Cover story
Back to the books !
Catherine Baksi writes: ‘We all remember that start-of-term feeling; it is exciting, but also a bit daunting as we wonder what lies ahead.’
About the author
Catherine Baksi is a freelance legal journalist.
For those of you about to embark on the adventure that is gaining your CILEx qualification, do not fear: help is at hand to prepare you for your studies and assist you to get the most of out of them, and avoid the pitfalls of part-time study.
The diversity of those who opt to take the CILEx route means that students will be coming from varying educational and work backgrounds, and will have had different levels of exposure to the law and learning the law along the way. So, take what you find helpful and park the rest!
If you are starting in September, the chances are that you will be beginning the CILEx Level 3 qualification. This typically takes two years and covers 10 subjects, broken up into blocks that are tested by written exams, multiple-choice questions and coursework assignments. If successful, you will receive the Level 3 Certificate at the end of your first year and the Level 3 Diploma at the end of the second.
Alana Diffey is the senior information and governance officer at Blaby District Council in Leicestershire. She has over 10 years’ experience in local government in Australia and in the UK. She is currently combining work with studying via distance learning with CILEx Law School (CLS), and hopes to gain her diploma next summer.
Her introductory words: ‘Students should expect a steep learning curve: there’s a lot to learn and remember for exams, which means a lot of study time. Be prepared not to warm to every subject: you’ll find some units more exciting than others. For example, I loved land law whilst others would be happy to never hear about covenants again,’ she says.
Ella Rychlewski also combines working full-time in CLS’s marketing team with distance learning for the Level 3 Diploma. Having done a degree in communications and politics, law was a completely new subject to her and she had been out of formal education for almost a decade before embarking on the CILEx course.
Yet, Ella says that she has found the course ‘quite approachable so far’ . ‘The manuals I am using (CLS ones) are easy to read, and there are a lot of other course resources available, so the learning is varied’ , she notes.
Suzanne Alexander is the higher education leader for law at Worcester Law School, which offers the Level 3 course. ‘It is one-half day every week from 9 am–1 pm, with a break after one and three-quarter hours. In addition to the class, you should be doing two to three hours per subject outside of college every week,’ advises Suzanne Alexander. ‘We go through the subjects very quickly, so it is important to keep up,’ she adds.
If that has not sent you scuttling off to hide behind the sofa or dash out for a spot of distracting Pokémon Go, here is what you can do to get ready.
‘In addition to stocking up on highlighters, nice pens and sticky notes, I found attending the introductory session offered by CLS essential to feeling prepared to take on study,’ says Alana Diffey. ‘It was a great way of getting to know some of my fellow students too. We’ve kept in touch, and e-mail each other from time to time, with support and encouragement’ .
The first step, advises Ella Rychlewski, is to familiarise yourself with the CILEx qualification structure and requirements, and make a list of the courses you need to complete and the order in which you are going to do them. She highlights the need for a methodical approach to each course. ‘I would suggest printing the course specifications from the CILEx website, and highlighting statutes and key cases; then locate them in your manual, and put a mark next to them so you know which ones they are when you are studying and you can quickly refer back to them.’ She adds: ‘Read your manual once all the way through, as you would a book, then go back and highlight, take notes and annotate, etc.
Combining work and study is a tough call that requires organisation, motivation and drive which, naturally, all CILEx students have in abundance. It is up to the students to organise themselves, says Suzanne Alexander: from getting your manuals in advance to enrolling and paying for the exams.
‘Treat it as you would school: arrive on time with everything you need; keep on top of the work; do a little work every week; and make sure you have understood everything,’ she says, adding that if you start missing weeks, you will very quickly fall behind.
Time, says Ella Rychlewski, is your enemy. Along with diligence, she recommends keeping up the momentum rather than allowing yourself to slack off at the end of each course.
Making a timetable, says Alana Diffey, is essential. ‘While it feels like those exams are a long way off, they come around pretty quick, and there are important deadlines to meet for exam registration and skills unit submissions.’
She continues: ‘Have set study times during the week, and a quiet place to study. Get support from family and friends: it will help to keep you focused (it can be pretty tough to be indoors studying when the sun is shining and everyone is out enjoying themselves!) .’
