Acquire the writing acumen
To meet students’ desire to excel in their A Level Economics examination, our economics tuition will nurture students’ proficient writing and critical thinking skills to meet the requirements set by the SEAB. At Economics Focus, students will develop a better understanding of the steps to undertake to score in the essay segment. The guide to achieve effective essay writing skills is prepared by experienced JC Economics tutors that are familiar with the latest trends of the past exam questions. Our learning system involves eLearning videos, essay writing skills development and extensive practices of essays and development of content knowledge for application. Therefore, they have tapped on their vast teaching experience and understanding of the question complexities to structure the guide in an easy-to-read format.
It is also important for students to understand that different chapters for Microeconomics and Macroeconomics have different content requirements. It is natural for students to have a spectrum of exposure to different questions under Microeconomics, such as Central Economic Problem, Price Elasticity of Demand and Supply, Income and Cross Elasticity of Demand and Supply, Cost of Production, Market Structures and Market Failures.
As for Macroeconomics, the following chapters are AS-AD Models and National Income Determination, Economic Growth, Inflation, Aims of Government and Macroeconomic Policies, Balance of Payment, International Trade, Foreign Exchange and Globalization.
Uncover the secrets of effective essay writing for A Level Economics
Have you ever considered why some students scored better in their Economics essays that others? It is likely that these students performed well due to their use of effective essay writing skills. At Economics Focus, we instil in students the knowledge and skills to write in effective and efficient ways. In the following sections, you will discover the intricacies of essay writing and identify key ingredients for a good essay.
Organise your essay structure with perspectives of discussion
One of the ways to hone your essay writing skills is to be organized in terms of arrange your ideas and points well. This is to ensure that the examiners can follow the train of thought of the candidates as the former read the essay answers. Students are advised to prepare a basic essay outline before they start writing the essay. This outline is set based on the given perspective of the question as well as alternative views that are not provided by the question.Students must pay attention to the directional words and phrases, such as “discuss” or “explain with the aid of a diagram” to determine the structure and content to fill in for the economics essay. Furthermore, the economic key terms used in the question will help students to identify the chapters that are tested. For example, ‘negative externalities’ would hint to students that the question relates to the chapter on ‘market failure’.
Students must be able to dissect the requirements of the question into diverse sections of discussion to ensure that scope of discussion can answer the questions. To achieve this, students need to be able to understand the different sections of teaching for a particular chapter and how it may integrate with other chapters. This scope of discussion must ensure that the perspectives of discussion is correctly linked and organized in an integrated manner that answer the requirements of the question. It takes a lot of practices to be develop to think and organise in this way under exam constraints. Studying the lecture notes without applying this essay writing structural development will not get the grade students want to have. You need to apply your knowledge to the requirements of the questions.
Develop expression with Economics Terms and Causation
Another important economics essay writing skills that students must refine is the ability to express their ideas and views by using specific economics terms. The purpose of using economic terms is to set the context of the essay in a more directional way to facilitate comprehension of answers for the examiners. These economics terms are taught at classes and organized based on the chapters that students have studied. For example, in the Microeconomics chapter on ‘Demand and Supply’, students are expected to apply the economics terms of ‘market equilibrium’ to express the view that the market is experiencing an economic condition whereby there is no change in the demand and supply factors, such that the market price and output are set.
At the start of every paragraph, students must apply the skills of causation writing to set a clear direction for their topic sentence. They can improve these skills by learning to congest ideas via the usage of noun phrases. Then, point elaboration is necessary to support the argument via the skills of process explanation. By using a systematic approach, students will learn how to show the contributing factors lead to the identified economic effects. For example, students will learn how to explain a reduction in oil output will lead to an increase in oil prices.
Show the changes in economic conditions by using diagrammatical illustrations
In some cases, students are expected to illustrate their points with the aid of economic diagrams. In the study of A Level Economics, economic diagrams are one of the crucial elements in understanding the changes in economic conditions. For instance, a demand and supply diagram will be useful for students to examine how changes in demand and supply factors contribute to the adjustments in the price and output of a specific good or service.
To excel in the JC economics essay writing component, students must undergo regular and consistent practice in drawing the economic diagrams. It is advised for students to develop an organized approach in carrying out the diagram illustration. For instance, the first step is to draw and label the two axes.
Following the completion of diagrammatical illustration, it is imperative for students to provide to the description of diagram to ensure that the examiners comprehend the flow of argument in this section of the economics essay. One useful method is to start the paragraph with the phrase ‘as seen from the diagram’. Then, students should explain how the contributing factors lead to changes in the curves and the eventual outcome. Also, it is important for students to allocate adequate space for the diagram and its description.
Evaluation based on context
One way that examiners use to distinguish better performing students from the rest of the cohort is based on the evaluation of points. The economics essays must contain in-depth analysis that provide insightful views on how the economic conditions and changes affect the outcome. The areas of evaluation are dependent on the chapters tested in the essay question. Generally, the evaluation of points can be carried out at the later parts of the essay answer. This is an effective exam strategy as the examiners would check that the basic points are covered at the initial parts of the essay before determining whether additional marks can be awarded to the student for the evaluation.
Conclusion with an opinionated summary
In the concluding paragraph, students can reiterate their views in the context of the economics essay question. It will be beneficial for students to provide their personal opinions to value-add the quality of answers. Nevertheless, students are advised to write a concise conclusion.
Get started to find out more about our latest tuition programmes.
Sign Up