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A-level Economics

2012 exams update: Exam tips – how students can make best use of answer books

General advice

Students should:

read all instructions on the front cover and at the start of each section of the question paper
read each question carefully before responding, especially where there are optional question(s)
remember that questions can appear on all pages of a question paper, including the final page.

Combined question paper answer books

Students should look at the number of marks and the line space allocated to each question and write answers of an appropriate length.

If a student needs more space to answer a question, they must:
either use the white space immediately beneath the lined answer space and before the start of the next question
or ask for an AQA four-page Supplementary answer book.

They should not:

use the answer space for a different question
write in the margin
respond elsewhere in the answer book.

Separate answer books and the two-digit numbering system

Students worked well with the two-digit numbering system and separate answer books in 2011 exams; thank you for ensuring that the guidance was applied successfully. We have updated our guides for students, teachers and exams officers / invigilators to reflect the general advice given above.

January 2012 1141/2141 (AS/A2) Economics

Unit code	Title	Numbering system	Type of answer book	Size of answer book	Provided by student
ECON1/2	Markets & Market Failure	New (0l, 02 etc)	Separate (unconstrained)	8 pages	N/A
ECON2/2	The National Economy	New (0l, 02 etc)	Separate (unconstrained)	8 pages	N/A
ECON3	Business Economics & the Distributions of Income	New (0l, 02 etc)	Separate (unconstrained)	12 pages	Calculator
ECON4	The National & International Economy	New (0l, 02 etc)	Separate (unconstrained)	12 pages	Calculator

A reminder: question paper style and marking answers on screen
Exams with separate question papers and answer books (unconstrained answer books) will use:

our simplified, two-digit question numbering system
answer books with spaces for students to write the two-digit question numbers.

For additional guidance see:

Teacher Guide (revised)
Exams officer and invigilator Guide (revised)
Student Guide (revised)
Question papers and mark schemes:
- Summer 2011 materials are available to schools / colleges in the Secure Key Materials area of e-AQA
- Specimen materials are available from the subject pages of aqa.org.uk
Examples of students' work:
- Good practice
- Areas for improvement
AQA Research team papers:

Marking answers on screen

New AQA Numbering System

Nested Numbering

Web conferences available

A-level feedback web conferences are available for booking now.

Important Subject Update

This update applies to A2 Economics, ECON3 and ECON4 only. There are changes to the format of Questions 01 and 04 from January 2012 onwards.

Economics statement

Changes to rubrics for A-level Economics from June 2011
(Examinations Update 10)

Minor changes to AQA's A-level Economics specification

We are pleased to announce that a new version of our A-level Economics specification has now been published (Version 1.2). Minor changes were made to the specification to update the subject content and to make it more accessible to both teachers and students.

The changes are visible by a side-bar in the margin of the content.

Secure Key Materials

More materials added 24 January 2011

Secure Key Materials is a new e-AQA service which replaces Recent Exam Materials from 1 September. It provides teachers and Exams Officers with exclusive access to a bank of exam-related material that is:

secure
easy to navigate
quick to use
intuitive, based on the design of our website.

Please read our new leaflet and look at the following demo to find out more about this new service.

To obtain an e-AQA account and access to Secure Key Materials, please register at e-AQA. For more information about the materials published on Secure Key Materials, please don't hesitate to contact the Subject team.

GCE Economics: Clarification re use of drawing instruments in exams

Please note that candidates can illustrate their answers with sketches and or diagrams using pencil in the following components/units:

Level	Subject	Entry Code	Unit Code	Unit Number and Title
GCE	Economics	1141	ECON1	Unit 1 Markets and Market Failure
GCE	Economics	1141	ECON2	Unit 2 The National Economy
GCE	Economics	2141	ECON3	Unit 3 Business Economics and the Distribution of Income
GCE	Economics	2141	ECON4	Unit 4 The National and International Economy