Economics

Course summary

The Economics qualification aims to captivate the imagination of students so that, when they leave the classroom, they’ll want to explore and read around the subject further. While serving as an introduction to the study of Economics, the specification will also provide opportunities for ‘Stretch and Challenge’ to extend students’ understanding of the world of Economics. The classroom is where the majority of students will be introduced to the study of Economics. It’s within this environment that they will confront issues, tackle the challenges that these issues raise, and engage in debate and discussion with fellow students. At the heart of the Economics qualifications will be their relevance to the modern world; their topicality is designed to engage students and facilitate an understanding of their role in society. The stimulating specification content will encourage them to develop their skills as independent learners, critical thinkers and decision-makers – all personal assets that can make them stand out as they progress to Higher Education and/or the workplace. The AQA A-Level in Economics encourages the learners to ‘think as economists’ and develop the appropriate range of analytical, questioning and reasoning skills to achieve this objective. In addition, the qualification will enable learners to develop grounding in both microeconomics and macroeconomics, drawing on local, national and global contexts. This specification enables learners to foster an understanding of economic concepts and theories in a range of contexts and to develop a critical consideration of their value and limitation in explaining real world phenomena. As a result of following this course of study learners will be able to explain, analyse and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the market economy and the role of the government and be able to criticise economic models of enquiry, recognising the limitations of economic models.