February 2026 Economics update
29 January 2026
Welcome to this second update of 2026!
The update starts with the exam entry codes your Exams Officer will be requesting if they have not done so already. You will also see invitations to join our examiner teams this summer for all four Economics qualifications.
If you teach A level Economics A, we hope that you will be able to join us for our after-school network events this term.
There is a feature on onscreen assessment for International GCSE which may be of more general interest even if you don't teach International GCSE. This may be an opportunity to find out more and to try out the onscreen environment. There is also an invitation to join a webinar on the subject. The Ofqual consultation on onscreen assessment closes in early March.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 3 February | A level Economics A network event (8-mark questions) |
| 21 February | Entry deadline for International GCSE and AS/A level for UK centres |
| 3 March | A level Economics A network event (Paper 3) |
| 5 March | Results day for IAL January 2026 series |
| 21 March | Entry deadline for International GCSE and IAL for international centres |
Your Exams Officer will soon be asking for the exam entry codes for the summer exams. Please provide your EO with the information well in advance of the deadlines.
| Qualification | Entry code | Entry deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Economics spec A | 9EC0 | 21 February* |
| Economics spec B | 9EB0 | 21 February* |
* Please note that for international centres, the entry deadline is 21 March.
| IAL Economics | Entry code | Entry deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | WEC11 | 21 March |
| Unit 2 | WEC12 | 21 March |
| Unit 3 | WEC13 | 21 March |
| Unit 4 | WEC14 | 21 March |
| IAS cash-in | XEC11 | 21 March |
| IAL cash-in | YEC11 | 21 March |
4EC1A = the traditionally assessed linear papers
R - Regional papers - Pearson requires the following countries to use the alternative R option codes: Australia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
C = Onscreen assessment
CR = Regional and onscreen papers
The entry deadlines are:
- 21 February for UK centres
- 21 March for International centres
| Entry | Option | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 4EC1 | A | Economics (Papers 1 & 2) |
| 4EC1 | R | Economics (Papers 1R & 2R) |
| 4EC1 | ZA | Economics (Papers 1C & 2C) |
| 4EC1 | ZB | Economics (Papers 1C & 2) |
| 4EC1 | ZC | Economics (Papers 1 & 2C) |
| 4EC1 | ZD | Economics (Papers 1CR & 2CR) |
| 4EC1 | ZE | Economics (Papers 1CR & 2R) |
| 4EC1 | ZF | Economics (Papers 1R & 2CR) |
International centres only
The entry deadline is 21 March.
R - Regional papers - Pearson requires the following countries to use the alternative R option codes: Australia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam
C = Onscreen assessment
CR = Regional and onscreen papers
| Entry | Option | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 4WEC1 | A | Economics (Unit 1) |
| 4WEC1 | R | Economics (Unit 1R) |
| 4WEC1 | C | Economics (Unit 1C) |
| 4WEC1 | V | Economics (Unit 1CR) |
| 4WEC1 | A | Economics (Unit 2) |
| 4WEC1 | R | Economics (Unit 2R) |
| 4WEC1 | C | Economics (Unit 2C) |
| 4WEC1 | V | Economics (Unit 2CR) |
| 4XEC1 | Economics cash-in |
| A level Economics A |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Delivery support focuses on free support materials, networking and both free and paid-for resources. There are links to Pearson, Hodder and other publishers.
A level Economics B |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Assessment support focuses on assessment news and tools, support in understanding the command verbs, and information about grade boundaries and statistics.
We are recruiting examiners for our Economics qualifications and would invite you to join one of our examining teams.
Are you an ECT?
Apply to be an NQT economics examiner for Economics A
| 3 February | A level Economics A: Tackling the 8-mark 'examine' question |
| 3 March | A Level Economics A: Tackling Paper 3 |
The A level Economics A You Tube Channel includes recordings of events from previous years.
Learnogic was created to provide a platform for sharing best practice. Whether you are looking for support for your school or your students, a team of senior examiners deliver a wide range of innovative In‑Person, Online, and Bespoke CPD sessions and Student Events designed to enhance teaching and learning pedagogy.
Learnogic also offer highly engaging, interactive resources — including animation‑based diagrams and model answers — to support effective content delivery.
Learnogic empowers you to master the art of assessment and elevate your students’ responses to the next level.
The pre-release material for the June 2026 Paper 3 is now available.
Please visit the delivery support pages to learn about both free and paid-for support available for our qualifications.
Two new case studies were added in November and we now have sixteen case studies mapped to the specification.
| Number | Title | Specification references | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | The future of the NHS | 1.2.6(b) Price determination: the use of supply and demand diagrams to depict excess supply and excess demand 1.3.1 Types of market failure 1.3.2 Externalities 1.3.4 Information gaps |
|
| 18 | Tax cuts in India | 2.2.1 The characteristics of AD 2.3.2 Short-run AS 2.4.1 National income 2.4.2 Injections and withdrawals 2.4.3 Equilibrium levels of national output |
Summer 2026 Timetable - Economics A
Summer 2026 Timetable - Economics B
| IAL Economics |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Delivery support focuses on free support materials, networking and both free and paid-for resources. There are links to Pearson, Hodder and other publishers.
| International GCSE Economics |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Assessment support focuses on assessment news and tools, support in understanding the command verbs, and information about grade boundaries and statistics.
We are recruiting examiners for our Economics qualifications and would invite you to join one of our examining teams.
