FRE1 case study questions are the last 15 marks of the CeMAP® FRE1 exam: three short client scenarios, each followed by five linked multiple-choice questions. They test the same five learning outcomes as the rest of the paper, but every answer depends on reading the scenario's facts correctly.
This post gives a reading method sized for FRE1's ten minutes a case, then works through an original FRE1-style case with five questions and full reasoning. The legal rules in the example are those of England and Wales, where most FRE1 legal teaching sits. For how case studies work across all of CeMAP, including the six-case CeMAP 3 paper, start with our guide to CeMAP case studies. To check the legal rules the cases rely on before you start, try the free FRE1 quick practice: 20 standalone questions with explanations.
What are FRE1 case study questions?
FRE1 case study questions are Part 2 of the one-hour FRE1 paper: 3 scenarios, each with 5 single-answer questions worth 1 mark, so 15 of the 40 marks. They follow the 25 standalone questions, and the pass mark of 28 covers both parts together.
The format is set by Walbrook (LIBF) in the FSRE qualification specification, Appendix 1: 25 standalone multiple-choice questions, then 3 case studies of 5 linked questions, each question "select 1 answer from 4".
| Feature | FRE1 Part 1 | FRE1 Part 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 25 standalone | 3 case studies × 5 |
| Marks | 25 | 15 |
| Suggested time | About 30 minutes | About 30 minutes (10 per case) |
| What you read | A one- or two-line stem | A short scenario, then the stem |
There is no separate hurdle for the case studies. A case-study question is worth the same single mark as a standalone one; it simply takes longer because you read the scenario first. The full unit format and syllabus are in our CeMAP FRE1 guide.
Key fact: 15 of FRE1's 40 marks sit in the case studies. Losing one whole case (5 marks) leaves you only 7 more marks to drop across the rest of the paper.
What do FRE1 case studies usually test?
FRE1 case studies usually test LO3 legal concepts applied to a family or a small business: powers of attorney, joint ownership, wills, intestacy, trusts, contract and insolvency. Walbrook publishes no case blueprint, so this is our reading of the five learning outcomes.
Legal concepts lend themselves to scenarios, because the answer changes with one fact: whether a couple are married, whether a client still has mental capacity, or how a house is owned. Questions from the other outcomes can appear too. A case about a small company might ask which regulator authorises its adviser (LO5), or a case about a young family might ask which need comes first (LO2).
| Scenario type (our reading) | Learning outcomes it can draw on |
|---|---|
| An older client, a relative helping with money, a jointly owned home | LO3 (attorneys, ownership, intestacy, trusts) |
| A couple with children and no protection | LO2 (needs and priorities), LO3 (wills) |
| A sole trader or partnership in difficulty | LO3 (legal entities, insolvency) |
| A firm and its staff | LO4 (regulatory history), LO5 (FCA, PRA, Handbook, SM&CR) |
FRE1's partner unit, FRE2, uses its cases differently: they read like an adviser's working week, with complaints, money laundering and ethical choices. Both units sit inside CeMAP 1 (FSRE).
Exam tip: Before reading any scenario, note which learning outcome each of its five questions belongs to. It tells you which facts to hunt for.
How should you read an FRE1 case study?
An FRE1 case study is best read in three steps within about 10 minutes: skim the 5 questions (1 minute), read the scenario once while marking status facts (2 minutes), then answer each question from the scenario in roughly 90 seconds.
- Skim the five questions. Note the words "first", "must", "not" and "automatically".
- Read the scenario once and mark the status facts:
- relationships: married, civil partners or unmarried;
- ownership: sole name, joint tenants or tenants in common;
- documents: will or no will, ordinary or lasting power of attorney, a policy in trust or not;
- capacity, age and health;
- dates, especially anything before or after a change in the law.
- Answer from the scenario, not from what usually happens. If the scenario does not say a couple are married, they are not.
- Work out what passes outside the estate first. Joint-tenancy property and policies in trust do not pass under a will or intestacy.
- Flag and move on if a question passes 90 seconds.
This is a shorter version of the three-pass method in the CeMAP case studies guide, scaled from 10 questions a case to 5.
