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100+ Free FE-1 Criminal Law Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: FE-1 Criminal Law Exam

1997 / 2001 / 2006 Acts

Core Irish Criminal Statutes

Law Society of Ireland FE-1 syllabus

3 hours

Single Written Paper (3.5 hrs online)

Law Society of Ireland

Answer 4 of 5

Essay/Problem Questions

Law Society of Ireland

50%

Pass Mark Per Subject

Law Society of Ireland

7 years

To Pass All 8 FE-1 Subjects

Law Society of Ireland

100+

Practice Questions Here

OpenExamPrep question bank

FE-1 Criminal Law is one of eight subjects in the Law Society of Ireland's FE-1, the entrance examination for solicitor training in Ireland. The paper is a single three-hour essay/problem exam (3.5 hours online) of five questions, of which candidates answer four, with a 50% pass mark. It is examined on Irish criminal statutes and case law. Core topics include the general principles of liability (actus reus, mens rea, and causation), inchoate offences and parties, and homicide. The statutory offences are central: non-fatal offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 and property and fraud offences under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. The defences include insanity and diminished responsibility under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006, self-defence, duress, and intoxication. The FE-1 is sat twice yearly (Spring and Autumn), subjects can be taken individually, and all eight must be passed within seven years.

Sample FE-1 Criminal Law Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your FE-1 Criminal Law exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1D, intending to kill V, fires a gun at V but the bullet misses entirely and V is unharmed. Under Irish law, what is the correct analysis of D's criminal liability?
A.D is liable for attempted murder because he had the intent to kill and performed a sufficiently proximate act
B.D is not liable for any offence because no harm was caused to V
C.D is liable only for the summary offence of careless discharge of a firearm
D.D is liable for murder because the mens rea for murder was present
Explanation: Attempt requires the mens rea of the substantive offence plus an act sufficiently proximate to (more than merely preparatory to) its commission. Firing a loaded gun at the victim with intent to kill clearly crosses the proximity threshold, so D is liable for attempted murder.
2Under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1964, what is the mens rea required for the offence of murder in Ireland?
A.Recklessness as to whether death or serious injury would result
B.An intention to kill or cause serious injury to some person
C.Gross negligence causing death
D.An intention to cause any harm, however slight, to the victim
Explanation: Section 4(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1964 provides that, where a person kills another unlawfully, the killing shall not be murder unless the accused intended to kill, or cause serious injury to, some person. Recklessness or negligence is insufficient for murder.
3D punches V in the face during an argument, causing V's nose to bleed and bruising to form. Which offence under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 most accurately reflects D's conduct?
A.Assault simpliciter under section 2
B.Causing serious harm under section 4
C.Assault causing harm under section 3
D.Coercion under section 9
Explanation: Section 3 of the 1997 Act criminalises assault causing harm, where 'harm' means harm to body or mind and includes pain and unconsciousness. A bleeding nose and bruising constitute harm beyond a mere assault simpliciter under section 2.
4How is 'serious harm' defined for the purposes of section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997?
A.Any injury requiring hospital treatment of any kind
B.Harm to the body or mind, including pain and unconsciousness
C.Any injury causing the victim to be absent from work for more than three days
D.Injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious disfigurement or substantial loss or impairment of mobility or of the function of any bodily member or organ
Explanation: Section 1 of the 1997 Act defines 'serious harm' as injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious disfigurement or substantial loss or impairment of the mobility of the body as a whole or of the function of any particular bodily member or organ.
5D dishonestly takes V's bicycle from outside a shop, intending to keep it permanently. Which provision of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 does this most directly engage?
A.Section 12 (burglary)
B.Section 14 (robbery)
C.Section 4 (theft)
D.Section 17 (handling stolen property)
