How to study A level economics
Whilst some students make take longer than others to finally get motivated to do a bit of revision, exam season is approaching, so read on for some useful tips to study for A level economics and secure the grade that you want.
Use examples
With top students always using examples, this is an important way to support your statements in longer essay answers, both in the evaluation and deeper analysis. Having a bit of data at hand as part of the revision notes you memorise can boost your grade for a question’s answer immediately. This shows that you, as a student, are a confident writer, and can easily apply economic theory to the real world.
Be prepared
This one may seem obvious, but a lot of students don’t prepare themselves! Get ready for the kinds of questions that appear on economic papers – practising past papers online or asking your teacher for supply questions will help you know how the exams work and what areas you need to work on.
Whilst this will help you guess what types of questions will come up, practising this way can also help you with your essay writing technique and will improve your knowledge. Looking at mark schemes for certain questions can also show you what the examiner commonly wants to see and can help you get into the frame of mind of writing answers like the model A* answers.
Find your preferred way to revise
If you struggled with memorising things for GCSE, testing out different methods at A level may be useful, especially as you can give them a trial run in mock exams. Making notes, using an online Economics tutor at GCSE and A Level, past papers, and revision cards are all common ways to get that knowledge inside your head – you’ll just have to test them out to know which suits you most effectively.
Some people work better in groups, whilst others work better alone. If you have all the knowledge inside your head, you can easily become a strong candidate – the stronger candidates will always be able to use concepts and points relating to the syllabus when using economic theory whilst weaker candidates may give vague answers. Let the examiner know that you know what you’re talking about!
And don’t forget – revision is an ongoing process. If you just read something once or twice, your memory may be weak in these topics compared to if you spread this revision out over a couple of months.
Read the question properly
Again, this might seem obvious. But one of the biggest things that trip students up – not just in economic exams but all exams – is not reading the question properly due to panic or lack of focus.
Students may write the answer to the question that they want to write rather than what the question is actually asking them.
Sometimes, data is needed in your response and you need to integrate it into your answer – always try to figure out what type of question it is and what the examiner wants to see.
Furthermore, structuring your answer properly can help you focus more rather than if it’s all jumbled up. Writing a logical answer will make things clearer when you go back to check your answers at the end of the exam.
If you, or your parents would like to find out more, please just get in touch via email at info@exam.tips or call us on 0800 689 1272.