Start with the official specification
The controlling source is the SRA’s SQE1 Assessment Specification, applicable to assessments from 1 September 2026 and marked as updated April 2026. This page is a study map, not a replacement for that document.
The SRA assesses functioning legal knowledge through single-best-answer questions. FLK1 and FLK2 are separate assessments, and ethics and professional conduct are assessed pervasively rather than as a standalone paper.
Assessment format by sitting
Up to and including July 2026
180 questions per FLK
Each FLK paper was split into two sessions of 90 questions. Each session lasted 2 hours 33 minutes. July 2026 was the last sitting with 180 questions per paper.
From January 2027
170 questions per FLK
Each FLK paper is split into two sessions of 85 questions, with 2 hours 33 minutes per session. Subjects are allocated to fixed session groups, while questions remain randomised within a session.
Read the SRA announcement, published 10 September 2026 or Solon Prep’s January 2027 format guide.
The January 2027 sitting examines the law in force on 11 September 2026 (SRA booking windows, checked 30 September 2026).
September 2026 specification changes
The updated FLK specification applies from 1 September 2026. Tax rates, relief values and thresholds needed for a question are now supplied in it; “the appeal system” was removed from FLK1 Legal System, and criminal legal aid was removed from Legal Services. Sources: SRA assessment specification (updated April 2026, checked 30 September 2026) and SRA changes summary (checked 30 September 2026).
Official FLK1 and FLK2 subject areas
The following 13 areas reproduce the SRA’s high-level categories. Consult the official assessment-topics overview and specification for the detailed scope.
FLK1 · seven areas
- 1Business Law and Practice
- 2Dispute Resolution
- 3Contract
- 4Tort
- 5Legal System of England and Wales
- 6Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law
- 7Legal Services
FLK2 · six areas
- 1Property Practice
- 2Wills and the Administration of Estates
- 3Solicitors Accounts
- 4Land Law
- 5Trusts
- 6Criminal Law and Practice
Pervasive ethics
Ethics and professional conduct can be tested across both FLK1 and FLK2. They should be integrated into subject practice rather than treated as a separate topic to leave until the end.
A scenario may require both legal analysis and recognition of the professional obligations that shape the best response.
Official categories and Solon Prep chapter groupings
The official SRA list above contains seven FLK1 areas and six FLK2 areas. Solon Prep’s Essential SQE1 Questions uses a product-specific chapter structure for its 500 questions. Those chapter labels and question counts are editorial groupings, not an official SRA allocation or blueprint.
Use the free worked questions to connect subject areas to applied SBA practice.