When it comes to the client care and legal research courses, Ella Rychlewski’s advice is not to leave it until the last minute. ‘They have a different structure and deadlines, and are among the courses students usually find most challenging because of their format. Start them well ahead of the exam session you plan to enter your assignment in, so you have time to resubmit your work if necessary.’ Exam time CILEx exams, says Suzanne Alexander, are three hours long and are ‘technical and diÿcult’ . She tells students to get as much experience doing past papers, which are available from CILEx, as they can to familiarise themselves with what to expect and how to answer them.
Set yourself a revision timetable, suggests Ella Rychlewski, that covers at least 10 weeks leading up to the exam, and ‘make a conscious effort to let everyone around you know that during this period of time you will need more time to study and may be less available for other activities.’
Aside from past papers and suggested answers, there is a range of revision aids, including webcasts, to help you swot up. CLS and other course providers offer revision sessions and study sessions, with feedback from tutors and marked mock exams. So, do take full advantage of what is available.
In addition, if you find auditory learning works for you, you can make your own recordings of your notes on your mobile and play them back to yourself, suggests Suzanne Alexander. If you are a more visual learner, stick cases on post-it notes on your walls.
‘Another tip is to use a small white board and write out key course and case information, then take a picture with your phone so you can review it at your leisure,’ adds Ella Rychlewski.
There will be a plethora of things to juggle as you study, so prioritising is essential. You will, says Ella Rychlewski, need to be realistic about the fact that you may have to make some sacrifices. But keep in mind your goal and the long-term benefits of what you are doing.
‘I have a young family and a partner who works odd hours, so it’s particularly important that we still have family time together. We make sure we put time aside every Sunday to do an activity together,’ she says.
To help achieve a balance, speak to your employer and see if you can work different hours or flexibly.
Alana Diffey says that she finds it easier to focus on her studies if she treats it as an extension of work, setting aside regular study periods throughout the week. ‘My employers support me with study leave, and I use my flexitime and some annual leave nearer to the exams to help with revision’ . She adds: ‘I try to do all of my study during the week, to keep my weekends free for family and social life.’
TOP TIPS FOR STUDY AND EXAM SUCCESS
- Be aware of what does (and doesn’t ) work for you
- Set yourself realistic targets and goals
- Get help and support when required
- Remind yourself what the end result will be
- Be methodical
- Use all available resources
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
It can’t all just be work, work, work: allowing yourself time out to unwind is essential. ‘It can be really daunting to think about how you are going to balance everything, but you need to give yourself enough lead time with your studying that you can afford to take a step back every now and then,’ says Ella Rychlewski.
She points out: ‘The great thing about CILEx courses is that you can stop and start, picking up where you left off. If you won’t be ready for the next exam session, there are only a few months to wait until the next one.’
There is no shame in failing the CILEx exams, says Suzanne Alexander. ‘They are very hard and the pass marks are high.’ So, if you do fail - though initially it may seem like it - it is not the end of the world. You can retake papers any number of times.
Other problems that you may encounter during your studies, says Ella Rychlewski, are ‘lack of time, lack of motivation, lack of discipline and lack of understanding, to name but a few.’ She adds: ‘There will be some parts that just won’t stick or just don’t make sense, no matter how many times you read them.’ But help and wise counsel is on hand from a number of sources, so do not despair.
Course providers should all offer their students support, whether you are going to college or studying by distance learning, says Alana Diffey. In addition, she says that there are the CLS academic help line, the CLS online student area forums, CILEx, and your employer and work colleagues. ‘We’ve also set up a Facebook group so that CILEx students can share study ideas, identify study partners or simply chat. It helps for those of us studying by distance learning, who miss the social element,’ she adds.
Ella Rychlewski points out that you will have a direct line to an academic team or tutor. CLS, she says, offers a telephone line, e-mail and online forums. For course-related questions, she says, your first port of call should be your course provider, which may have set up forums or groups for you to get peer support as well. ‘If I am struggling to understand a topic in my manual, I can phone up the academic team or post a question on the course forum,’ she says. ‘You may also find some informal support groups online as well, though I would recommend always checking the information you receive.’
For information on the exams and membership and registration requirements, you can contact CILEx directly, which also runs a number of social media platforms as well. You also have each other, notes Suzanne Alexander: ‘Support each other: sit down and put your heads together outside college,’ she advises. And you might even have some fun!