SRA Performance Indicators for SQE2.
Every criterion the SRA uses to mark the six SQE2 stations — listed verbatim, explained for candidates, with the marking band system that converts them into a score.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), applicable from 1 September 2026. All URLs accessed 2026-06-09.
What Performance Indicators are.
For each of the six SQE2 stations, the SRA publishes a specific list of criteria against which every candidate’s attempt is scored. These criteria are formally called the assessment criteria in the SRA’s own documentation; the phrase “Performance Indicators” is the candidate-facing shorthand that has become standard across the SQE2 preparation community.
Each indicator names a discrete skill or knowledge standard. A trained assessor reads the candidate’s attempt and awards a band from A to F for each indicator, making what the SRA describes as a global professional judgment against the standard of a competent newly qualified solicitor.
The indicators are split into two categories across most stations: skills (how the candidate communicates, structures, and presents their answer) and application of law (whether they have identified and applied the correct legal principles, including ethics and professional conduct). The Client Interview is the only station with skills indicators alone — it is assessed by the person playing the client, not by a solicitor-marker.
Understanding the indicators matters because they tell you exactly what the examiner is looking for before you sit. They are not hidden. The SRA publishes them in the Assessments in SQE2 document. The preparation gap for most candidates is not knowing what the indicators say — it is not having practised against them at sufficient volume to close the gap between reading them and executing against them under timed conditions.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09.
How SQE2 marking actually works.
Every indicator is scored on a six-point band scale. The SRA’s own definitions are:
| Band | SRA definition | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| A | Superior performance: well above the competency requirements of the assessment | 5 |
| B | Clearly satisfactory: clearly meets the competency requirements of the assessment | 4 |
| C | Marginal pass: on balance, just meets the competency requirements of the assessment | 3 |
| D | Marginal fail: on balance, just fails to meet the competency requirements of the assessment | 2 |
| E | Clearly unsatisfactory: clearly does not meet the competency requirements of the assessment | 1 |
| F | Poor performance: well below the competency requirements of the assessment | 0 |
Source: SRA SQE2 Assessment Specification (April 2026), Marking SQE2 → Overview, accessed 2026-06-09.
The pass mark and how it is set
The SQE2 pass mark is set using the Modified Angoff method — a process in which a panel of qualified assessors determines, indicator by indicator, the minimum mark a just-competent newly qualified solicitor would be expected to achieve. The resulting standard is then placed at a score of 300 on a scaled range, with all candidate scores scaled relative to that point.
There is one pass mark for SQE2 as a whole. There is no separate pass mark for the oral component and the written component — a candidate must achieve the overall mark across all assessments combined.
Equal weighting of skills and application of law
Across the assessment as a whole, the SRA weights skills indicators and application-of-law indicators equally. The SRA explains this directly: “This is to make sure that adequate weighting is given to the quality of the advice provided.” In practical terms, a technically correct answer that is poorly communicated is not sufficient — and equally, a well-written answer that misapplies the law is not sufficient.
What the SRA does not mark you on
The SRA is explicit that candidates are not required to recall specific case names or cite statutory authorities (except in the Legal Research station, where identifying sources is itself an indicator). Spelling mistakes do not cost marks unless they impair the legal accuracy or clarity of the answer. Poor formatting does not cost marks either, given the constraints of the Pearson VUE test platform. Ethics and professional conduct issues will never be flagged by the scenario — candidates must identify them independently and exercise judgment to resolve them honestly.
Sources: SRA SQE Marking and Standard Setting Policy and SRA SQE2 Assessment Specification (April 2026), both accessed 2026-06-09.
Performance Indicators by station.
Verbatim from the SRA’s Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09. Explanatory notes written by Kellys.
Legal Writing
You are asked to write a letter or email as the solicitor, applying the law to the client's concerns and addressing it to a specified recipient — a client, a third party, opposing solicitors, or a partner.
Skills
Include relevant facts.
The examiner checks that your letter or email contains the facts the recipient needs. Irrelevant facts dilute the communication; missing facts leave the recipient without the information they need to act.
Use a logical structure.
The structure should be coherent from the recipient’s perspective, not from the chronological order of the scenario materials. Typically: context, the legal position, advice, and next steps.
Advice/content is client and recipient focused.
A letter to a client reads differently from a letter to opposing solicitors. The advice must address what the recipient needs to understand or do — not a general legal essay on the subject.
Use clear, precise, concise and acceptable language which is appropriate to the recipient.
Avoid legalese when writing to a lay client. Be more precise with technical terminology when writing to a solicitor or barrister. Conciseness matters under time pressure — unnecessary repetition or padding will be apparent.
Application of law
Apply the law correctly to the client's situation.
You must reach the right legal conclusion on the facts. The assessor will be a solicitor who can identify errors in the substantive law as applied.
Apply the law comprehensively to the client's situation.
