Economics | Pearson qualifications

Economics

Subject update | Mon Mar 11 17:00:00 UTC 2024

March 2024 Economics update

Welcome to this March 2024 update.

The recordings of our after-school events for Economics A this term are uploaded to the You Tube channel so that they can be revisited at a later time. 

There are five new events you can register for in March and April.  I hope you will be able to join us.

It is still not too late to apply to be an examiner for this summer and the links to our examiner recruitment pages are available below.

I hope that you will be able to enjoy the Easter break when it comes.

Read more

Key dates

Date Activity
7 March Results day for IAL January series
18 March Economics A network meeting
26 March Economics A network meeting
21 March International GCSE entry deadline for UK centres.
21 March GCSE, International GCSE. A level and IAL entry deadline for international centres.

Our four qualifications

Econ A squirrels

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Econ B trees

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IAL Econ trees

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IG tree

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For help with:

  • free support and networking
  • free resources
  • paid-for resources from Pearson
  • paid-for resources from Hodder
  • other paid-for resources

For help with:

  • recorded feedback training
  • building your own question papers (examWizard)
  • the key command verbs
  • grade boundaries and statistics

Upcoming network events

18 March

Year 1 macroeconomic themes (2)

• Economic Growth; output gaps
• Circular flow of income; Multiplier
• Macroeconomic objectives and possible conflicts
• Demand-side policies
• Supply-side policies
• How to assess an essay on macroeconomics
 

 

Register
26 March

Year 2 microeconomic themes (1)

• Business organisations; growth of businesses
• Revenues, costs, profits and losses
• Profit maximisation
• Market structures: perfect competition, monopolistic competition and monopoly
• Approaching data response questions in microeconomics
 

Register
16 April

Year 2 microeconomic themes (2) 

• Market structures (2) Oligopoly; Monopsony
• Contestable markets
• Labour markets
• Current labour market issues
• Government intervention in markets
• How to assess an essay on microeconomics
 

Register
22 April

Year 2 macroeconomic themes (1) 

• Globalisation
• Comparative advantage
• Terms of trade
• Balance of payments and Exchange rates
• International competitiveness6
• Extended answers on these areas of Theme 4
 

Register
25 April

Year 2 macroeconomic themes (2) 

• Poverty and inequality
• Development economics:
- measures of development
- constraints on development
- strategies to promote growth and development
• Financial sector
• Public finance
• Exam techniques
 

Register

Recent network events

1. Economics - Specification and Assessment

2. Year 1 Microeconomic Themes (Part 1)

3. Year 1 Microeconomic Themes (Part 2)

4. Macroeconomic Themes


May/June 2024 exam series

2024 May Prov TT

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May/June 2025 provisional timetable

2024 May Prov TT

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For help with:

  • free support and networking
  • free and paid-for resources

For help with:

  • the key command verbs
  • grade boundaries and statistics

Anforme books

The Economics Factory now has digital versions of the Anforme A level Economics B books

Visit the Economics Factory
 


May/June 2024 exam series

2023 May TT

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May/June 2025 provisional timetable

2023 May TT

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For help with:

  • free support and networking
  • IAL university recognition
  • free resources
  • paid-for resources
     

For help with:

  • building your own question papers (examWizard)
  • the key command verbs
  • grade boundaries and statistics

October 2023 exam series

May/June 2024 exam series

The entry deadline is 21 March 2024.

2023 May TT

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October 2024 exam series

2024 Oct TT

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January 2025 provisional timetable

IAL Econ 2024 Jan TT

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May/June 2025 provisional timetable

IAL Econ 2024 Jan TT

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Onscreen exams rollout

IAL Economics will have the first onscreen assessment available from 2026.

Make sure you’re signed up for the latest onscreen assessment news to find out how to register your school.

For help with:

  • free support and networking
  • free resources
  • paid-for resources

For help with:

  • the key command verbs
  • grade boundaries and statistics

Onscreen mocks

Onscreen mocks are now available for International GCSE Economics


Onscreen exams rollout

International GCSE Economics will have the first onscreen assessment available from 2024.

Make sure you’re signed up for the latest onscreen assessment news to find out how to register your school.

The Pearson onscreen sandbox (test environment) gives students all the practice they need to explore the platform’s functionality and build their confidence before they sit their exams onscreen.

It’s easy to register for an account: just click on Register for an account and enter your email address as your user ID.

The materials are digitised in the same platform as the mock and high-stakes onscreen exams and are a good opportunity for teachers and students to get to know the platform and functionality available.

