Lessons from the 2009 AS examinations by Chief Examiner, Quintin Brewer

This summer saw the first batch of the new AS examinations based on the revised syllabuses. Now that there are only 2 modules instead of 3 at AS Level, the length of examinations has increased. This has meant that mark bases are higher than on the old syllabuses which have arguably increased the demands on students. In particular, the ability to write extended prose answers is something which some students find especially difficult. Practise at structuring essays, using paragraphs and developing analysis logically should help to improve performance in this area as well as providing an important platform for A2.

In addition, there are some familiar issues:

• Not answering the question set: candidates need to develop the confidence to apply concepts to unfamiliar contexts rather than writing pre-learnt answers which may not be entirely relevant

• Imprecision: Students need to understand from the start of their course that terms and concepts need to be defined precisely

• Poorly labelled and inaccurate diagrams: these are all too common in AS papers, particularly the use of micro supply and demand diagrams when macro aggregate demand and aggregate supply diagrams are required. A further issue is that the x and y axes need to be labelled accurately

• Weak ability to interpret data: students often experience difficulty in reading graphs accurately; interpreting index numbers and describing trends.

• Not using the information provided: data response questions are now a well-established method of assessing Economics. Unfortunately, a sizeable minority of students make little or no use of the data and extracts provided so limiting their ability to access the highest marks

• Inaccurate calculations: a surprisingly large number of AS Economics candidates seem to be unable to calculate percentages

• Limited use of economic analysis: weaker scripts are characterised by generalised, journalistic responses which show only a limited ability to apply economic concepts and diagrams

• Absence of evaluation: Some examination papers do not include any evaluation even though this might account for up to 25% of the marks. AS students often find this difficult initially so practise in this area is vital especially in identifying the command words (e.g. assess; to what extent; evaluate) which demand evaluative comments.