Course Overview
This course can either be studied at Wakefield College or Selby College.
Do you want to explore the relationship between an individual’s decisions and local economics? Or consider how economic policy makers can affect change on the national or global stage? You will find out about the terms, concepts, theories and models in both micro and macro Economics and learn how to evaluate the effects of economic agents for yourself. You will learn about markets and how they fail as well as studying both national and international economies including topics such as, competition; monopolies; the labour market; fiscal policy, government intervention, inequality and poverty and much more.
You will learn all about these topics using a wide range of teaching and learning methods. There will be lectures, group work, presentation, research and report activities, guest speakers, problem solving and plenty of past exam paper questions to practise for the exams. Homework will be set every week to allow you to develop your knowledge and skills.
What You Will Study
Examples of topics you may study include:
Individuals, Firms, Markets and Market Failure:
- Individual Economic Decision-making
- Production, Costs and Revenue
- Perfect Competition, Imperfectly Competitive Markets and Monopoly
- The Labour Market
- The Distribution of Income and Wealth
- Poverty and Inequality
- The Market Mechanism, Market Failure and Government Intervention in Markets
The National and International Economy:
- The Measurement of Macroeconomic Performance
- How the Macroeconomy Works
- The Circular Flow of Income
- AD/AS Analysis and Related ConceptsEconomic Performance
- Financial Markets and Monetary Policy
- Fiscal Policy and Supply-side Policies; and the International Economy
- How You Will Be Assessed
This course is examined by written external exams, set and marked by the exam board.
To pass the full A Level you will sit three two hour exams at the end of the 2nd year
Paper 1: assessment on markets and market failure. You answer two long questions; one from each section. In section A, you can choose one context from a choice of two, and in section B one context from a choice of three.
Paper 2: assessment on national and international economy – again, you answer two long questions; one from each section. In sections A, you can choose one context from a choice of two, and in section B one context from a choice of three.
Paper 3: assessment of economic principles and issues. Section A is multiple choice and section B has extended writing questions.
- Entry Requirements
5 GCSEs at Grade 9-4, including English Language.
PLUS
Grade 6 in Maths.
- Further Study
The majority of students progress to Degree level of study at university. This may be a degree in Economics itself or a related discipline.
