AQA A-Level Economics guide FAQ (7136)
Guide overview All 14 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
AQA A-Level Economics: questions and answers
Specification 7136. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 is the microeconomics: economic methodology, individual decision making, price determination, costs and revenue, market structures, the labour market, income distribution, and market failure and government intervention.
Paper 2 is the macroeconomics. Paper 3 can take anything. The full breakdown is here.
What is on Paper 3?
A section of multiple choice questions and a case study with extended responses, drawing on any content from either half. It rewards being able to connect micro and macro, which cannot be done without recalling both.
Are the diagrams covered?
The guide asks what each diagram shows, what shifts each curve and which way, what the areas mean and what conclusion it supports. Drawing them accurately under time is what past papers are for.
I know the content but my essays score in the middle.
Those are two problems and they need solving in order. Economics essays are marked on precise definitions, correct diagrams and evaluated chains of reasoning. The guide fixes the parts; past papers fix the structure and the timing.
Is the maths in it?
Yes. Elasticities, index numbers, real against nominal values, percentage and percentage point change, the multiplier, marginal and average cost and revenue, and reading data presented in unfamiliar forms.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Market structures is 381 questions, so work by subtopic.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. Economics marks turn on precise definitions and on chains of reasoning written down. The method page sets out the evidence.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. Past papers train the data response, the essay choice and the multiple choice section. AQA publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 2,344 exam-style questions covering the whole of AQA A-Level Economics, with the answers printed after each topic.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. AQA A-Level Economics is 7136.
My child writes long essays and still gets middling marks.
Length is not what is marked. Economics essays are marked on precise definitions, correct diagrams and evaluated reasoning. A student who cannot state a definition cleanly writes around it at length instead.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£8.00 for the whole specification. An endorsed A-Level Economics textbook is usually £30 to £40.
How much time does the whole course take?
146 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 49 hours for a full first pass, spread across two years.
What else does my child need?
Past papers, free from AQA, a calculator, and their own notes for anything not yet taught.
AQA A-Level Economics Active Recall Guide
2,344 questions with their answers, 146 subtopics, one file.