How will the SQE be different from the GDL and LPC?

Jan 14, 2025

Written By Becky Kells

The SQE is currently in the transitional period to replace the GDL and LPC by autumn 2032. But what exactly are the differences between the two routes?

The SQE is an exam, but the GDL and LPC are courses

This is the main difference to get your head around. There is no central SQE course—there are important topics that you’ll need to study, and a lot of providers have responded by creating courses suited to the SQE, but ultimately the SQE is an exam. On the other hand, GDLs and LPCs are courses with their own self-contained exams.

The SQE is centralised and standardised

The SRA says that the rationale behind the SQE is to have one super-exam (you might actually have heard the SQE called this) for all aspiring lawyers, rather than a number of different exams specific to individual courses and routes into the profession. The idea is that everyone arrives at qualification having learned the same material and completed the same exam. While most LPCs and GDLs are quite similar no matter where you do them, the SQE goes one step further by having everyone literally complete the same exam.

The SQE is cheaper… sort of.

So this is true… but only technically. As of January 2025, the SQE1 costs £1,888 to complete, while the SQE2 costs £2,902 to complete. But before you get too excited about turning your back on those £15,000+ LPC fees, those figures don’t include additional training or resources. The courses and resources available designed to get you ready for the SQE will no doubt have their own price tags. There will be various ways that you can fund the SQE, though!

The SQE works in conjunction with Qualifying Work Experience, whereas the LPC and GDL work in conjunction with a training contract

It’s generally agreed that some form of on-the-job learning is an essential component to becoming a solicitor. At the moment, this manifests in the training contract, after your GDL and LPC. With the introduction of the SQE, it gets a whole lot broader. For those who have secured a training contract (congratulations!), the two years of training during your training contract will count towards the Qualifying Work Experience. Additionally, instead of undertaking a training contract at one firm, you’ll be able to use Qualifying Work Experience from up to four different places, including things like pro bono and placements. As long as it totals two years, and the work is signed off by an SRA-approved supervisor, you’re good to go.

If you’re currently working as a paralegal (or plan to be), you’re in luck—you can use experience acquired before, during and after your SQE years. Compare that to the current system, which rigidly cumulates in a training contract. A lot more flexible, huh?

Everyone will have to do the SQE—not just non-lawyers!

As it stands, you only do the GDL if you did not complete a qualifying law degree, with LLB students progressing straight onto the LPC. However, everyone will have to do the SQE, regardless of what you’ve studied before.

SQE