Law Admission Test (LAT)
Sample Paper 2018
Australian Council for Educational Research
Copyright © Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd (ABN: 19 004 398 145) 2018. All
rights reserved. Individuals may make one copy for their own non-commercial, personal use
for the purpose of that individual’s preparation for the LAT.
2
NOTES:
You have a total of 2 hours to complete this test, with no specified word length. However, the
emphasis is on the quality of what you write rather than the number of words.
It is suggested that you spend 10 minutes on each question reading and planning.
Question 1
Your Task
Write an analysis of the arguments contained in the letter which evaluates the strength and
weaknesses of the arguments presented in the letter, and assesses whether the author of the
letter would successfully persuade his readers.
Your analysis will be assessed on the following:
your ability to critically analyse the opinions and arguments presented;
your ability to evaluate the persuasiveness of the arguments presented;
how effectively you express yourself including the structure and organisation of your
analysis.
Background Facts
The Canary Beach Shire Council, on the North Coast of New South Wales, has proposed banning
alcohol and live music in public parks during ‘Schoolies week’,1 and to run a campaign via
traditional and social media with the aim of discouraging their town as a destination for
Schoolies. Some local business owners oppose the ban. Below is a letter published in the local
newspaper:
Dear Sirs,
As a local I know what most people expect me to say. I hate ‘Schoolies’ week. It’s
rubbish, it’s full of drunk teenagers, it’s a blight on our small town. But, no, that’s not
what I think at all. I know this will surprise people, in fact, I have told some people
already and the look of horror on their faces is as though I have told them I think the town
should be bulldozed to make way for a new multi-lane highway. In fact, not supporting
Schoolies is the thing that will probably kill this town.
We are a small regional town and surely everyone here is painfully aware that the
economy at the moment is not exactly great for those who don’t live in the big cities. Last
year’s Australia Day ban on drinking in the parks only hurt local businesses, it didn’t stop
any partying, they just did it somewhere else. Maybe the city councillors and uptight
residents enjoyed their ‘head-in-the-sand’ moment of pretending they have solved
something, but they are in denial. We were all meant to shake our heads and throw up our
hands in despair. But, what they haven’t told you is that this year they will probably
spend five times that amount policing the ban. Add in the lost revenue of local businesses
and you can start to see what a stupid knee-jerk reaction this is.
1 Schoolies week’, is a week of celebrations to mark the end of the final year of senior school.
3
I know lots of people say ‘it’s not schoolies we’re against, it’s promoting Can...
