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A level Economics?

What does it involve and how does it compare to Business?

Anybody studying this, please tell me what you think of it :smile:

Reply 1

hypomania

Okay, can anybody give a rough outline of the course?

Is it similar to Business?

Does it involve a lot of complicated Mathematics?

Would you say it's more difficult that Business Studies?

Does anyone do Economics GCSE? Is there an Economics GCSE?

Would doing Business Studies GCSE be much of a help when studying
Economics?

What are the courses like? Is there a lot of coursework?

Do mainly girls or boys take it?

How large are the classes?

That sort of thing.....?

Reply 2

chazzinio

economics is more maths related than business studies and seen by many as a more respected a-level than business studies. if u gotta choose between the two do economics.

Reply 3

happysoul

Random one

It involves some mathematics but not a large amount (varies between exam boards e.g. WJEC does not contain a lot of maths).

From what people have told me (those that do business and economics), they have found economics more difficult to study but they found they got a better reaction from teachers etc when they say they have done economics rather than when they talk about business.

There is some element of business in the economics course but depending on the syllabus (and so the topics) you study for economics will affect how well studying GCSE business will help.

There is an economics GCSE, my friend did it.

Depending on the exam board depends on whether you would do coursework.

The majority of my economics class was girls but it will obviously vary between schools.

The same goes for class sizes, it will vary depending on the school. My class had 11 people.

Imo, I would go for economics but I'm probably just biased! :biggrin:

Reply 4

bestdeceptions

I did Edexcel economics and never once came across any maths in it. The most maths was reading a graph or a few simple calculations. There was no coursework on mine. My school's all girls so I would have to say that mainly girls take it :p:

And the class size depends on your school? Only 3 in mine.

I'd definitely go for it as it's been my most enjoyable subject. It's definitely much more respected than business studies.

Reply 5

TKR

Economics is generally better respected than business. A lot of the people I'e encountered regard Business A-Level as "the poor man's economics". There is an economics GCSE, although Business Studies GCSE will provide you with a good grounding. I can only speak for the AQA ayllabus, but there is some, if only a little maths - graph drawing, calculating costs, a few simple ezuations to do with elasticity. Nothing that someone with a pass at GCSE maths won't be able to handle.

Class size and gender ratios of course vary.

AQA ayllabus contains a coursework vs. an extra paper option.Coursework involves formulating your own question, whch teachers will help you with. I found it veyr easy - 97% after the first edit - I would recommend a Microeconomic one.

Again, I can only speak for AQA, and more detailed syllabusses (syllabi?) ould probably be found on the exam boards' respective websited but a rough outline of AS would be:

Micro;

- Markets and market failure; demand and supply, fators influencing them, externalities, merit and demerit and public goods. Elasticity of semand and supply and factors affecting... cant think of much else...

Macro;

- Government macroeconomic policy objectives and how they are achieved:

- Inflation

- Growth

- Balance of Payments

- (Un)employment

Similar at A2 but more in depth and advanced, micro moves on to cover modelsof the firm operating in different market structures, efficiency and firms' objectives.

Reply 6

KAISER_MOLE

I dropped economics after AS level, too much writing for me :p:

There is an Economics GCSE which about 25 kids did when I did it, and that leads nicely on to the AS level

Trust me when I say Economics has very little maths in it (AQA at least), I dropped it probably because it did not have enough maths in it!

Economics is definitely more respected than Business, economics is more theoretical in how it all works. But doing Business GCSE (is it a two grade vocational?) would not hurt.

Reply 7

hypomania

KAISER_MOLE

Economics is definitely more respected than Business, economics is more theoretical in how it all works. But doing Business GCSE (is it a two grade vocational?) would not hurt.

I did Business Studies GCSE and it is not a 2 grade vocational...
Thanks for your comments guys!
I'm just wondering though, when you say that it's mainly theory, does that mean there's a lot of business Studies theories involved, and a lot of analysing a case study, that sort of thing?
Would appreciate some more advice :biggrin:

...

There is nothing wrong with doing business studies A level, but if you are interested in a financial career and your school gave you the option of economics, then expect to be quizzed about your decision.

Basically in your situation, if you are aiming for a career in the city or finance then definitely do economics. If it is your 4 AS and you won't a career quite irrelevant to business/finance then do whatever one appels to you most.

Reply 10

hypomania

Does Economics do well if you are planning on a career in law?

Thanks for all your useful comments guys! :p:

Reply 11

all red and ermine

I'm looking at doing Economics next year, but i might take Economics and Business (Nuffield BP Edexcel). It seems like a respectable course too.

Reply 12

Imaad

i know someone doin the econ and business, and there is way more business then econ in the course. Economics A level has next to no maths in it. In my class there were only 2 girls in my class, and at AS lvl 13 guys.and similar at A2. I did businees studies gcse and it quite different, except my business studies teacher kept wonderin in to economics and goin of the subject at gcse. SO that was kool. there arent the case studies like in business where u look at 1 country. you look at whole countries economies and in micro you look at certain industries, and may look at competition case studies e.g the safeway takeover.

but i really liked economics - hence im going to do it at uni. i find it really relevant

Reply 13

TKR

Random one

I'm just wondering though, when you say that it's mainly theory, does that mean there's a lot of business Studies theories involved, and a lot of analysing a case study, that sort of thing?

AQA involved a lot less case studies of the business studies variety. Some of the exam questions will be based on data - but it's really just a stimulus, an introduction to the topi which the essay questions are on; you could probably do as well on the (essay) questions if they were presented to you completely out of context. A2 moves ot be a little more data based, but not much.

Important to note that hile A-levekl doesn't include a lot of maths, most university courses in economics do. In fact, I think you'd be hard pushed to find a uni that acepted you for economics without at least AS maths. afaik, this is because you need to do statistical things, hypothsis testing and so on at degree level.

For law, Business Studies could actully be a little more relevnat, as there are parts of the course focused on business law (aren't there?). However, you've got to balance that with what area of lw you were looking to go into, and the fact that in appling to a good uni for such a competetive subject, an A in economics will probably give you an edge over someone with an A in Business Studies.