Level 3 Diploma in Law
An introduction to how English law is organised and how lawyers reason, through the four areas every law student meets first: contract, crime, tort and employment. One hundred and twenty credits, no examinations, and a research skills unit that pays for itself at Level 4.
Its 120 credits add nothing to a points total and will not satisfy a university offer expressed in points. What it does lead to is a Level 4 diploma delivered by London School of Planning and Management (LSPM), or first-year university entry where a university chooses to allow it. If you need Tariff points, this diploma is the wrong programme for you.
At a glance
- Level3 (RQF)
- Credits120
- Total qualification time1,200 hours
- Guided learning hours480 hours
- Awarding bodyOTHM
- Ofqual number610/3541/5
- Units6 mandatory, 0 optional
- UCAS TariffNone
- Duration9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track)
- Study modesOnline, Blended, Evening classes
- FeesFrom £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track)
- Next intakeRolling intake — course starts when the fee is paid
Level, credits, hours, Ofqual number and unit list are taken from the OTHM qualification specification (PDF) and the Ofqual register. Duration, study modes, fees and intake dates are set by LSPM, not by this site, and are confirmed by its admissions team.
Photograph slot, to be supplied by LSPM and taken at its own premises (this site has no campus): a learner at a library table with a printed judgment covered in pencil notes and a laptop showing a legislation website.
In brief
Law attracts strong feelings and weak information, so it is worth saying what this diploma is. It is a Level 3 introduction to the structure of the English legal system and to four substantive areas: Principles of Contract Law, Principles of Criminal Law, Aspects of Tort Law and Introduction to Employment Law. Introduction to Law and Practice opens the programme and Academic and Research Skills for Law equips you to find, read and cite cases and statutes, which is the single most transferable thing you will learn.
Each unit is 20 credits, six units make 120, and OTHM sets 1,200 hours of total qualification time with 480 guided. It is a regulated qualification on the Ofqual register. It is not A level Law, it does not exempt you from any part of solicitor or barrister training, and it carries no UCAS Tariff points.
Written by Education adviser, CogniPath Education. Not by LSPM. Facts checked against the awarding body specification and the Ofqual register, September 2026.
Who it suits, and who it does not
A good fit if you are
- People who think they want to study law and want to find out properly before committing to a degree.
- Workers in HR, administration, housing or public services who meet contract and employment law daily and want to understand it.
- School or college leavers without Level 3 grades who want the Level 4 law route at LSPM.
- International learners who need a UK Level 3 legal grounding before progression.
Look elsewhere if you are
- Anyone who needs UCAS Tariff points for a law degree offer.
- Learners expecting the diploma to count towards solicitor or barrister qualification. It does not.
- Applicants who want a paralegal or legal secretary occupational award; this is an academic programme.
- People who dislike reading long texts; law is reading before it is anything else.
What you study
six mandatory units of 20 credits each. There are no optional units, so every learner on the programme covers the same ground.
| # | Unit | Type | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Law and Practice | Mandatory | 20 |
| 2 | Principles of Contract Law | Mandatory | 20 |
| 3 | Principles of Criminal Law | Mandatory | 20 |
| 4 | Introduction to Employment Law | Mandatory | 20 |
| 5 | Aspects of Tort Law | Mandatory | 20 |
| 6 | Academic and Research Skills for Law | Mandatory | 20 |
| Total | 6 units | 120 |
Unit titles and credit values from the OTHM qualification specification (PDF).
Introduction to Law and Practice and Academic and Research Skills for Law run together in the first block so that by the time you meet Contract you can already read a judgment. Contract and Tort follow, then Criminal and Employment, which are the two areas learners most often bring their own experience to.
Entry requirements
OTHM sets the formal entry criteria for this qualification and LSPM, as the approved centre, applies them when it admits learners. As published by the awarding body:
- meet their needs
- enable and facilitate learning and achievement
- enable progression
OTHM permits entry from 16 with no fixed grades. Law is reading-heavy, so at interview LSPM asks you to read a short extract from a judgment and say what happened. It is checking comprehension and stamina, not legal knowledge.
Source: the OTHM qualification specification (PDF), which is the definitive statement of the awarding body's criteria. LSPM's admissions team decides eligibility; ask us first if you are unsure whether you meet them.
How you are assessed
One assignment per unit. Contract, Criminal and Tort use problem questions, where you apply the law to a set of facts, which is how law is assessed at every level above this one. Employment and the introductory units use essays. Marked by LSPM's tutors, sampled by OTHM. No examinations.
Assessment is regulated by OTHM under Ofqual's conditions. How awarding bodies and regulation work.
Where it leads: progression to Level 4
The designed route is a Level 4 diploma in law at LSPM, where the same areas return at greater depth alongside new ones. Learners who find the employment and contract units resonate with their working life sometimes progress to a Level 4 business route with a legal emphasis instead.
This diploma has no UCAS Tariff value and does not satisfy a points-based law degree offer. A university may consider a holder for first-year entry to a law degree at its discretion, but qualifying law degrees usually want scored Level 3 grades. Nothing here counts towards professional qualification as a solicitor or barrister.
If you want to compare Level 4 subjects in law before committing to this diploma, our sibling site level4diploma.org is written for exactly that question.
Questions about this programme
Is this diploma equivalent to A level Law?
No. Both are Level 3, but A level Law is a UCAS-scored qualification set by an exam board and assessed by examination. This OTHM diploma is assignment-assessed, is larger at 120 credits, and has no Tariff value. Its purpose is to prepare you for Level 4 study at LSPM.
Will it help me become a solicitor or barrister?
Only indirectly, by helping you find out whether you want to. It gives no exemption from any stage of professional training. The route to qualification runs through a degree or equivalent and the professional assessments set by the regulators.
What is a problem question?
A scenario, usually a page long, describing something that has gone wrong between people or businesses. You identify the legal issues, state the relevant law, apply it to the facts and reach a conclusion. It is how contract, crime and tort are assessed at every level of legal study, and this diploma introduces the method early.
Does it carry UCAS points?
No. It is regulated by Ofqual but UCAS has not allocated points to it. If a law degree quotes a points total, this diploma cannot meet it.
Do I need to buy law books?
LSPM provides access to the core materials for each unit and the research skills unit teaches you to use free legal databases. You may wish to buy an introductory text but it is not required.
Also in Law
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