A Level Economics
Write clear analysis and evaluation in your answers.
I teach Cambridge AS and A Level Economics. We work on the theory first, then on analysis and evaluation in data response answers and essays.
Course details
- Syllabus
- Cambridge International AS & A Level Economics (9708)
- Exam board
- Cambridge International (CAIE)
- Duration
- [Course Duration] (to be confirmed)
- Format
- [Class Format: e.g. one-to-one online, small group] (to be confirmed)
- Schedule
- [Class Schedule] (to be confirmed)
- Fee
- [Course Fee] (to be confirmed)
More course details
- Duration
- [Course Duration] (to be confirmed)
- Format
- [Class Format: e.g. one-to-one online, small group] (to be confirmed)
- Schedule
- [Class Schedule] (to be confirmed)
- Fee
- [Course Fee] (to be confirmed)
We agree the format, schedule, course length and fee after your trial class.
We agree the format, schedule, course length and fee after your trial class.
Who it’s for
Two parts
AS and A2
- AS
- The first year covers syllabus sections 1 to 6 and leads to Papers 1 and 2. You can also take AS Level on its own as a separate qualification.
- A2
- The second year covers sections 7 to 11 and leads to Papers 3 and 4. Cambridge calls this part A Level, and it expects you to know the AS content.
Students
Who these lessons are for
AS and second-year students who want more marks for analysis and evaluation.
Students who know the theory but lose marks because their answers only describe it.
Students getting ready for the data response and essay papers (Papers 2 and 4) in exam time.
Marks at A Level
Four steps to a strong answer
Cambridge gives marks for knowledge, analysis and evaluation. Knowledge is only about 35% of the marks, so a strong answer takes each idea through all four steps.
Understand
AO1 KnowledgeGive a clear, correct definition of the idea. Explain it with an example.
Apply
AO1 ApplicationUse the idea on the case in the question, such as the market, country or data you're given.
Analyse
AO2 AnalysisShow how one change leads to the next, step by step. Use a diagram or the data where it helps.
Evaluate
AO3 EvaluationWeigh the arguments on both sides and check the assumptions. Then give a clear judgement.
Syllabus
Topics covered
The main topics in the Cambridge 9708 syllabus. AS is sections 1 to 6, and A Level is sections 7 to 11.
AS Level: microeconomics
8 topics
Sections 1 to 3: basic ideas, markets and government action in markets.
- Scarcity and opportunity cost
- Production possibility curves
- Types of goods and services
- Demand and supply
- Elasticity of demand and supply
- Consumer and producer surplus
- Indirect taxes and subsidies
- Maximum and minimum prices
AS Level: macroeconomics and trade
8 topics
Sections 4 to 6: the whole economy, government policy and trade.
- National income statistics
- Aggregate demand and aggregate supply
- Economic growth and unemployment
- Inflation and deflation
- Fiscal and monetary policy
- Supply-side policy
- Comparative advantage and protectionism
- Exchange rates and the current account
A Level: microeconomics
8 topics
Sections 7 and 8: consumers, firms, market failure and labour markets.
- Utility and indifference curves
- Efficiency and market failure
- Externalities and social costs
- Costs and revenue in the short and long run
- Perfect competition and monopoly
- Monopolistic competition and oligopoly
- Government failure
- Labour markets and wage determination
A Level: macroeconomics and development
8 topics
Sections 9 to 11: the wider economy, policy and development.
- The multiplier
- Output gaps and the business cycle
- The quantity theory of money
- The Phillips curve
- Exchange rate systems and the J-curve
- Development indicators such as HDI
- Aid and foreign direct investment (FDI)
- Globalisation and trade blocs
AS Level: microeconomics
Sections 1 to 3: basic ideas, markets and government action in markets.
- Scarcity and opportunity cost
- Production possibility curves
- Types of goods and services
- Demand and supply
- Elasticity of demand and supply
- Consumer and producer surplus
- Indirect taxes and subsidies
- Maximum and minimum prices
AS Level: macroeconomics and trade
Sections 4 to 6: the whole economy, government policy and trade.
- National income statistics
- Aggregate demand and aggregate supply
- Economic growth and unemployment
- Inflation and deflation
- Fiscal and monetary policy
- Supply-side policy
- Comparative advantage and protectionism
- Exchange rates and the current account
A Level: microeconomics
Sections 7 and 8: consumers, firms, market failure and labour markets.
