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You’re interested in Economics at A-Level, but what do you learn, and is it worth it?
Will the actual topics catch your interest? What if Economics at A-Level is too complex and isn’t your cup of tea?
Our Immerse Economics summer school programme gives our students a taster of Economics at the university level. So they can make informed decisions on their next steps in education.
But let’s get into the nitty-gritty of what topics you’ll study at Economics A-Level. You’ll also discover tips on how to nail that A* and what opportunities await you after.
Economics studies the:
A-Level Economics examines the two main branches of Economics: macroeconomics and microeconomics.
Taking Economics at A-Level will help prepare you for university-level Economics, and if that’s your aim then check out our best UK universities for economics. Depending on your A-Level subject combination, A-Level Economics can also lead you to university degrees such as:
Check out our economics a-level requirements to get into university, it’ll give you the best chance to understand what exact a-level combinations you should take.
There are 2 essential topics of Economics A-Level. Of course, it’s reasonable to expect variations depending on the school you’ll attend. But here are the topics in general:
Market operation is part of microeconomics. What’s microeconomics? It’s the study of individual decisions which predict market changes.
Here are some of the topics you’ll study on how markets operate and fail:
To look at the Economy from the National and International Perspective is called “macroeconomics.” Macroeconomics is concerned with Economic factors at large such as taxes and national productivity.
Check out the topics you’ll learn in macroeconomics:
There you have it! You now have a glimpse of what Economics at A-Level is like. Do the topics pique your interest?
No. Although maths is essential to understanding economics, the vast majority of economics a-level involves concepts rather than equations.
Hence, Economics contains some Maths. But not a whole lot.
Yes, Economics A Level is hard. At least it’s harder to get an A* in Economics than it is to get the same grade in Mathematics. 22.8% achieved an A* in A-Level Mathematics, whereas only 13.5% got an A* in Economics – a 9.3% difference!
So, in general, if you find Maths hard, then there’s a great possibility you may find Economics harder. What could be the reason behind this?
For one, because Maths is number-focussed. You will need to understand equations and how they work. And that’s mostly it.
But with Economics, there are Maths and Economics concepts. You’d have to understand human behaviour and how that translates to individual choices within the marketplace.
Then you have to zoom out and figure out how individual choices affect and are affected by much larger concepts in play (e.g. government.)
Hence, why Economics is a hard A-Level. At least harder to nail the A* than in Mathematics!
Getting an A* in A-Level Economics requires practice, consistency, and curiosity. Here are some tips to help you succeed in A-Level Economics:
Economics is concept heavy. You’ll need a consistent study routine to slowly digest each of these concepts. To test your knowledge, go to the table of contents of your textbook and topic outline. Can you define each topic?
In a previous section of this post, we mentioned that you’ll encounter topics such as:
If an essay question comes along that goes like this “Define X,” with “X” as the topic, will you be able to answer it in full? And even go so far as to give a real scenario where the concept comes into play?
Spend time each day to write definitions of important concepts.
As the old adage goes, “Practice makes perfect.” The more you practice answering economics questions, the better your answers become. Leading to an increase in your confidence.
Questions can range from multiple-choice and problem-solving to essay questions. Acquiring past papers will give you a valuable supply of questions to work with.
Why? Because you’ll also have the opportunity to assess how the student answered said questions. And what feedback the professor gave them. As you go through past papers, you’ll get a precise idea of what types of answers work and what doesn’t.
Do you want to explore more questions? You’ll find several in textbooks and online sources.
Going through A-Level Economics will expose you to a plethora of essay questions. And how well you’re graded depends on how well you support your answers with facts and real-life situations.
For instance, if you’re asked, “Does Government intervention alleviate poverty?” If you answer “mostly yes,” it’s not enough to state your “yes” and then add a reason or two.
Since you’re aiming for an A*, you’ll have to support your “mostly yes” with logical reasons plus a real-life situation or two. Proving that government intervention does alleviate poverty most of the time.
Then, continue with “but, there are times when government intervention failed to alleviate poverty due to….” Go ahead and mention what factors cause failure, then cite events demonstrating these factors at play.
Do you see why you should decide your answer seriously? Saying “mostly yes,” without justifying the modifier “mostly” will result in an essay lacking proper support.
What is the secret ingredient to writing bullet-proof essays? Real-world scenarios. So load yourself up with them! Read, read, and keep reading!
So you’ve practised answering questions. But how do you know if you did well? What improvements need to happen for you to nail that A*?
The key is to ask for feedback. Go and politely request an evaluation session with your Economics teacher. Or you may have a tutor who you can approach.
If neither of these is available, why not ask some top-performing students in your Economics class? Doing so will help you see your blind spots. Giving you a clear direction on where you should improve.
Economics A-Level is useful because of its several benefits, including:
Studying A-Level Economics will help you develop a solid skillset. Here are some of them:
Finishing Economics at university can lead you to a variety of careers, including:
What do you learn in Economics A-Level? You’ll examine the two main branches of Economics: microeconomics and macroeconomics.
The TL;DR of it all is that microeconomics looks into individual decisions and how they affect the market. In comparison, macroeconomics studies Economics from national and international standpoints.
Do these Economics A-Level topics excite you? If so, we wish you luck in your pursuit of Economics!
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