Covering the main legal issues is not enough if relevant sub-issues or qualifications go unaddressed. Comprehensive application means all material legal points are identified and dealt with.
Identifying any ethical and professional conduct issues and exercising judgment to resolve them honestly and with integrity.
The scenario will not flag ethical issues for you. You must spot them — conflicts of interest, duties of confidentiality, duties to the court — and handle them correctly in your answer.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09.
Legal Drafting
You are asked to draft a legal document or parts of one — from a precedent, by amending an existing draft, or from scratch. The document type will vary: clause, agreement, statement of case, witness statement.
Skills
Use clear, precise, concise and acceptable language.
Drafted documents carry legal effect. Ambiguous wording, redundant clauses, or inappropriate register — colloquial language in a formal deed — will cost marks. Every word in a legal document should earn its place.
Structure the document appropriately and logically.
A well-structured document moves from recitals or definitions through operative provisions to schedules and execution in the conventional order. Structure signals drafting competence before the examiner reads a word of substantive content.
Application of law
Draft a document which is legally correct.
The document must achieve its intended legal effect. A clause that fails to create the right obligation, or a definition that produces an unintended result, is a legal error that costs marks.
Draft a document which is legally comprehensive.
Comprehensive drafting addresses all material provisions, not just the obvious ones. A sale agreement that omits a completion mechanism, or a tenancy that lacks a repair covenant, is legally incomplete.
Identifying any ethical and professional conduct issues and exercising judgment to resolve them honestly and with integrity.
Drafting instructions can contain embedded professional conduct issues — a clause the client wants that is unenforceable, misleading, or in breach of professional rules. You are expected to spot them.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09.
Legal Research
You are given a bundle of sources — some relevant, some not — and asked to produce a written note to a partner explaining your legal reasoning, the key sources you rely on, and the advice the partner should give the client. No research trail is required.
Skills
Identify and use relevant sources and information.
Legal Research is the one station where source identification is explicitly scored. From a bundle containing both relevant and irrelevant sources, you must select the right ones and build your analysis on them. Using an irrelevant source as if it were applicable will cost marks.
Provide advice which is client-focused and addresses the client's problem.
The note is addressed to a partner, but it is ultimately about the client. The advice must solve the client's actual problem — not offer an academic overview of an area of law.
Use clear, precise, concise and acceptable language.
The partner note is an internal legal document. It should be precise enough for a solicitor to rely on and concise enough to be read quickly under practice conditions.
Application of law
Apply the law correctly to the client's situation.
Legal Research is the one station where citing authorities is expected — you have been given sources precisely so you can deploy them. Correct application means the legal conclusion follows from the sources you identify.
Apply the law comprehensively to the client's situation.
Not all material legal points will be obvious from the instructions. A comprehensive analysis identifies issues the partner brief may not have explicitly raised but which the source bundle signals are relevant.
Identifying any ethical and professional conduct issues and exercising judgment to resolve them honestly and with integrity.
Even a research note may surface professional conduct issues — a conflict between what the client wants to do and what the law permits, or a client instruction that raises money-laundering concerns.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09.
Case and Matter Analysis
You are asked to produce a written report to a partner giving a legal analysis of a case and providing client-focused advice. This may include options and strategies for negotiation.
Skills
Identify relevant facts.
Case and Matter Analysis presents a fact-dense case study. The examiner is looking for your ability to extract the material facts from the background noise. Listing every fact in the scenario is not identification — selection is.
Provide client-focused advice.
The partner report is ultimately a vehicle for client advice. The analysis should result in clear recommendations — what the client should do, what the risks are, what the viable options are — not an abstract legal discussion.
Use clear, precise, concise and acceptable language.
A report to a partner must be efficient. Analytical reports that bury the conclusion in the middle of the document, or pad the word count with recitals of facts already before the partner, will score lower on this indicator.
Application of law
Apply the law correctly to the client's situation.
The correct legal framework must be identified and applied to the specific facts. An analysis that uses the wrong cause of action, or misidentifies the applicable statutory regime, fails this indicator regardless of how well written the report is.
Apply the law comprehensively to the client's situation.
Comprehensive analysis addresses all material legal issues arising on the facts — including issues the client may not have raised but which a competent solicitor would identify. Limitation periods, set-off rights, and notice requirements are common examples of issues candidates leave out.
Identifying any ethical and professional conduct issues and exercising judgment to resolve them honestly and with integrity.
A complex factual scenario often conceals a professional conduct issue — a client instruction that would expose the solicitor to liability, a conflict with a third party, or conduct that would breach the SRA Code. You are expected to identify and address these.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09.
Client Interview
You receive an email briefing from a partner identifying the client and the broad subject of the interview. You then conduct a 25-minute live interview with an assessor playing the client. This is the only station assessed on skills alone — the assessor playing the client evaluates you on interpersonal and communication skills, not law. The Attendance Note that follows is where the application-of-law indicators apply.