Explanation: Section 4 of the 2001 Act defines theft: a person is guilty of theft if he or she dishonestly appropriates property without the consent of its owner and with the intention of depriving its owner of it. Taking the bicycle to keep it permanently satisfies all elements.
6Which test for the actus reus of attempt is applied in Irish law to determine whether the accused has gone beyond mere preparation?
A.The last act test, requiring the accused to have done everything within his power
B.The equivocality test, asking whether the act unequivocally pointed to the crime alone
C.The substantial step test imported from the US Model Penal Code
D.The proximity test, asking whether the act was sufficiently proximate to (more than merely preparatory to) the completed offence
Explanation: Irish courts apply a proximity test: the accused must have done an act that is sufficiently proximate to, and more than merely preparatory to, the commission of the substantive offence. The act need not be the final act the accused could perform.
7In The People (DPP) v Murray [1977] IR 360, the Supreme Court considered the mens rea of recklessness in the context of capital murder. What did the Court hold regarding the standard of recklessness as to consequences?
A.Recklessness as to consequences is to be assessed subjectively, requiring actual advertence by the accused to the risk
B.Recklessness is to be assessed by a purely objective standard of the reasonable person
C.Recklessness is irrelevant to murder because only intention will suffice
D.Recklessness must be proved to the civil standard of the balance of probabilities
Explanation: In The People (DPP) v Murray, the Supreme Court held that the test for recklessness as to consequences is subjective: the accused must actually have adverted to the risk and consciously taken it. This established subjective recklessness as the Irish standard.
8D, charged with murder, raises the partial defence of diminished responsibility under section 6 of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006. Who bears the burden of proof and to what standard?
A.The prosecution, beyond reasonable doubt
B.The defence, on the balance of probabilities
C.The prosecution, on the balance of probabilities
D.The defence, beyond reasonable doubt
Explanation: Section 6(2) of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 provides that it is for the defence to establish diminished responsibility. The accused bears the burden of persuasion on the balance of probabilities; success reduces murder to manslaughter.
9D enters a dwelling house through an unlocked window as a trespasser, intending to steal jewellery inside. Before he can take anything he is disturbed and flees. Which offence under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 has D committed?
A.No offence, because nothing was actually stolen
B.Theft under section 4
C.Robbery under section 14
D.Burglary under section 12
Explanation: Under section 12 of the 2001 Act, a person is guilty of burglary if he enters a building or part of a building as a trespasser with intent to commit an arrestable offence (such as theft). The offence is complete on entry with that intent, even if nothing is taken.
10D and E agree to rob a bank together and take concrete preparatory steps. Before any robbery occurs, they are arrested. Even though no robbery took place, which inchoate offence are D and E most clearly liable for by virtue of their agreement?
A.Conspiracy
B.Incitement
C.Attempt
D.Aiding and abetting
Explanation: Conspiracy is committed when two or more persons agree to pursue an unlawful purpose. The agreement itself is the actus reus, so the offence is complete on agreement even if the substantive crime is never attempted or carried out.

About the FE-1 Criminal Law Exam

FE-1 Criminal Law is one of eight subjects in the Law Society of Ireland's Final Examination - First Part (FE-1), the entrance examination that must be passed to begin solicitor training in Ireland. Each subject is examined by a single three-hour paper (3.5 hours for online sittings) of five essay and problem questions, of which candidates answer four, and a mark of 50% is required to pass. The Criminal Law paper tests the general principles of criminal liability (actus reus, mens rea, and causation), inchoate offences and parties, homicide, non-fatal offences against the person under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, property offences under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, and the defences, including insanity and diminished responsibility under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006, self-defence, and intoxication. The paper is grounded in Irish statutes and case law, not their English equivalents. Candidates may sit the eight FE-1 subjects individually and have seven years from their first sitting to pass all of them.

