DBA, legal aid, third-party)
- Client care & complaints handling
How to prepare for FLK1
- Cover all six subjects. The paper draws across everything, so a weak area anywhere costs marks.
- Practise single-best-answer questions at exam pace. Reading notes builds knowledge; sitting questions against the clock builds the skill the exam actually tests.
- Find your weak topics early and close them, rather than meeting them for the first time on the day.
- Track your readiness honestly, and book when the data says you are there.
Common questions
What does FLK1 cover?
FLK1 covers six subject areas: Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract, Tort, the Legal System of England and Wales (including constitutional, administrative and retained EU law), and Legal Services. Ethics and professional conduct run through every question rather than sitting as a separate subject.
How many questions are in FLK1?
FLK1 has 180 single-best-answer questions, sat over two timed sessions in one day. Each question gives a scenario and five options, and one is the single best answer.
How is FLK1 scored?
FLK1 is standard-set, so the pass mark is decided for each sitting against a consistent competence standard. There is no negative marking, so you answer every question. You need to pass both FLK1 and FLK2 to pass SQE1.
Is FLK1 harder than FLK2?
Both papers are set to the same competence standard. Which one you find harder usually comes down to which subjects are your weaker ones. Since you have to pass both, the safe approach is to be solid across the whole syllabus.
How long do you get per question in FLK1?
About 1 minute 42 seconds per question. Pacing is part of the challenge, so practising at that speed matters as much as knowing the law.
Next: FLK2 and its subjects, the full SQE1 syllabus, and the latest SQE1 pass rate. For the whole exam in one place, read the SQE1 guide.
Exam structure and rules are set by the SRA. See the official SQE site for the definitive assessment specification. Subject coverage reflects Lawdojo's syllabus map.