53%
Just over half of candidates sitting the first part of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1) passed in the latest sitting, new figures show.
According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s statistical report, published yesterday, 53% of candidates achieved a passing mark in the January 2026 sitting. First-time sitters fared better, with 58% passing overall.
The result marks a recovery from the record low of 41% recorded in July 2025, when the high proportion of re-sit candidates was cited as a key factor in the poor pass rate.
Candidates must pass both of SQE1’s two papers, Functioning Legal Knowledge 1 and 2, to pass the assessment overall. FLK1 recorded a pass rate of 62% and FLK2 57% in the latest sitting.
The report also includes a detailed breakdown of results by candidate background. White candidates passed at a rate of 67%, compared to 47% for Asian or Asian British candidates and 38% for Black or Black British candidates.
Students from fee-paying schools passed at 71%, against 57% for those from non-selective state schools.