The Student Room Group
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

A-level Economics

Hey guyss so long story short I have chosen this A-level as an alternative to A-level maths (since I didn't get the grades). I have attended first few classes and we are talking about "rationing" which will probably lead to essay writing. Can someone tell me about your experience in this subject and how you revised for it? Will the maths be applied into essay writing? is it hard or easy? Careers or shall I change it? I am lowkey confused about how it works :frown:
Reply 1
Avatar for Manic7
Manic7
13
I also have same question, hope this will get answers.
Original post by Manic7
I also have same question, hope this will get answers.

thank youuu sm and good luck to you too !! 🌸💞✨
Original post by AriefaRahman1
Hey guyss so long story short I have chosen this A-level as an alternative to A-level maths (since I didn't get the grades). I have attended first few classes and we are talking about "rationing" which will probably lead to essay writing. Can someone tell me about your experience in this subject and how you revised for it? Will the maths be applied into essay writing? is it hard or easy? Careers or shall I change it? I am lowkey confused about how it works :frown:

I do A level econ and there is no maths in the big essays apart from quoting statistics from the news for application marks but basic stuff like percentage change is needed for the small multiple choice type ones
A level economics does kind off take a drastic turn into massive essay writing a few months in but it's not really that hard, just a pain in the arse to have to remember all the chains of reasoning (x causes y which causes z...) and random things from memory that help your case. Economics essays are divided into KAA and eval marks, Knowledge(your point), Analysis(chains of reasoning) and Application(evidence from real world) make up the majority of the marks and evaluation is just a counterpoint but you still gotta have application for that.
For careers you could go into finance but ironically enough a maths A level is better for becoming an economist than an economics A level. I'm trying to get into medicine and just did economics as a substitute to maths cus i heard maths a level was hard
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 4
Avatar for wyaoh
wyaoh
6
Is the revision method similar to GCSE in which you just take notes, flashcards and do past papers?
Original post by sealaandians
I do A level econ and there is no maths in the big essays apart from quoting statistics from the news for application marks but basic stuff like percentage change is needed for the small multiple choice type ones
A level economics does kind off take a drastic turn into massive essay writing a few months in but it's not really that hard, just a pain in the arse to have to remember all the chains of reasoning (x causes y which causes z...) and random things from memory that help your case. Economics essays are divided into KAA and eval marks, Knowledge(your point), Analysis(chains of reasoning) and Application(evidence from real world) make up the majority of the marks and evaluation is just a counterpoint but you still gotta have application for that.
For careers you could go into finance but ironically enough a maths A level is better for becoming an economist than an economics A level. I'm trying to get into medicine and just did economics as a substitute to maths cus i heard maths a level was hard

Are you in year 13? as you said "'I'm trying to get into medicine and just did economics as a substitute to maths cus i heard maths a level was hard". That is exactly my situation too haha. Did you find this choice beneficial? What kind of skill have you learned? and if you ever did GCSE Geography, do you think they are similar (in terms of skills)? I just want an overview cuz so far I am getting similar vibes to Geography and if that is the case I might change it but if you say it's beneficial I'll keep going as Economics as the 4th option throughout the years.
Original post by AriefaRahman1
Are you in year 13? as you said "'I'm trying to get into medicine and just did economics as a substitute to maths cus i heard maths a level was hard". That is exactly my situation too haha. Did you find this choice beneficial? What kind of skill have you learned? and if you ever did GCSE Geography, do you think they are similar (in terms of skills)? I just want an overview cuz so far I am getting similar vibes to Geography and if that is the case I might change it but if you say it's beneficial I'll keep going as Economics as the 4th option throughout the years.

Yea I'm starting Y13. I found the choice beneficial because i enjoy economics and am doing decent at it, neither of which I think would be possible with maths A level. As for skills learned you gain a lot more understanding of how all in all why the market runs the way it does and why governments do what they do, and I guess learning about real inflation or currency de/appreciation or the bond market could help you longterm. I didn't do geography gcse so idk about that and I'm only doing 3 a levels, have been since the start since there's not that much point in 4 unless you're applying abroad or to oxbridge
Original post by wyaoh
Is the revision method similar to GCSE in which you just take notes, flashcards and do past papers?

Revision for A levels subjects in general i found to be different. You largely can't cram everything like a few weeks before an exam like you can for gcse(most of the time anyway, worked for me in biology). But for economics, the actual concepts up to a point are relatively simple and that isn't the main point of the essays; the examiner knows that you know about how economics works. They're more interested in how you link it back to an argument and provide evidence with real world examples, e.g government policies or past crises and their effects. Therefore my revision for my economics mock I did loads of application by reading economist articles and looking at inflation graphs and all and just drilled those stats in my head, then looking at past paper questions and thinking how can i link my stats to these questions
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by sealaandians
Yea I'm starting Y13. I found the choice beneficial because i enjoy economics and am doing decent at it, neither of which I think would be possible with maths A level. As for skills learned you gain a lot more understanding of how all in all why the market runs the way it does and why governments do what they do, and I guess learning about real inflation or currency de/appreciation or the bond market could help you longterm. I didn't do geography gcse so idk about that and I'm only doing 3 a levels, have been since the start since there's not that much point in 4 unless you're applying abroad or to oxbridge

Thank you so much for this. I can clearly see your perspective and where you're coming from. As a person who has never done Economics, I must admit it is indeed a shock for me but your words have given me courage. 🥺💞

Any advice for me, who started economics in Y12 with no knowledge? I just feel anxious idk y
Some economist articles/website recommendation will also be appreciated :h:
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by AriefaRahman1
Thank you so much for this. I can clearly see your perspective and where you're coming from. As a person who has never done Economics, I must admit it is indeed a shock for me but your words have given me courage. 🥺💞

Any advice for me, who started economics in Y12 with no knowledge? I just feel anxious idk y
Some economist articles/website recommendation will also be appreciated :h:

Tutor2u and investopedia can be helpful resources, there are also plenty of youtube videos. Check if your school has a subscription to any market focused news, most do and mine has one to the economist which I found tyo be helpful. If not, bbc news financial section and reuters are also equally as good

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you