Economics worry

I'm taking economics for AS level and am beginning to worry that as I didn't opt for economics at GCSE I won't be able to cotton on to things and the topics will be way over my head if I go straight in at AS level as the majority of people taking it at this level have taken it for GCSE! Has anyone done this and how did you find it? What can I do to put myself in a better position?

Reply 1

jgupta

no - most schools don't offer economics at GCSE so they can't assume you have done it.

By they, I mean the people who make the course, not your teachers.

Reply 2

simon123

The vast majority of schools dont offer it at GCSE. Honestly dont worry I hadnt studied it previously and I got an A. If you just work hard like any other subject you will come out with the top grade. All I would say is maybe initially just spend a little more time on it in comparision to subjects that you have carried on from at GCSE so you can pick up some of the concepts. It does take a few weeks to get your head round it but after then its a very logical subject.

Initially just try and get your head round the key concepts and then the rest will fall into place around it.

Reply 3

username20359

My school don't offer it at GCSE and it's not really required or needed.

I and a lot of other people ended up with top A's (290+ UMS) at AS Level.

You'll be fine !

Reply 4

x.beth.x

To be honest the GCSE is pretty much similar in content to the A level. As there aren't many GCSE Economics textbooks I just had to learn out of A level ones as I found the theory was the same but without all the equations. You'll have no problems picking it up! I spent about 10 -15 hours in total on the whole GCSE and got an A to give you an idea. Like someone else said, it is mostly logic.

Reply 5

radio1234

thanks for the help everyone you've put my mind at ease!

Reply 6

Bedshaped

economics is the best.

:smile:

Reply 7

prash_s90

i didnt take it at GCSE but i ended up with a B at AS...(i should have got an A imo lol)...my other classmates did take it at GCSE and they found the course a breeze..but its very interesting!!!!!!!!!!

Reply 8

ma2k5

With 10 A*s, I think your having a laugh thinking you will struggle with Economics AS!

Reply 9

NW8_SW1_EC3

Totally agree with the above comment, A level Economics is probably the easiest traditional A level. You don't need any previous knowledge. You'll be fine.

Reply 10

Lili!

It was offered at my school at GCSE but I wasn't really that attracted to it back then.. However! I did at at AS and found it really interesting! I got A's in all three modules (yay!), and am definitely going to carry it on to A2. Will probably do maths & economics at uni! As other people have said, you should probably read around the subject.. I made sure I did before I chose to do it at AS to make sure I would actually like it! But I'm sure you'll be fine.. Work hard and you'll get your reward, as my always mum says.. :p:

good luck!

Reply 11

marshmallows

AQA specifically state that no prior knowledge is necessary. All you need is good reasoning and logic.

Reply 12

no1mohsin

Yeah i did it only at AS and found it fine. It's just like any other subject at AS to be honest. I ended up with 7 marks off an A but could have done much better if my motivation for the subject hadn't decreased so much throughout the year.

Reply 13

Fixesin

Really? is it like the GCSE? cos im in luck... i got an A* for economics in GCSE...
I think there are only a few schools in the uk that offer economics at GCSE and my school did that.
Also i agree with really needing logic and common sense, with good reasoning skills. Because to be honest i didnt study all that well for my GCSE exam... and during the exam and i didnt use many economic terms but really used my common sense and logic to figure out suitable ideas and solutions.
However in my first lesson in a-levels, i have a few friends who didnt take Economics at GCSE and they were bamboozled by all the terms in the first lesson. But i think you shouldn't be intimidated by that because when you learn the terms you should be able to do fine.

Reply 14

blonde_barnsley_boy

Well you should be ok as long as you know some basic mathematical skills. I found that the 15 mark question is similar to the last question for GCSE history. So if you did history it would help you, because you will have learnt certain analytical skills which will be useful.