GCE 'A' Level Economics
Minimum requirements
Ø 5 A-C grades at GCSE
Introduction and overview
If you have ever wondered how it is that when you visit the shops to buy a chocolate bar there is one there waiting for you, why some people in the UK can spend over £100 on a restaurant meal while children in Africa are starving or why some people can afford luxury villas in Spain while others live in cardboard boxes, then economics is the subject for you.
The study of economics involves attempting to answer these and many other questions by looking at the fundamental problem of how societies satisfy unlimited wants with scarce resources.
It looks at how business and consumers operate under different conditions. It complements both Business Studies and ICT as it draws on the sklls of both areas. Diagrams are used to a large extent to help explain different situations.
Subject content
Economics can be divided broadly into two areas. Microeconomics is the study of the behaviour of individuals and firms and macroeconomics is the study the behaviour of the economy as a whole. The course is divided into six broad subject areas:
Ø Unit 1 - Markets: How they work
Ø Unit 2 - Markets: Why they fail
Ø Unit 3 - Managing the Economy
Ø Unit 4 - Industrial Economics
Ø Unit 5a - Labour Markets
Ø Unit 6 - The Global Economy
In order to achieve a full A level qualification, students will be required to complete Units 1-6. Unit 6 tests knowledge, understanding and skills across the whole syllabus.
Completion of Units 1-3 lead to an Advanced Subsidiary (AS) qualification in year 12
Completion of Units 4-6 lead to an A2 qualification completing the full A level requirement in year 13
Assessment is by examination only. Although the method of assessment varies widely from unit to unit, it includes a combination of supported choice, data response and essay questions.
|
UNIT |
LENGTH OF EXAMINATION |
CONTRIBUTION (%) |
|
|
|
|
AS |
A |
|
ONE |
1 hour |
30 |
15 |
|
TWO |
1 hour |
30 |
15 |
|
THREE |
1 hour and 45 minutes |
40 |
20 |
|
FOUR |
1 hour and 15 minutes |
n/a |
15 |
|
FIVE |
1 hour and 15 minutes |
n/a |
15 |
|
SIX |
1 hour and 45 minutes |
n/a |
20 |
Future pathways
Economics is a rewarding subject that is very highly thought of by both employers and higher education institutions alike. It provides pathways to a much broader variety of professions and access to a wide range of different higher education courses. Economists can venture into any area of Business analysis, journalism and associated media work on TV and Radio,
