📚 Common Misconceptions in Year 9 Edexcel Law and How to Correct Them | Year 9 Edexcel 法律常见误区与纠正方法
Studying law at Year 9 introduces you to the foundations of the English legal system, but many students develop misunderstandings that can lead to errors in tests and exams. This article addresses the most common misconceptions and explains exactly how to correct them, helping you build a more accurate understanding of legal principles.
在九年级学习法律课程时，你会接触到英国法律体系的基础知识，但许多学生容易形成错误的理解，从而在测验和考试中出现失误。本文将探讨最常见的误区并解释如何纠正它们，帮助你建立更准确的法律概念。
1. Civil Law Is the Same as Criminal Law | 民法与刑法相同
One of the most widespread misconceptions is that all legal cases involve crime. In reality, the law is divided into criminal law and civil law, which have completely different purposes and outcomes.
最普遍的误区之一是认为所有法律案件都涉及犯罪。实际上，法律分为刑法和民法，二者具有完全不同的目的和结果。
In criminal law, the state prosecutes individuals for offences such as theft or assault, and penalties can include fines or imprisonment. Civil law, on the other hand, deals with private disputes between individuals or organisations—like breach of contract or personal injury—and the usual remedy is financial compensation, not punishment.
在刑法中，国家起诉犯下盗窃或袭击等罪行的个人，处罚可能包括罚款或监禁。而民法处理的是个人或组织之间的私人纠纷——例如违约或人身伤害——通常的补救方式是经济赔偿，而非惩罚。
Remember that a single event can give rise to both criminal and civil liability, but the cases are tried in separate courts and with different standards of proof.
请记住，单一事件可能同时产生刑事和民事责任，但案件会在不同的法院审理，适用不同的证明标准。
2. Judges Can Simply Create New Laws | 法官可以随意创造新法律
Many pupils think that judges have the power to make brand-new laws just as Parliament does. While judges do develop the law through their decisions, they are bound by the doctrine of precedent and cannot override statutes.
许多学生认为法官可以和议会一样随意制定全新的法律。虽然法官确实通过裁决发展法律，但他们受先例原则约束，不能推翻成文法。
When a senior court decides a novel point, that ruling becomes a precedent that lower courts must follow. This is how common law evolves, but Parliament remains sovereign and can always pass a new Act to change the judge-made law if it disagrees.
当高级别法院对一个新问题作出裁决时，该判决就成为下级法院必须遵循的先例。这就是普通法的演变方式，但议会始终拥有主权，如果不认同法官造法，总能通过新的法案加以改变。
3. The Police Make the Laws | 警察制定法律
A common error is to believe that because police officers enforce rules, they must be the ones who create them. In fact, the primary law-making body in the UK is Parliament, which passes Acts of Parliament (statutes).
一个常见错误是认为既然警察负责执行规则，他们就必然是规则的制定者。事实上，英国的主要立法机构是议会，由议会通过各项法案（成文法）。
The police are part of the executive branch of government; their role is to uphold the law, investigate crimes, and maintain public order. They cannot decide what is illegal—that power belongs to Parliament and, to a limited extent, to the courts when they interpret legislation.
警察属于政府的行政部门；其职责是维护法律、调查犯罪并维持公共秩序。他们不能决定什么行为违法——该项权力属于议会，在有限的程度上也属于法院在解释立法时的权力。
4. Juries Decide Questions of Law | 陪审团决定法律问题
Students often think that a jury has the final say on both the facts of the case and the law that applies. In truth, the judge and the jury have strictly separate functions.
学生常以为陪审团对案件事实和适用法律拥有最终决定权。实际上，法官和陪审团各有明确分工。
In a Crown Court trial, the judge explains the relevant law to the jury and sums up the evidence. The jury's job is to decide the facts—for instance, did the defendant commit the act?—and then apply the law as directed by the judge. Questions of law, such as whether a piece of evidence is admissible, are for the judge alone.
在刑事法院的审判中，法官向陪审团解释相关法律并总结证据。陪审团的职责是认定事实——例如，被告是否实施了该行为？——然后按照法官的指示适用法律。法律问题，例如某项证据是否可采纳，完全由法官决定。
5. Ignorance of the Law Is a Valid Defence | 不知法可以作为有效抗辩
It seems fair to argue that if you did not know something was illegal, you should not be punished. However, the legal system operates on the maxim 'ignorance of the law is no excuse' (ignorantia juris non excusat).
人们似乎可以合理地主张：如果你不知道某事违法，就不应该受到惩罚。然而，法律体系奉行“不知法律不免责”（ignorantia juris non excusat）这一格言。
Everyone is presumed to know the law, so a defendant cannot escape liability simply by claiming they were unaware of a particular rule. There are very rare exceptions where a statute specifically requires proof of knowledge, but these are unusual and should not be assumed in everyday crime.
