SQE1 FLK2 Topics — Complete Subject Breakdown

SQE1 FLK2 topics make up the second of the two Functioning Legal Knowledge assessments in Stage 1 of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. FLK2 is sat as 180 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions across two sittings, and you must pass it alongside FLK1 before progressing to SQE2. Where FLK1 leans on the academic foundations of contract, tort and constitutional law, FLK2 is heavier on the everyday transactional and procedural law a junior solicitor actually uses: conveyancing, probate, client money, land, trusts and criminal litigation. This guide breaks down every FLK2 subject, the assessment format, and how to study it efficiently.

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The seven FLK2 subject areas. The SRA Assessment Specification groups FLK2 into: (1) Property Practice; (2) Wills and the Administration of Estates; (3) Solicitors Accounts; (4) Land Law; (5) Trusts; (6) Criminal Law; and (7) Criminal Practice. As with FLK1, professional conduct and ethics are examined pervasively — an SRA Accounts Rules breach or a conflict of interest can surface inside a conveyancing or probate fact pattern, so never treat ethics as a standalone silo.

Assessment format. Each FLK2 sitting contains 90 single-best-answer questions, with 2 hours 33 minutes per sitting. There is no negative marking and no written component — every question is a short scenario followed by five options, only one of which is the best answer for a competent newly-qualified solicitor. Annex 4 of the SRA Assessment Specification sets out approximate weightings, so you can predict roughly how many questions each subject will carry and prioritise revision accordingly.

Property Practice. Residential and commercial conveyancing from instruction to post-completion: investigating title, pre-contract searches and enquiries, the contract, exchange, completion, SDLT and Land Registration. Expect procedural detail — completion mechanics under the Law Society Code, the Standard Conditions of Sale, and leasehold issues. Revise this hub alongside our Property Practice revision hub.

Wills and the Administration of Estates. Validity of wills under the Wills Act 1837, intestacy rules, the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, grants of representation, personal representatives’ duties, inheritance tax, and the distribution of the estate. Heavy on tax computation and the order of distribution. See the Wills and Estates hub.

Solicitors Accounts. The SRA Accounts Rules: client money versus business money, the client account, mixed payments, interest, residual balances, and the discipline of double-entry bookkeeping for a law firm. This is the most rules-mechanical subject in the whole of SQE1 — questions reward candidates who can apply a specific Rule to a ledger scenario rather than recall theory. Drill it with the Solicitors Accounts hub.

Land Law. Estates and interests in land, registered and unregistered title, co-ownership and trusts of land, easements (see our Land Law topic hub), covenants, mortgages, leases and licences, and proprietary estoppel. More doctrinal than Property Practice — this is the “academic” land subject. Use the Land Law revision hub.

Trusts. Express, resulting and constructive trusts, the three certainties, formalities, trustees’ duties and powers, breach of trust and equitable remedies, and tracing. Closely tied to the Equity and Trusts topic hub. Equity questions reward precision on the certainties and fiduciary duties.

Criminal Law. The general principles — actus reus, mens rea, causation, the major offences (homicide, non-fatal offences, theft and fraud, criminal damage) and the general defences. Our mens rea and actus reus guide and criminal causation guide cover the doctrine FLK2 tests most, and the Criminal Law topic hub gathers the leading cases.

Criminal Practice. The procedural twin of Criminal Law: police station advice, the right to silence, bail, the allocation of either-way offences, plea, disclosure, sentencing, and appeals. Revise it with the Criminal Practice hub.

How to study FLK2. FLK2 rewards procedural precision more than essay-style depth, so weight your revision towards rules you can apply mechanically — completion steps, the Accounts Rules, the order of distribution on intestacy, allocation thresholds. Our how to revise for SQE1 guide sets out a full schedule; for FLK2 specifically, front-load timed MCQ practice on Solicitors Accounts and Property Practice, where pattern recognition pays off fastest.

FLK1 and FLK2 together. The two papers are weighted equally and you sit both in the same assessment window. Read this alongside our SQE1 FLK1 topics guide for the complete Stage 1 picture, and our SQE1 vs SQE2 guide to understand what comes after. Build recall with our SQE1 flashcard decks and test application on our SQE1 past papers. When you are ready to drill questions by subject, head to the SQE1 revision hub.