More than three-quarters of candidates who sat the first ever SQE2 exam have passed, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed. However, the latest exam results once again show worrying attainment gaps for a new route to qualification that is supposed to improve accessibility.

Overall, 77% of the 726 candidates who sat SQE2 in April passed. While this is significantly higher than the 53% pass rate for the first SQE1 exam that was held last November, 390 candidates did not need to sit SQE1 because they were exempt.

SQE1 tests candidates' functioning legal knowledge. SQE2 assesses client interview and attendance note, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing and legal drafting in the areas of criminal litigation, dispute resolution, property practice, wills and intestacy, probate administration and practice, and business organisations rules and procedures.

As with the first SQE1 results, the first set of SQE2 results show worrying attainment gaps in terms of education and ethnicity.

The regulator said that typically, the higher a candidate’s degree classification the better they scored: 92% of candidates with a first class degree and 82% of candidates with a 2:1 passed compared to 57% with a 2:2.

White candidates generally performed better than black and asian candidates: pass rates were 72% for asian candidates and 53% for black candidates, compared with 85% for white candidates.

Anna Bradley, SRA board chair, said: ‘We have again seen the troubling and long-standing pattern of differential performance for certain groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates. We have commissioned the University of Exeter to undertake in-depth research into the factors driving the attainment gap for these groups in professional assessments so that we can consider next steps. The data from multiple SQE assessments will also help to provide better insight.’

Geoff Coombe, SQE independent reviewer, said the disparity in achievement across different ethnic groups was 'troubling'. However, he found no evidence of bias in the administration or conduct of the exam, including in candidate feedback. 

Of the 492 candidates who told the SRA they did some qualifying work experience, 80% passed compared with 70% of the 53 candidates who had not done qualifying work experience. Nearly everyone (92%) who declared a disability passed.

 

This article is now closed for comment.