Exam tip: Status facts are often one word. "Partner" rather than "wife" and "ordinary" rather than "lasting" each reverse an answer.
What does a worked FRE1 case study look like?
A worked FRE1 case study looks like the one below: an original scenario about an unmarried couple, a jointly owned home, a buy-to-let flat, a life policy in trust and an ordinary power of attorney, followed by 5 questions on LO3 legal concepts.
The names and figures are invented, and the case is written for this site. Walbrook does not publish past papers, and we do not use any.
The case: David Okafor and Helen Price
David (68) and Helen (64) have lived together in Bristol for 15 years. They are not married and have no civil partnership. They own their home as beneficial joint tenants.
David also owns a buy-to-let flat in his sole name. He has a son, Tom (40), from an earlier marriage that ended in divorce. David has never made a will.
Three years ago, before a long trip abroad, David signed an ordinary power of attorney appointing Tom to manage the flat. Last month David was diagnosed with early-stage dementia. His GP says he has mental capacity now but is likely to lose it over the coming years.
David has a £100,000 life policy written under trust, with Helen as the sole beneficiary.
Question 1
If David died today, what would happen to his interest in the Bristol home?
- A. It would pass to Tom under the intestacy rules
- B. It would pass to Helen automatically by survivorship
- C. It would be split equally between Helen and Tom
- D. It would pass to the Crown
Answer: B. Beneficial joint tenants own the whole property together, so the survivor takes it automatically. The home never enters David's estate, so the intestacy rules do not reach it. A treats the share as part of the estate. C describes a tenancy in common with equal shares passing under intestacy, which is not the case here. D applies only when an intestate estate has no qualifying relatives.
Question 2
If David died today, who would inherit the buy-to-let flat?
- A. Helen, as his long-term partner
- B. Tom, as David's child, under the intestacy rules
- C. Helen and Tom in equal shares
- D. David's former wife
Answer: B. The flat is in David's sole name and he has no will, so it passes under the intestacy rules of England and Wales. With no surviving spouse or civil partner, the estate goes to his children. An unmarried partner inherits nothing on intestacy, so A and C are wrong; Helen could only ask the court for reasonable provision. A former spouse after divorce has no entitlement, so D is wrong.
Question 3
What should David do now so that Tom can manage his finances if David loses capacity?
- A. Nothing, because the ordinary power of attorney already covers this
- B. Make a property and financial affairs lasting power of attorney and register it with the Office of the Public Guardian
- C. Make a health and welfare lasting power of attorney
- D. Write a will appointing Tom as executor
Answer: B. An ordinary power of attorney ends if the donor loses mental capacity, so A fails at exactly the moment David needs it. A lasting power of attorney under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 survives loss of capacity, but it can only be made while David still has capacity, and it must be registered before use. C covers health and care decisions, not money or property. D only takes effect on death.
Question 4
How will the £100,000 life policy be paid if David dies?
- A. Into David's estate, then to Tom under intestacy
- B. To the trustees, for Helen, outside David's estate
- C. To Helen, but only after probate is granted
- D. Half to Helen and half to Tom
Answer: B. A policy written in trust pays the trustees, who hold it for the beneficiary. It never forms part of David's estate, so the intestacy rules do not apply (A, D), and the trustees do not need to wait for a grant of probate or administration (C).
Question 5
David and Helen decide that David's half of the home should pass to Tom on David's death, with Helen keeping her half. Which two steps achieve this?
- A. David makes a will leaving his share to Tom; nothing else is needed
- B. They sever the joint tenancy to become tenants in common, and David makes a will leaving his share to Tom
- C. Tom is added to the title as a third joint tenant
- D. Helen signs a lasting power of attorney in Tom's favour
Answer: B. A will cannot pass a joint tenant's share, because survivorship operates first. Severing turns the joint tenancy into a tenancy in common with defined shares, and David's share can then pass under his will. A misses the severance. C makes Tom a joint owner now, during David's life, and gives Helen and Tom survivorship rights against each other. D has nothing to do with inheritance.
Exam tip: Three facts decided all five answers: the couple were unmarried, the home was held as joint tenants, and the power of attorney was ordinary. Mark facts like these on your first read.
