The SRA published the September 2026 changes on 30 April 2026, and the full detail is now public. A separate, larger review, the SRA's five year review of the FLK, is still in progress, with updates expected later this year.
The format changes too. From January 2027 SQE1 has 340 questions in total instead of 360, and each FLK session covers a set group of subjects. Within a session the questions are still in random order, and the time allowed stays the same. The SRA confirmed this on 10 September 2026.
The confirmed changes apply to any assessment sat after 1 September 2026, including the January 2027 sitting, across both FLK1 and FLK2. Most of the changes are wording clarifications. A handful genuinely add new testable content, and those are the ones worth planning around.
FLK1
Contract Law now splits into two separately testable parts, interpreting contract terms, and classifying terms into conditions, warranties, and innominate terms.
Criminal legal aid moves out of FLK1 entirely, and now sits only under Criminal Law and Practice in FLK2.
The separate concept of legitimacy is gone. Separation of powers and the rule of law remain, just without that extra label.
Tax questions will now supply the relevant rates, thresholds, and exemption values in the question itself, so memorising them is no longer required.
FLK2
Property Law and Practice adds drafting points. Drafting the sale contract and drafting a lease assignment contract are both now explicitly testable, along with contracting out of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
Wills and Intestacy expands revocation into four clear methods, a later will, a codicil, destruction, and marriage or civil partnership, replacing the older wording about marriage and divorce with a clearer rule about divorce and dissolution.
Probate now specifies the order of priority for grants of representation, both with a will and under intestacy.
Trusts Law renames two areas to match common usage. Recipient liability becomes knowing receipt, and accessory liability becomes dishonest assistance.
Criminal procedure adds detail on bail, including opposing bail as well as applying for it.
None of this changes how much law there is to learn, but it does change what a current set of materials needs to cover. Anyone using notes, courses, or question banks written before April 2026 should check they reflect this specification before relying on them for a January 2027 sitting.