A Level Economics

Why study this subject?

Economics is everywhere, yet most students are initially unsure what it involves. Economics involves looking at resources which are scarce, and deciding how to best use them. You will be making decisions like these everyday, when you decide how to spend your money and time.

In Economics we look at consumer, business and particularly government decisions. These may relate to what policies to have in a certain sector or country. Often opinions differ as to the best policy to use or how to best spend the government budget.

Key economic issues include:

How will the UK economy be affected by conflicts abroad?
What impact will a cut in VAT on summer attractions really have?
Why have disposable vapes been banned?
Why are some countries richer than others? Why does having natural resources not necessarily help economic development?
Is it good for a country to specialise in tourism?
Why might countries such as Argentina experience very high rates of inflation?
Why are more people in the UK not working?
Why has funding for childcare been increased?
What policies can be used to encourage use of electric cars? Is this desirable?

Economics equips you with:

An understanding of how the economy works, applied to modern day problems and current affairs
Skills to construct a logical and analytical argument
The ability to interpret and manipulate data. This includes reading graphs, using formulae and calculating percentages and percentage changes.

During the course, you will calculate unemployment rates, inflation rates, income per head for a country’s population, as well as a firm’s profit and revenue. The maths involved is no more difficult than GCSE level, and we will teach you everything you need to know.

Students are expected to undertake 3-4 hours of independent work each week for this subject.

About the department

As one of the largest departments in the country, with five dedicated Economics teachers, we offer all students an incredible experience, involving:

Economics A Level Results in the top 25% of the country
Last year, nearly a third of our students went on to study at a Russell Group university
A well-resourced Economics Help Room, so you can drop in and ask for help.
Visiting speakers from various institutions such as the Bank of England, the Treasury and various universities
Enrichment opportunities including: personal finance, Student Investor Challenge, essay competitions and Oxbridge support

Topics you will cover

We cover the Edexcel A Economics specification.

Theme One

Microeconomics – Year One

What can be done to reduce our consumption of ultra-processed food? Why do consumers sometimes behave irrationally? Why are property prices in London so much higher than elsewhere? Should there be a minimum pricing policy for alcohol? What can be done to reduce our use of non-renewable energy? Should plastic straws and bags be banned?

Theme Two

Macroeconomics – Year One

Why has inflation been high in the last few years? Is high national debt a cause for concern? Why do we spend more on buying foreign products than we raise from exporting British goods? Why might a 6.5% pay rise for NHS workers not be as high as it sounds? What causes unemployment and what can be done about it?

Theme Three

Microeconomics – Year Two

Why were Sainsbury’s and Asda not allowed to merge? How does supermarket power affect farmers? Why can Amazon sell products more cheaply than other firms? Why do some occupations earn more than others? Should the minimum wage be increased further? Should the railways be owned and run by the government? What will AI mean for our labour markets?

Theme Four

Macroeconomics – Year Two

Why are some countries rich and others poor? Was the UK leaving the EU be a good or bad thing? Why did the Financial Crisis of 2008 occur and could it have been prevented? Why is there income inequality within the UK and is this a good or bad thing? What policies can be used to encourage economic development? What is globalization and who wins and loses out from it?

Please note, the vast majority of our students have never studied Economics before so don’t feel you need to come with any prior knowledge of the subject.

What our students say

From our end-of-course questionnaire:

99% of students agree the quality of teaching is high
99% of students felt they had the opportunity to get help and advice
98% found the topics interesting and relevant
98% of students would recommend the course to others

From our end-of-course questionnaire:

97% of students agree the quality of teaching is high
99% of students felt they had the opportunity to get help and advice
99% of students felt the course helped with their skill development
95% of students would recommend the course to others

Quotes from our students:

“The one major thing I would say about Economics is that when I started I was slightly nervous because I thought it was going to be very maths based (not my strongest point), but now I realise that in fact maths is just a small part of the subject and that is one of the reasons it fast became my favourite subject.”

“Economics is an interesting subject that I think links well with my other subjects (Business and Geography). My teacher is really helpful and goes through the work at a good speed. I enjoy lessons and would definitely recommend to anyone that has an interest in Economics or Business. My teacher has also supported me with answering questions by going through some of the work in smaller groups.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed learning about application skills and how we use different countries in essays to refer back to. Thoroughly enjoyed the developmental topic of economics because it relates to the whole global economy and learning about causes of poverty and development.”

“I found the course fascinating in its application to the real world, having an interest in current affairs it was especially useful. Also my understanding of my other subjects like history was furthered by Economics.”

“Economics is a subject that opens your eyes and allows you to see the reality in the business and economic world. If you have ever been interested in government’s decisions and what are the impacts on individuals in the society or certain industries or markets? then economics might be the subject for you.”

“I have found economics to be an enthralling subject – some of my favourite teachers and best friends I met in economics classes. It is a brilliant subject for those wishing to learn more about the way the world around them works, and I have found it goes hand in glove with Government and Politics. I urge any student considering it to give it a go.”

Entry requirements

Grade 5s in both GCSE English Language and GCSE Mathematics.

Skills you will develop

Want to know more?

Useful links:

Visit the BBC Economy News website to get a flavour of topics we might cover.

Take a look at the Edexcel A Level Economics webpage to see our specification and example papers.