Studying Edexcel A Level Economics can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but once you understand how the exams are structured, revision becomes much more manageable. This guide breaks down how many papers there are, what each paper looks like and how to revise effectively – all in a student‑friendly way 😊.

📑 How Many Papers Are There?

👉 For the A Level qualification, there are 3 exam papers in total, all taken at the end of Year 13:

• Paper 1: Markets and Business Behaviour 

• Paper 2: The National and Global Economy

• Paper 3: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics

📑 Paper 1: Introduction to Markets and Market Failure

• ⏰Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes




• 🏆Marks: 80 marks (50% of total grade)




• 📌Content: This paper assesses microeconomic concepts from Theme 1 of the specification. Students are expected to understand how markets work, the role of supply and demand, and why markets sometimes fail. You will need to know:

✔ Nature of economics and economic problem (scarcity, choice, opportunity cost)
✔ How markets work: demand, supply, market equilibrium
✔ Elasticities (price, income, cross-price)
✔ Consumer and producer behaviour
✔ Market failure: externalities, public goods, information gaps
✔ Government intervention: taxes, subsidies, regulation
✔ Competitive vs non-competitive markets

• ❓Question Types: 

📌 Section A – Multiple Choice and Short Answer

Multiple-choice questions

• Tests basic economics knowledge and concepts in familiar settings.

Short-answer questions

• May include short explanations, definitions, simple calculations or interpretations of basic data.

🧠 These questions check understanding of microeconomic principles like demand and supply, elasticity, market failure basics, etc.

📌 Section B – Data Response + Extended Open-Response

Data response sub-questions (varied parts)

• Based around a short extract/table/figures on a real-world context.

• Often include explanation, analysis, and mini-diagram work.

Extended open-response questions

• You choose one from two essay-style questions.

• These require deeper explanation and evaluation with diagrams where appropriate.

📑 Paper 2: The UK Economy - Performance and Policies

• ⏰Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes




• 🏆Marks: 80 marks (50% of total grade)




• 📌Content: This paper covers macroeconomic concepts drawn from Theme 2 of the specification. It looks at the national economy and how governments use policy to influence economic performance. You will need to know: 

✔ Measures of economic performance (GDP, inflation, unemployment, balance of payments)
✔ Aggregate demand (AD) and its components
✔ Aggregate supply (AS) short-run and long-run
✔ Circular flow of income and national income concepts
✔ Economic growth and business cycles
✔ Macroeconomic objectives (e.g., low inflation, full employment)
✔ Demand-side and supply-side policy tools

• ❓Question Types: 

📌 Section A – Multiple Choice and Short Answer

Multiple-choice questions

• Similar to Paper 1 but tests understanding of macroeconomic concepts.

Short-answer questions

• May ask for definitions, interpretations, short explanations or simple numerical responses related to macroeconomic indicators (e.g., GDP, inflation) and policy tools.

📌 Section B – Data Response + Extended Open-Response

Data response sub-questions

• Based on a provided data extract, graph or scenario on the UK economy.

• Mixed parts requiring explanation, application, and analysis to context.

Extended open-response questions

• Choice of two essay-style responses; students answer one.

• Focused on deeper evaluation and explanation of macroeconomic policies or performance.
  

🧠In both papers, the extended open-response questions usually involve higher-order skills - you’ll need to explain, apply, analyse and evaluate economic theory in context, often with diagrams or real-world examples.

📑 Paper 1: Markets and Business Behaviour

• ⏰Duration: 2 hours




• 🏆Marks: 100 marks (35% of total grade)




• 📌Content: Focus: Microeconomics - Theme 1 and Theme 3 of the specification.

Theme 1 - Introduction to markets and market failure
• Economics as a social science, scarcity and choice, PPFs
• How markets work (demand, supply, elasticity, price mechanism)
• Market failure (externalities, public goods, information gaps)
• Government intervention & government failure

Theme 3 - Business behaviour and the labour market
• Business growth and objectives
• Costs, revenues, profits
• Market structures and competition
• Labour market theory
• Government intervention in markets/labour markets 

👉 So for Paper 1, revise core micro theory + business decisions + market imperfections + diagrams/calculations.

• ❓Question Types: 

🧩 Section A - Multiple-choice and Short Answer

• Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) – test core concepts quickly

• Short-answer questions 

• These ask you to define terms, explain simple causes or effects or interpret small pieces of data.

📊 Section B - Data Response

• One data response question with several parts

• You’ll be given an economic context or extract and asked to:

• Analyse figures or diagrams

• Explain using economic theory

• Apply to real-world context

• Possibly include simple calculations or diagrams.

📝 Section C - Extended Open-Response

• Choice of two essay-style questions

• You answer one

• These usually require:

  • Developed explanations

  • Evaluation (weighing pros/cons or drawing balanced conclusions)

  • Diagrams where relevant.

📌 In short: MCQs + short answers → data response → one longer essay

📑 Paper 2: The National and Global Economy

• ⏰Duration: 2 hours 




• 🏆Marks: 100 marks (35% of total grade)




• 📌Content: Focus: Macroeconomics - Theme 2 and Theme 4 of the specification.

Theme 2 - The UK economy - performance and policies
• Measures of economic performance (GDP, inflation, unemployment)
• Aggregate demand and supply
• National income and the multiplier
• Economic growth and trade cycles
• Macroeconomic objectives and policy instruments 

Theme 4 - A global perspective
• Globalisation & trade
• Balance of payments & exchange rates
• Poverty and inequality
• Emerging/developing economies
• Financial sector and central banks
• Public finances and macroeconomic policy in global context

👉 So Paper 2 is about big-picture national/global economy ideas, policy trade-offs, and real-world data application.

• ❓Question Types: This has the same formats as Paper 1 but focused on macro and global issues.

🧩 Section A - Multiple-choice and Short Answer

• MCQs

• Short-answer questions

• Tests things like GDP, inflation, policy tools, balance of payments, etc. 

📊 Section B - Data Response

• One data response question with parts

• Data often includes national stats, graphs of macroeconomic indicators or trade figures

• Questions require explanation, calculation, analysis, application.

📝 Section C - Extended Open-Response

• Choice of two longer essay questions

• Pick one to answer

• Focuses on deeper analysis and evaluation of macro policies or global issues.

📌 So Paper 2 also follows MCQs → data response → one longer essay but with macro content.

📑 Paper 3: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics

• ⏰Duration: 2 hours




• 🏆Marks: 100 marks (30% of total grade)




• 📌Content: Focus: All four themes together

• Synoptic assessment: this paper draws from all themes 1–4 that were assessed in Paper 1 and Paper 2:

Theme 1 - Introduction to markets and market failure

Theme 2 - The UK economy - performance and policies

Theme 3 - Business behaviour and the labour market

Theme 4 - A global perspective

• You’ll need to combine micro AND macro concepts in context

• Often involves interpreting data and applying multiple concepts

• Strong evaluation and linking across ideas are essential

👉 Think of Paper 3 as the “connect the dots” paper - where you must show deep understanding and integration of micro + macro ideas.

• ❓Question Types: This paper is slightly different and focuses on data response and extended writing, with no MCQ section.

📊 Section A - Data Response Question

• One data response broken into parts

• Often blends micro and macro content

• Includes short, mid-length and extended questions asking for explanation, analysis and evaluation.

📊 Section B - Another Data Response Question

• One further data response set with parts

• At least one section will offer a choice of extended open-response questions

• Requires deeper synoptic thinking (linking themes, drawing diagrams, evaluating policies).