Are you internationally based?
We are currently looking to expand our Examining workforce ahead of our assessment activities. We are seeking applicants to mark our International GCSE and International A Level qualifications in Economics.
Since 2024
Our onscreen assessments are the same as the paper-based assessments. The questions are the same and the exams are taken at the same time - the only difference is the format.
Students take their assessments at a centre, under exam conditions, working on devices.
Get to know the platform
Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) for subjects that we currently deliver onscreen are available for you, your teachers, your students and their parents/guardians/carers to look at within our Sandbox environment.
It gives the opportunity to experience the platform and the functionalities available*.
To set up an account:
- go to the Sandbox environment
- click on ‘Don’t have an account’
- enter your email address as your UserID
- wait for an automatic email to confirm your email address
- proceed to log in.
*Any responses submitted within the Sandbox are not saved.
The onscreen toolkit
1. Booking App
https://booking.mod.pearson.com
This is where you can:
- assign familiarisation material
- manage invigilator accounts
- access submitted student scripts.
For an account to access and assign materials, please complete the form below:
2. Invigilator App
https://invigilate.mod.pearson.com
This is where you can:
- view invigilation sessions
- monitor student connectivity
- track progress through familiarisation material, mock assessments and live exams
You can view our video about navigating and using the Invigilator App by using the link below:
3. Assessment Player
https://assessment.mod.pearson.com
This is where students can:
- access all assigned assessments
- view current, upcoming and completed assessments
There is a guided tour video that demonstrates how students interact with the onscreen platform and you can also view support videos for specific tools available.
Our ‘Ask us Anything’ webinar is still available to view and includes hearing from some of our schools who were among the first to deliver our International GCSE English onscreen assessments. At a time stamp of approx. 26mins you can see how the Invigilator App and the Assessment Player interact during a live assessment.
Technology Set Up
The assessment player is compatible with multiple browsers and operating systems on both centre-owned and candidate-owned Windows and MAC devices. Only centre-owned Chromebooks are supported currently.
Devices must be capable of receiving and installing the latest software updates to ensure they remain supported and secure. You can find full technical guidance on our website.
New familiarisation materials now available
We're pleased to share that additional onscreen assessments have been added to the familiarisation library of our onscreen platform. These resources are freely available and ready for centres to use with learners.
Familiarisation materials are digitised versions of past papers designed to support both teachers and students in gaining confidence with the format, layout and features of our onscreen platform ahead of their high stakes assessments.
They can be assigned directly through the platform’s Booking App. If you need any help assigning assessments to your students or getting started with the onscreen platform, our Onscreen Assessment Team is here to support you – just email internationalonscreen@pearson.com.
The familiarisation material currently available is given below:
Upcoming Drop-in Q&A Sessions
We're here to help with any general onscreen queries you may have, so please feel free to join our friendly drop-in sessions. Just remember to sign up in advance—we look forward to seeing you there!
Learnogic was created to provide a platform for sharing best practice. Whether you are looking for support for your school or your students, a team of senior examiners deliver a wide range of innovative In‑Person, Online, and Bespoke CPD sessions and Student Events designed to enhance teaching and learning pedagogy.
Learnogic also offer highly engaging, interactive resources — including animation‑based diagrams and model answers — to support effective content delivery.
Learnogic empowers you to master the art of assessment and elevate your students’ responses to the next level.
Summer 2026 Timetable
November 2026 Timetable
Summer 2026 Timetable
October 2026 Timetable
January 2027 Provisional Timetable
Please note that this is a provisional timetable. Any feedback on provisional timetables should be sent to timetables@pearson.com.
Ofqual has launched a consultation on proposals for how on-screen assessment should be regulated in GCSEs, AS and A levels in England. Whilst they propose a controlled introduction of on-screen assessment, pen-and-paper will remain central to most exams.
As teachers working directly with students, you understand their needs and the challenges this proposal may present.
Your opinion counts. The consultation closes on 5 March 2026.
Now that the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the timelines have been published, we are now considering the implications for A level Economics. We will keep you informed of any further developments.
See the timeline (on page 52)
The APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) on Financial Education launched its report in September.
This review explores how financial education is integrated, supported and delivered as well as what a UK vision for financial education could look like, what is working and what needs to be improved.
The report calls for a Financial Education Youth Guarantee including financial education at every stage of learning, Financial Education Champions in every school and the establishment of a national financial education resource hub.
The report also highlights examples of positive practice and recent developments that could be scaled up, as well as specific recommendations to improve financial education.
This is a recorded session which focuses on best practice when using ResultsPlus, alongside ExamWizard to analyse your students’ examination results, and improve your in-house approach to teaching the topics your students find challenging.
The Professional Development Academy summarises the training that is available to you.
The Pearson Edexcel Facebook page is designed to help and support you with the teaching and delivery of our UK qualifications. We share the latest news, updates and information about our support services across subjects. From our own news to updates from Ofqual and JCQ, follow us on @PearsonEdexcel on Facebook to stay up to date.
Multi factor authentication was rolled out to nearly a quarter of a million Pearson Portal users last year. Although it has now become a standard way of accessing our systems, it can sometimes present challenges if a smart device is lost or replaced.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Based on feedback received this graphic was created to answer some common questions.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Subject advisor
Colin Leith
Economics
Email :
Phone :
+44 (0) 344 463 2535
(Teaching Services team | Mon-Fri, 9am - 5pm GMT)