法律推定人人都应知法，因此被告不能仅凭声称自己不知道某项规定就免于责任。极少数例外情况是，某些法规特别要求证明被告人知道违法事实才能定罪，但这些情况很罕见，不能推及于普通犯罪。
6. All Crimes Require a Guilty Mind (Mens Rea) | 所有犯罪都需要犯罪意图
In criminal law, the majority of offences consist of two elements: the actus reus (guilty act) and the mens rea (guilty mind). Many learners therefore assume that every crime requires proof of a guilty mind, but this is not always the case.
在刑法中，大多数罪行由两个要件构成：犯罪行为（actus reus）和犯罪意图（mens rea）。因此，许多学习者认为每一项犯罪都必须证明犯罪意图，但实际上并非总是如此。
Offences of strict liability do not require mens rea for at least part of the actus reus. These are often regulatory crimes designed to protect the public, such as selling alcohol to a minor or speeding. Even if the defendant honestly believed the customer was over 18, they can still be convicted.
严格责任犯罪对于至少部分犯罪行为不要求犯罪意图。这类犯罪通常是旨在保护公众的监管性罪行，例如向未成年人售酒或超速驾驶。即使被告真诚相信顾客已满18岁，仍可被定罪。
7. Parliament Is the Only Source of Law | 议会是法律的唯一来源
Because Parliament is sovereign and its Acts are supreme, students often conclude that all law comes from statutes. In fact, a huge amount of English law is common law—rules developed by judges over centuries—and equity, which supplements the common law.
因为议会拥有主权且其立法至高无上，学生常常认为所有法律都来自成文法。事实上，英国法律的很大部分由普通法——法官数世纪以来发展的规则——以及补充普通法的衡平法组成。
The tort of negligence, for example, was largely created by the courts through cases such as Donoghue v Stevenson, not by an Act of Parliament. Modern statutes sometimes codify these judge-made rules, but the underlying principles remain rooted in case law.
以过失侵权为例，它主要是通过像Donoghue v Stevenson这样的判例由法院创设的，而非由议会法案制定。现代成文法有时会把这类法官造法规则编纂起来，但其基本原则仍然根植于判例法。
8. EU Law No Longer Matters in the UK After Brexit | 脱欧后欧盟法律在英国不再重要
With the UK's departure from the European Union, a common misunderstanding is that all EU law immediately ceased to apply. The reality is more complicated and directly relevant to the legal system you are studying.
随着英国脱离欧盟，一个常见的误解是认为所有欧盟法律立即停止适用。实际情况要复杂得多，而且与你正在学习的法律体系直接相关。
The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 converted a vast body of EU law into 'retained EU law', which remains part of UK domestic law. This means thousands of regulations and decisions continue to have effect until Parliament or the UK courts decide to change or replace them.
2018年《脱离欧盟法》将大量欧盟法律转化为“保留的欧盟法律”，使其继续成为英国国内法的一部分。这意味着成千上万的法规和判决继续有效，直到议会或英国法院决定修改或取代它们。
9. Rights Under the Human Rights Act Are Absolute | 人权法下的权利是绝对的
Some pupils think that the Human Rights Act 1998 gives every individual unconditional rights that cannot be interfered with. In truth, many of these rights are qualified or limited.
有些学生认为1998年《人权法》赋予每个人无条件的、不可干涉的权利。事实上，许多权利是有限制或可限制的。
For example, Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life) is a qualified right: the state may interfere with it if the interference is in accordance with the law and necessary in a democratic society for reasons such as national security, public safety, or the prevention of crime. Courts balance individual rights against the wider public interest through a proportionality test.
例如，第8条（尊重私生活和家庭生活的权利）是一项有限制的权利：如果国家依据法律进行干预，且为了国家安全、公共安全或预防犯罪等理由，在民主社会中具有必要性，则国家可以干预。法院通过比例性审查来平衡个人权利与更广泛的公共利益。
10. All Contracts Must Be Written to Be Valid | 所有合同都必须书面形式才能有效
When students see that important agreements like mobile phone contracts are written, they often assume that a contract is only legally binding if it is in writing and signed. That is not the general rule.
当学生看到手机合同等重要协议都是书面的，他们往往以为只有写成文字并签字的合同才具有法律约束力。这不是一般规则。
In English law, a contract can be formed orally, in writing, or even by conduct, as long as the essential elements are present: offer, acceptance, consideration, and an intention to create legal relations. For instance, buying a sandwich in a shop creates a contract without any signed document. Only a few types of contract, such as a contract for the sale of land, must be made in writing by law.
在英国法律中，只要要约、承诺、对价和建立法律关系的意图等基本要素具备，合同可以通过口头、书面甚至行为成立。例如，在商店里买一个三明治就成立了一份合同，无需任何签署文件。只有少数类型的合同，如土地买卖合同，法律强制要求采用书面形式。
Published by TutorHao | Law Revision Series | aleveler.com
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