- Utility and indifference curves
- Efficiency and market failure
- Externalities and social costs
- Costs and revenue in the short and long run
- Perfect competition and monopoly
- Monopolistic competition and oligopoly
- Government failure
- Labour markets and wage determination
A Level: macroeconomics and development
Sections 9 to 11: the wider economy, policy and development.
- The multiplier
- Output gaps and the business cycle
- The quantity theory of money
- The Phillips curve
- Exchange rate systems and the J-curve
- Development indicators such as HDI
- Aid and foreign direct investment (FDI)
- Globalisation and trade blocs
Approach
How I teach
Theory with examples
I explain each model simply, with an example. Then you practise using it on the data in a data response question.
Command words and analysis
Cambridge uses 17 command words at AS and A Level, such as explain, analyse, assess and evaluate. We look at what each one means. For analysis, you practise showing causes and effects in clear, linked steps.
Practise evaluation
Evaluation (AO3) is about a quarter of the marks, and most of it is in the data response questions and essays. You learn to weigh both sides of an argument, check the assumptions and reach a clear judgement.
Timed practice and marking
You write answers to past-paper questions in exam time. I mark them with clear written feedback, and we go over it at the start of the next lesson.
Want feedback like this on your own answers?
Book a Trial ClassPreparation
Mock exams and past-paper practice
Paper 1 · AS
Multiple choice
- time
- 1 h
- marks
- [30]
- weight of the A Level
- 17%
30 questions. On its own it is 33% of the AS Level.
Paper 2 · AS
Data response and essays
- time
- 2 h
- marks
- [60]
- weight of the A Level
- 33%
One data response question and two 20-mark essays. 67% of the AS Level.
Paper 3 · A2
Multiple choice
- time
- 1¼ h
- marks
- [30]
- weight of the A Level
- 17%
30 questions on the second-year content. It expects you to know the AS topics.
Paper 4 · A2
Data response and essays
- time
- 2 h
- marks
- [60]
- weight of the A Level
- 33%
One data response question, then one micro and one macro essay, each worth 20 marks.
minutes per mark in Papers 2 and 4: 60 marks in 2 hours, so about 40 minutes for each 20-mark essay.
Once you understand the topics, you write full past papers in exam time.
Evaluation is about 30% of the marks in Papers 2 and 4. I mark your answers with clear written feedback. It shows you where a step is missing in your analysis, or where a judgement needs reasons. We go over it at the start of the next lesson.
This website does not share past papers or mark schemes. Students practise with papers they get from their school or from Cambridge.
Outcomes
What you’ll be able to do
By the end of the course, you should be able to do these things in your exam answers.
Apply economic theory to the data and examples given in a question.
Write analysis that shows causes and effects in linked steps.
Evaluate an argument by weighing both sides and reaching a clear judgement.
Answer every part of a data response question using the data given.
Plan and write a 20-mark essay in about 40 minutes.
Questions
Common questions
01I know the theory, but my grades are stuck. Why?
This is common at A Level. Knowledge and understanding (AO1) is only about 35% of the marks. The other 65% is for analysis and evaluation, so an answer that only describes the theory loses a lot of marks. In lessons we practise explaining causes and effects, then weighing them to reach a judgement.
02Do we practise full papers in exam time?
Yes. When you understand the topics, you write full past papers in exam time, like a mock exam. Papers 2 and 4 are 60 marks in 2 hours, so about 2 minutes per mark. I mark your paper with written feedback, and we go over it in the next lesson.
03Can lessons focus on one paper, like the Paper 4 essays?
Yes. We set the plan after the trial class, and it can focus on one paper or skill. For example, we can spend more time on Paper 4 essays or on data response questions.
04Can I take AS Level only?
Yes. AS Level is the first half of the A Level, and you can take it on its own with Papers 1 and 2. For the full A Level, you can sit Papers 1 and 2 after the first year and Papers 3 and 4 after the second. You can also sit all four papers in the same exam series.
05How are essays marked?
Each essay is worth 20 marks. In Paper 2 and Paper 4 you write one microeconomics essay and one macroeconomics essay, each chosen from two questions. AS essays have two parts, which in Cambridge's specimen paper are 8 and 12 marks. A Level essays are one 20-mark question with no parts. Evaluation is about 30% of the marks in these papers.
Next step
Start with a trial class
Tell me which paper or topic you find hardest. In the trial class, I teach one topic, mark one exam-style answer and give you a plan.