A Level Economics B Exam board: Edexcel
Why choose A level Economics? It is an academic course that is very well respected by Universities. It is a highly relevant and up-to-date course economics is in the news almost every day at the moment. You will cover important economic theory that you can then try to apply to the real world. You will develop your transferrable skills including analysing data, thinking critically about issues and making informed decisions.
Quantitative skills Numeracy is a really important part of the A level Economics course. A minimum of 20% of the overall A level marks will examine your quantitative skills. Quantitative skills will include: Calculate, use and understand ratios and fractions. Calculate, use and understand percentages, percentage changes and percentage point changes. Understand and use the terms mean, median and relevant quantiles. Construct and interpret a range of standard graphical forms. Calculate and interpret index numbers. Calculate cost, revenue and profit (marginal, average, totals). Make calculations to convert from money to real terms. Make calculations of elasticity and interpret the results. Interpret, apply and analyse information in written, graphical, tabular and numerical forms.
Course content Year 12 Theme 1 Scarcity, choice and potential conflicts. Theme 2 Business growth and competitive advantage. Enterprise, business and the economy. Firms, consumers and elasticities of demand. Introducing the market. Productive efficiency. The role of credit in the economy. Market failure and government intervention. Revenue, costs, profits and cash. Life in a global economy. The economic cycle. Introduction to macroeconomic policy.
Course content Year 13 Theme 3 Globalisation. Economic factors in business expansion. Impact of globalisation on global companies. Impact of globalisation on local and national economies. Global labour markets. Theme 4 Competition and market power. Market power and market failure. Market failure across the economy. Macroeconomic policies and impact on firms and individuals. Inequality and redistribution. Risk and the financial sector.
Assessment Three exam papers. All papers sat at the end of Year 13 (May/June) Paper 1 covers Theme 1 and 4. Worth 35% of total qualification. Two hours long and 100 marks available. Paper 2 covers Theme 2 and 3. worth 35% of total qualification. Two hours long and 100 marks available. Paper 3 based on a pre-release context document such as an economy, industry, market or economic issue. Covers Themes 1-4. Worth 30% of total qualification. Two hours long and 100 marks available.
Past results 100% A*-E 65% A*-C 55% A*-B 30% A*-A
Entry requirements and important information You must have a level 5 in GCSE Maths, English and Business You should have an active interest in the economics and business news. Reading a newspaper on a regular basis and looking at the business/economy headlines on the BBC News website will help with your understanding of the theory being covered in the classroom. Economics is part of the academic pathway it is a difficult, theory-based subject. This is a two year course you will sit all of your exams at the end of Year 13. There is no coursework/controlled assessment as part of the qualification. THIS COURSE IS NOT SUITABLE IF YOU ARE CHOSING A- Level BUSINESS