The IRAC method is an important method for answering problem questions in law exams. It provides a clear and logical structure.
An effective essay follows a good structure and IRAC is one of those methods which supports you in a well organised structure when under exam pressure.
You turn the exam paper over and are presented with complex issues all at once, involving five parties, an argument over property rights, potential trespass the list goes on and on.
Where do you begin?
Thankfully the IRAC when used properly will help focus your attention on the analysis that the examiners are looking for. It is important that with each issue you are presented with you develop an IRAC for each one or otherwise you may lose your way, possibly confuse the reader and lose track of your analysis & conclusion.
IRAC stands for:
Issue
Rule
Analysis
Conclusion
The Issue will provide the facts and names for example: In a theft question for example- One of the issues you may be presented with is whether Ben is liable for theft of Sue’s bank card...
The Rule is where you define the rule of law - this part is critical as it allows us to move onto applying the law to the facts of the problem presented to us. It is important to identify the correct rule that looks after the issue/problem you are presented with.
Analysis - Take the facts you were provided with in the question and weave them with the rule of law to support the conclusion.
Conclusion - The final step of using the IRAC method is writing a conclusion that explains the most probable outcome, which you will be able to identify after you have applied the rule to the issue.. State the outcome of your analysis in a clear and concise manner. Stay focused!
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