Whilst the user experience mirrors what can be expected from the mocks and high-stakes assessments, please note that any solutions submitted through the sandbox environment by candidates will not be saved.


Modular International GCSE

International GCSE Economics is in the first group of subjects to make a modular route available to learners from September 2023.

This means that we will have both a modular and a linear route to achieve this qualification.

If you are happy with the linear approach, there is no need to move to the modular route; our linear International GCSEs will continue to be offered and taken widely by learners around the world. ​

However, if you believe the modular route will be of benefit to your learners, this will be available from September 2023 with the first exams in May/June 2024.


Course planner and schemes of work for Modular International GCSE Economics

To help your planning we now have both a course planner and a scheme of work for the modular International GCSE in Economics.


November 2023 exam series

May/June 2024 exam series

2023 May TT

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November 2024 provisional timetable

2023 May TT

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May 2025 provisional timetable

2023 May TT

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Exam entry codes for International GCSE Economics (LINEAR).

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, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

C = Onscreen assessment

CR = Regional and onscreen papers

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)

Exam entry codes for International GCSE Economics (MODULAR).

First certification of Modular International GCSEs is in August 2025. The cash-in 4XEC1 is not available for entry in June 2024.
 

Entry Option Title
4WEC1   Economics (Unit 1)
4WEC1 R Economics (Unit 1R)
4WEC1 C Economics (Unit 1C)
4WEC1 CR Economics (Unit 1CR)
4WEC1   Economics (Unit 2)
4WEC1 R Economics (Unit 2R)
4WEC1 C Economics (Unit 2C)
4WEC1 CR Economics (Unit 2CR)

Assessment

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 GCE, International GCSE and International A Level qualifications in Economics.


Are you an NQT?

There is a new support page for you to bookmark – General qualifications assessment support. Here we’ll share news information and updates from Ofqual, the Department for Education (DfE), the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and Pearson, relating to the exams and assessments for our GCSE, AS and A level qualifications.

We’ll be updating it regularly so you know you’ve got all the latest announcements, news, support materials and updates to enable you to teach our qualifications, help your students with their assessments and post-results support, to enable them to progress.

How to submit an appeal from 01 January 2024

From 1 January 2024, we are pleased to confirm that there will be a new web form for centres and private candidates to use when they wish to submit an application to appeal or request a review of an administrative decision. Using this web form will help to guide centres and private candidates in the information that needs to be provided in an application to appeal. This will help us to ensure we can process all applications promptly.

The web form will be available on our main Post-results web page and on our Post-results services web page for T levels, and will be operational by 1 January 2024. From that date onwards we will no longer accept appeal applications that are made directly to our appeals email inbox. Appeals submitted to the inbox prior to 01 January 2024 will be processed. We will return any applications to appeal that are sent to our appeals inbox from 01 January 2024 to you with a request to submit them using the web form.

Centres and private candidates must use the web form to submit appeals related to:

1. the outcome of reviews of marking/moderation (within 30 calendar days of the date of the decision)
2. the decisions made in relation to student or centre malpractice (within 14 calendar days of the date of the decision)
3. the decisions made in relation to access arrangements, special consideration, reasonable adjustments (within 14 calendar days of the date of the decision)
4. the outcome of a preliminary appeal in any of the areas above. An application for an appeal hearing must only be made once a preliminary appeal has been conducted and must be made within 14 calendar days of the date of the preliminary appeal decision.

Centres and private candidates must also use the web form to request the review of an administrative decision in areas such as decisions made in relation to very late arrivals and where we have issued an aegrotat (estimated grade).

Further information on the appeals process can be found in the JCQ Appeals Booklet 2023.

Further information on appeals, including fees, can also be found on our website. Our website will be fully updated by 1 January 2024 to refer centres and private candidates to our webform.

General queries about issues that are not appeals should not be submitted on the appeals webform as we will not be able to process them. If you need help with a matter that is not an appeal, please contact our customer services team for assistance. This will ensure your query can be routed to the appropriate team without delay.

On 15 September 2023 the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) updated its ‘Instructions for the Conduct of Qualifications’ document for the 2023/24 academic year to provide more clarity to candidates, exam officers and teachers given recent changes in technology.

In particular, the use of calculators in exams has been updated in Section 10 ‘Using calculators’. The use of calculators applies to a number of different subjects so please do pass this information to all who need to read it.
Full details can be found in the in the booklet Instructions for conducting examinations 2023-2024 and a set of FAQs about using calculators on the JCQ website.


Business and Esports updates

If you teach any of our Business, Enterprise or Esports qualifications, you may wish to check out the monthly updates.


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