A Level

In Cambridge

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    A Level

  • Location

    Cambridge

  • Duration

    2 Years

AS/A2 Economics examines how we can make the best use of our scarce resources. It is a social science, halfway between the arts and the sciences. It is a subject based on theories which are then applied to a wide range of everyday examples. For example, you might consider: why footballers' wages are so high; why the price of a commodity such as oil rises and falls so often; whether students.

Important information

Government funding available

Facilities

Location

Start date

Cambridge (Cambridgeshire )
See map
Long Road, CB2 8PX

Start date

On request

About this course

:
Five Grade Cs at GCSE in appropriate subjects including Maths or English.
You do not need to have taken GCSE Economics: almost all our students choose it as a new subject.

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Course programme


AS/A2 Economics
AS/A2 Economics examines how we can make the best use of our scarce resources. It is a social science, halfway between the arts and the sciences. It is a subject based on theories which are then applied to a wide range of everyday examples. For example, you might consider: why footballers' wages are so high; why the price of a commodity such as oil rises and falls so often; whether students should pay for their higher education; why health care is free in the UK but charged for in the USA; what the consequences have been of a single currency in Europe; how the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Bank of England manage the economy; why the tax on cigarettes and alcohol is so high; why the government has banned smoking in public places and raised the age for buying cigarettes to 18.

AS Course Content
The AS course comprises two modules:
  • Markets in action
    This examines the nature of the economic problem (scarce resources and unlimited wants) and how different societies resolve it.It goes on to look at how markets operate via Supply and Demand to set the price of goods and services, including workers' wages, and whether markets are operating efficiently or not. Finally, the module looks at what happens if the outcome determined by the market is not desirable e.g. very rich people and very poor people in the same country, and the actions governments can take to correct this market failure.
    Assessment: 1½ hour exam (50%)
  • The National and International Economy
    This module looks at large-scale (macroeconomic) issues. It focuses on understanding the way the economy as a whole operates. It then looks at the standard measures of a country's economic performance and the difficult, and sometimes conflicting, measures governments may have to take to enhance them. Finally, this module examines the question of free trade in the international context.
    Assessment: 1½ hour exam based on a case study (50%)


A2 Course Content
The A2 course comprises a further two modules:

  • Transport Economics
    This module looks at economic theories in the context of transport issues and problems, comparing trends in the UK and within the European Union as a whole. The impact of privatisation and de-regulation of transport in the UK is central to the examination of the different approaches to managing transport. Transport failures (e.g. congestion) are then examined, as are the role, and actions, of government to address these failures (e.g. congestion charging). Finally, the module looks at the role of transport in the wider success of the UK economy.
    Assessment: two-hour exam
  • The Global Economy
    This is the final module of the course, which brings together issues from throughout the course. It's focus is on global issues and organisations within the global economy such as economic growth in developing and developed economies, international trade and sustainable development in countries such as China and India. Finally, it looks at the economics of globalisation and associated issues such as trade disputes.
    Assessment: two-hour exam

Is Economics for me?
You will enjoy and benefit from Economics if you:
  • have an interest in current affairs and want to focus on real world issues and problems;
  • have the ability to relate to theoretical models and to examine issues logically and systematically;
  • are willing and able to work with numbers (e.g. calculating percentages) and diagrams, although there is not a great deal of mathematics in the course;
  • can express yourself well, both in discussion and on paper;
  • are keen to carry out independent investigative research, including using the internet, rather than just listening and reading.

Economics and your future
Employment opportunities where your economics skills will be particularly valued include: business management; consultancy; journalism; media; the law; marketing; the Civil Service; politics and teaching.

Visits & Visitors
Year 13 students often attend a one-day conference on topical issues in London.

AS/A2 Economics

Price on request