Skills only (no application-of-law mark)
Listen to the client and use questioning effectively to enable the client to tell the solicitor what is important to them.
Active listening is not passive. The examiner will look for open questions that let the client explain what matters to them, followed by targeted probing questions to clarify ambiguities. Candidates who dominate the interview with closed questions or pre-scripted question lists score poorly on this indicator.
Communicate and explain in a way that is suitable for the client to understand.
Technical legal terms used without explanation, or advice pitched at a level the client cannot engage with, fail this indicator. The assessor-client will be briefed to respond as a real client would — including showing confusion when the communication is unclear.
Conduct themselves in a professional manner and treat the client with courtesy, respect and politeness including respecting diversity where relevant.
This is not just about tone. The SRA notes that the client may be in vulnerable circumstances. Sensitive handling of difficult personal information, appropriate pace, and awareness of the client as a person — not just a source of instructions — all factor here.
Demonstrate client-focus in their approach to the client and the issues (ie demonstrate an understanding of the problem from the client's point of view and what the client wants to achieve, not just from a legal perspective).
A client wants a problem solved, not a legal lecture. This indicator assesses whether you treat the client as someone with practical goals — not just as a vehicle for legal instructions. What does the outcome mean for them personally? What are their priorities beyond the legal question?
Establish and maintain an effective relationship with the client so as to build trust and confidence.
Trust is built over the course of the interview, not at the outset. Introductions, managing expectations about what will happen after the interview, and closing the interview on a note that leaves the client confident you will follow up — all contribute to this indicator.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09.
Advocacy
You receive a case study and, where relevant, a file of documents. After 45 minutes of preparation you make a 15-minute submission to a judge — played by a practising solicitor. The judge may interrupt with questions. You will be assessed on both skills and application of law.
Skills
Use appropriate language and behaviour.
Court advocacy has conventions: formal address (“Your Honour”/“District Judge” as appropriate), standing to address the court, not reading directly from notes for substantial periods. Candidates who treat this as a presentation rather than a submission to a judicial officer will score lower.
Adopt a clear and logical structure.
An advocacy submission should begin with the relief sought, move through the factual and legal basis for it, and conclude with the order you are asking the court to make. A structured submission lets the judge follow the argument; an unstructured one forces the judge to do the work for you.
Present a persuasive argument.
Advocacy is not a narration of the facts. Persuasion means anticipating the counter-arguments, explaining why your position is the stronger one, and deploying the law purposefully in support of a conclusion — not merely reciting it.
Interacts with/engages the court appropriately.
The judge may interrupt with questions. Handling judicial questions gracefully — listening to the question, answering it directly, and returning to your thread — is a distinct skill tested here. Candidates who ignore judicial questions or become visibly flustered will score lower.
Include all key relevant facts.
An advocacy submission that omits a material fact prejudicial to your client's case — or fails to address a fact the judge is bound to raise — will be marked down here. The "relevant" qualifier matters: reciting all facts from the case study is not what is being asked for.
Application of law
Apply the law correctly to the client's situation.
The correct legal standard must be cited and applied. In advocacy, this often means identifying the correct test (reasonable grounds, balance of convenience, Braganza principles) and explaining why the facts meet it.
Apply the law comprehensively to the client's situation.
A comprehensive advocacy submission addresses all material legal points in the case study — not just the most obvious ground. A defendant facing injunctive relief should address both the American Cyanamid test and any relevant undertaking in damages.
Identifying any ethical and professional conduct issues and exercising judgment to resolve them honestly and with integrity.
Advocates have duties to the court as well as to the client. A case study that contains facts the advocate knows to be false, or an instruction to advance an argument the advocate knows has no proper basis, will create professional conduct issues you are expected to identify.
Source: SRA Assessments in SQE2 (April 2026), accessed 2026-06-09.
How Kellys uses these indicators.
Kellys SQE Examiner is the practice layer that sits ahead of the official SQE2 sitting. When you submit an attempt — a Legal Writing letter, a Legal Drafting document, a Legal Research note, a Case and Matter Analysis report — the Kellys grader returns a band for each Performance Indicator on the relevant station, alongside the specific evidence from your attempt that the band rests on.
The purpose is not to simulate the official marking — human assessors making global professional judgments cannot be replicated by software. The purpose is to give you indicator-aligned feedback at the volume practice actually requires. The SRA does the official sitting. Kellys is how you prepare for it.
The oral stations — Client Interview and Advocacy — are assessed in the browser using your webcam and microphone. Kellys scores the five Client Interview indicators and the eight Advocacy indicators against the transcript and, where relevant, multimodal signals including eye contact, speech pace, and filler frequency.
Every grade comes with the evidence that supports it. If you disagree with a band, you can flag it from inside the result. The goal is that the feedback is useful, not just that it is fast.
Kellys SQE Examiner is practice software. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for the official SRA assessment or for guidance from a qualified supervisor.