SQE1 vs LLB: What's the Difference?

SQE1 vs LLB is a comparison that confuses many aspiring solicitors, because the two are often spoken of as alternatives when they are really different stages of becoming a lawyer. The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) launched in September 2021 as the new route to qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales. It sits alongside the LLB as a pathway — not a replacement — and the two differ fundamentally in what they test and how.

Caselaw is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SRA or Kaplan. “SQE” refers to the Solicitors Qualifying Examination and is used descriptively.

The LLBis a three-year undergraduate degree covering the Foundations of Legal Knowledge: contract, tort, criminal, constitutional & administrative, land, equity & trusts, and EU/human rights law. The degree develops analytical writing, mooting, and research skills. It does not guarantee a training contract or qualify you as a solicitor — it is the academic stage only.

SQE1 tests functional legal knowledge across two papers, FLK1 (the academic foundations — contract, tort, legal system, constitutional and criminal law) and FLK2 (the transactional and procedural law — property practice, wills, solicitors accounts, land, trusts and criminal practice). Each is 180 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions, sat at Pearson VUE test centres. There are no essays — purely applied knowledge under time pressure.

Key differences. The LLB rewards depth and argument; SQE1 rewards breadth and speed. SQE1 covers areas the LLB does not require (such as Wills & Administration and Solicitors Accounts) and vice versa (the LLB gives you dedicated EU law and jurisprudence modules and the space to write a dissertation). Crucially, holding a qualifying law degree does not exempt you from any part of the SQE — you still sit both papers. The assessments test different things: the LLB asks you to evaluate the law, while SQE1 asks you to identify the single best answer a competent newly-qualified solicitor would choose.

How they fit together. For most candidates these are sequential, not rival, choices. You typically take a degree (the LLB or any other subject, sometimes via the GDL conversion route), then prepare for and sit SQE1, then SQE2, alongside two years of qualifying work experience. The foundation cases and concepts are the same either way, which is why an LLB is excellent preparation for SQE1 even though it grants no exemption. See our how to revise for SQE1 guide for the preparation that bridges the two.

SQE2 and cost. SQE2 tests practical legal skills (client interview, advocacy, legal drafting and legal research) and follows SQE1 and qualifying work experience. The entire SQE route is significantly cheaper than the old LPC route for many candidates. Build the underlying knowledge with our flashcards and topic hubs, then practise with our SQE1 FLK1 and FLK2 quizzes and past papers.