If you’re a budding financial forecaster or simply interested in how the economy works, the subject of Economics could be a great choice for one of your A-level subjects.
In terms of popularity, it’s 11th on the subject grouping list Economics had 30,865 entries in 2020 an increase of 3% from the year before. Many students often will then go on to university to study Economics in further detail, building on their existing knowledge from GCSE and A-level.
So if you’re trying to figure out if you want to choose Economics for A level this blog will help you with getting all the facts.
What Kind of Qualities Do You Need For A Level Economics?
With Economics there are a number of core traits or skills that can help with making a good economist. Don’t worry if you’re not naturally gifted in all of these skills, with enough hard work and persistence, many students can learn to think like economists after a period of time:
- Mathematical critical thinking
- Can understand complex systems and how they operate
- Naturally curious
- A free and independent thinker
- Excellent communication skills
- Self-motivated
- Be able to summarise key concepts and ideas
- A solid background in social sciences and history
- Being comfortable with the unknown
- Analytical and methodical
What Jobs Can You Do With Economics?
Economics plays an important role in many areas of the job market and society as a whole. Some jobs that incorporate elements of economics are:
- Data analyst
- Economist
- Accountant
- Financial risk analyst
- Financial consultant
- Investment analyst
- Economic researcher
- Economic journalist
- Policy advisor
- Supply chain analyst
- Public sector worker
- Investment banker
- Economics lecturer
Is A-level Economics Hard to do?
A-level Economics is certainly a challenging subject at first. With all of the new subject terminology and concepts, it might feel a little overwhelming, to begin with, but a lot of the content is based on real-world scenarios and uses common sense.
The main issue you might have is how to apply the Economics content you’ve learnt over the course to essay and exam questions. However, this is something you can work on when it comes to revision time and preparing for your exam period.
What Do the A Level Economic Exams Involve?
Of the five exam boards (AQA, OCR, Pearson, WJEC and CCEA) they all have slightly different course content and exam requirements. It’s important to note that not every school will enter students for AS levels so it’s worth checking their policies regarding AS and A-level exams.
This will greatly affect how you spend your time in terms of revision and planning for your exams, so make sure you are fully aware of how your school approaches AS and A-levels before you commit to an educational institution.
The following information was correct as of December 2022 for AQA, OCR and Pearson.
AQA
AS Level
1 x 90-minute written exam on ‘The Operation of Markets and Market Failure’ worth 50% of the AS level.
1 x 90-minute written exam on ‘The National Economy in a Global Context’ worth 50% of the AS level.
A-Level
1 x 120-minute written exam on ‘Market and Market Failures’ worth 33.3% of the A-level
1 x 120-minute written exam on ‘National and International Economy; worth 33.3% of the A-level.
1 x 120-minute written exam on ‘Economic Principles and Issues’ worth 33.3% of the A-level.
OCR
AS Level
1 x 90-minute written exam on ‘Microeconomics’ worth 50% of the AS Level.
1 x 90-minute exam on ‘Macroeconomics worth 50% of the AS Level.
A-Level
1 x 120-minute written exam on ‘Microeconomics’ worth 33.3% of the A-level.
1 x 120-minute exam on ‘Macroeconomics worth 33.3% of the A-level.
1 x 120-minute exam on ‘Themes in Economics’ worth 33.3% of the A-level.
Pearson
AS Level
1 x 90 minutes written exam on ‘Markets and Market Failure’ worth 50% of the AS Level
1 x 90 minutes exam on ‘The UK Economy’ worth 50% of the AS Level.
A-Level
1 x 120-minute written exam on ‘Markets and Business Behaviour’ worth 33.3% of the A- Level.
1 x 120-minute exam on ‘National and Global Economy’ worth 33.3% of the A-level.
1 x 120-minute exam on ‘Macro and Micro Economics’ worth 33.3% of the A-level.
What Are My Next Steps After Choosing Economics for A-Level?
If you’ve decided that choosing Economics for A level is the avenue you want to pursue then well done on making a fantastic choice!
With the right teaching and learning, Economics A level is a great foundation for key critical thinking and analytical skills.
At Sandeman Tutoring we also have excellent A level Economics tutors available for online or face-to-face tuition if you need a bit of extra support.
Get in touch with us today and Sandeman Tutoring will help you reach for the stars!