Assessment

Question count not published by the exam provider

Time Limit

3 hours (3.5 hours online)

Passing Score

50% per subject

Exam Fee

EUR 128 per subject (2026; recheck EUR 154) (Law Society of Ireland)

FE-1 Criminal Law Exam Content Outline

22%

General Principles of Liability

Actus reus and the requirement of a voluntary act or culpable omission, the forms of mens rea (intention, recklessness, and criminal negligence), the coincidence principle, factual and legal causation including novus actus interveniens, and strict liability

15%

Inchoate Offences & Parties

The inchoate offences of attempt, conspiracy, and incitement and their respective mental elements, the law of participation (principals, aiders, abettors, counsellors, and procurers), joint enterprise, and withdrawal from a common design

18%

Homicide

Murder and its statutory mens rea, the partial defence of provocation reducing murder to voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter by an unlawful and dangerous act or by gross negligence, and infanticide

18%

Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person

The statutory offences in the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 - assault, assault causing harm, causing serious harm, syringe and threat offences, coercion, harassment, and false imprisonment - together with the law on consent

15%

Property Offences

Theft and the dishonest appropriation of property, robbery, burglary and aggravated burglary, making gain or causing loss by deception and other fraud offences, and handling stolen property under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001

12%

Defences

Insanity and diminished responsibility under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006, self-defence and the use of reasonable force, duress and necessity, the distinction between specific and basic intent for intoxication, and mistake of fact

How to Pass the FE-1 Criminal Law Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 50% per subject
  • Assessment: Question count not published by the exam provider
  • Time limit: 3 hours (3.5 hours online)
  • Exam fee: EUR 128 per subject (2026; recheck EUR 154)

Keys to Passing

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

FE-1 Criminal Law Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build every problem answer from the general principles outward - establish the actus reus, the mens rea, and causation first, then layer on the specific offence and any defence
2Learn the statutory offences by their Irish Acts: the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 for assault and harm, and the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 for theft, robbery, burglary, and fraud
3Master the homicide ladder - the mens rea for murder, the partial defence of provocation reducing murder to manslaughter, and the two routes to involuntary manslaughter (unlawful and dangerous act and gross negligence)
4Know the defences with precision, especially insanity and diminished responsibility under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 and the specific-versus-basic-intent rule for intoxication
5Do not import English authorities - the examiner wants Irish statutes and Irish case law, so cite the Irish Acts and decisions even where the underlying common-law principle is shared
6Practice full essay and problem answers under three-hour timed conditions, answering four of five questions, and use Law Society past papers to learn the examiners' recurring fact patterns

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the FE-1 Criminal Law exam?

FE-1 Criminal Law is one of eight subjects in the Law Society of Ireland's Final Examination - First Part (FE-1), the entrance examination required to begin solicitor training in Ireland. The Criminal paper tests Irish criminal law, including general principles, homicide, non-fatal and property offences, and the defences, drawing on Irish statutes and case law.

How is the FE-1 Criminal Law paper structured?

It is a single three-hour written paper (3.5 hours for online sittings) containing five essay and problem questions, of which candidates must answer four. There are no multiple-choice questions; answers are full written essays and problem analyses. A mark of 50% is required to pass the subject.

Which statutes are central to FE-1 Criminal Law?

Key statutes include the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 (assault and harm offences), the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (theft, robbery, burglary, and fraud), and the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 (insanity and diminished responsibility). These are Irish statutes and must not be confused with their English counterparts.

Does FE-1 Criminal Law follow English law?

No. The FE-1 Criminal Law paper is examined on Irish criminal law - Irish statutes and the decisions of the Irish courts. While some common-law principles overlap with English law, candidates must apply the Irish statutory framework, such as the 1997, 2001, and 2006 Acts, and Irish authorities, not English ones.

How much does the FE-1 cost and how often is it held?

The FE-1 is held twice a year, typically in Spring (around March) and Autumn (around October). The examination fee is approximately EUR 128 per subject (candidates should recheck the current fee, which may be around EUR 154). Each of the eight subjects is paid for and sat individually.

How long do I have to pass all eight FE-1 subjects?

Candidates have seven years from their first sitting to pass all eight FE-1 subjects. The subjects may be sat individually across multiple sittings, and a pass of 50% in each subject is required. Passes achieved within the window remain valid for the seven-year period.