Which traps cost the most marks in FRE1 case studies?
The traps that cost the most FRE1 case-study marks are assuming a couple are married, forgetting survivorship, treating an ordinary power of attorney as lasting, and putting trust assets into the estate. Each comes from reading past one status fact.
| Trap | What the wrong answer assumes | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Married by default | An unmarried partner inherits on intestacy | Check the relationship word in the scenario |
| Will over survivorship | A will can pass a joint tenant's share | Ask how the property is held before anything else |
| Ordinary equals lasting | Any attorney can act after loss of capacity | Only a registered LPA (or an old registered EPA) survives it |
| Trust money in the estate | A policy in trust waits for probate | Trust assets pass outside the estate |
| General knowledge | "Most families would…" | Use only the facts given |
Chain errors matter too. If question 2 depends on what question 1 decided about the estate, one early slip can cost two marks. When your answer is not among the options, recheck the earlier step. The rules behind these traps are covered in our guide to wills, intestacy and trusts, and the method behind them in our post on how to pass CeMAP FRE1.
Key fact: Under the intestacy rules of England and Wales, a spouse or civil partner takes the personal chattels, the first £322,000 and half the rest. An unmarried partner takes nothing.
How long should each FRE1 case study take?
Each FRE1 case study should take about 10 minutes, so the three together use roughly 30 of the 60 minutes. Start Part 2 with at least 28 minutes left, and never let one case run past 12 minutes.
| Checkpoint | Time remaining |
|---|---|
| Start case study 1 (question 26) | 28–30 minutes |
| Start case study 2 (question 31) | About 19 minutes |
| Start case study 3 (question 36) | About 9 minutes |
The exam runs on demand on Brightspace with remote invigilation, and there are no toilet breaks, so the hour is continuous. Walbrook's sources do not mention negative marking, so answer every question, including any you flagged. The rules for the day are on Walbrook's exam and assessment information page.
Exam tip: If you reach case study 3 with under 8 minutes, skip the full read. Go question by question and scan the scenario for the fact each one needs.
Your FRE1 case study practice plan
Your FRE1 case study practice plan takes about a week alongside your main revision: learn the LO3 rules, check them with standalone questions, then sit timed full papers where the 3 cases come after 25 standalone questions, as in the real exam.
- Learn the rules first. Case studies test application, so the LO3 rules need to be solid. The free study notes cover each FRE1 outcome.
- Check the rules. Use the free FRE1 quick practice, 20 standalone questions, and read every explanation, including for questions you got right. The quick practice and the diagnostic do not include case studies.
- Sit a full paper. The free FRE1 mock exam (mock 1) ends with three whole case studies, in the order the specification sets. Our page on CeMAP mock papers explains how each mock is built.
- Time each case inside the mock. Note the clock at questions 26, 31 and 36 and compare it with the checkpoint table above.
- Review by trap type. Log each miss against the trap table above, then rework the worked example in this post without looking at the answers.
For more full papers, mocks 2 to 10 and case-study practice are part of Pro, on one plan for all five units. Our readiness rule is three mocks in a row at 85% or more, with every topic at 80% or more. It is a guide, not a pass guarantee.
Related guides
- CeMAP Case Studies: A Worked Example and a Method That WorksCeMAP 3 case studies: a worked first-time buyer case with 5 answered questions, a reading method, timings for 6 cases in 2 hours and the FRE1/FRE2 format.
- CeMAP Mock Papers Explained: Formats, Question Types and How to Use ThemCeMAP practice papers explained: how each mock mirrors FRE1, FRE2, MRT1, MRT2 and ASEW, two worked questions, the 85% readiness rule and what is free.
- CeMAP 3 (ASEW/ASSC): The Case-Study Exam, Its Syllabus and How to PractiseCeMAP 3 (ASEW): 6 case studies × 10 questions in 2 hours, pass 42/60. All six learning outcomes, a worked mini case study and free practice cases.
- CeMAP FRE1: Industry, Regulation and Key PartiesCeMAP FRE1 mock exam guide: the 40-question format, all five learning outcomes in order, common traps and a four-week plan, with free FRE1 questions.