GOOD and FREE A-level notes on EVERY subject

[mikyway]

:thankyou:

Though I don't need them now but it's definitely useful for other JC students.
Keep up the good work.

[ngl2010]

We also don't need them yet but I'm sure it will help us in a few years time. Thank you for sharing


:thankyou:

[jerrold]

@ngl2010 @milkyway: You're welcome! If you ever need them, they'll be right there

[jerrold]

UPDATE: We've just got a whole NEW bunch of notes on bio, chem, and econs! :celebrate:

[kitty2]

jerrold:

UPDATE: We've just got a whole NEW bunch of notes on bio, chem, and econs! :celebrate:

Thank you for your generous sharing :udaman: Perhaps,you want to share how to do well in Econs?

[jerrold]

Hi kitty You're welcome!


For econs, I think the mistake many people make is to study very hard but overlook the importance of writing an 'economic' answer. Maybe I'll explain with an example:

Answer that is not economic:

When people earn higher salaries, they will buy more products and this leads to an increase in the demand for good X which then causes it to become more expensive. More of good X is sold in the market.

Economic answer -

Demand for a normal good like good X increases when consumer incomes increase. With higher incomes, consumers become more willing and able to pay for the same good. As demand increases, buyers bid up prices and cause an upward pressure on price. Ceteris paribus, the new market equilibrium occurs at a higher price and quantity.

Basically:

(1) you need to write down the 'economic theory' at the start to support your answer.

It's like maths: Speed = Distance / Time. Distance increased. Therefore, speed increases.
Demand increases when income increases. Income increased, thus demand increases.

(2) Make sure to use the exact keywords! \"salaries\" => income. Examiners can only give you marks if words like \"willing and able\" appear --> they're all in the 'definitions' you learn.

(3) Explain in detail (if its relevant to the question): For a market equilibrium question like that, the process which demand increases (upward pressure, etc) should be included.

(4) Write in continuous point form! You don't need to link it all together like GP as long it's understandable.

Instead of: Partial market failure occurs due to the presence of negative externalities, which are...Some examples of negative externalities include...At the same time, social marginal costs, which are defined as...include...On the other end of the spectrum, social marginal benefits can be seen as...Examples of such benefits include...

Try: Partial market failure occurs due to negative externalities. Negative externalities are third party costs not considered by decision-makers.These include...Social marginal cost is....These include...Social marginal benefit is...These include...

Basically, making what you write understandable and spot on is most important. No need for extra words like \"some examples\", \"on the other end\"...Writing extra words wastes valuable time and can make your sentences long and hard to follow!

Hope this helps

(P.S. If you have any other questions, you could post them on owlcove or own our fb page too. Good luck!)

[zbear]

Thank you for giving tips on tackling Economics. Is there any good book that you can recommend to buy - perhaps a book that shows the correct technique in answering the questions?


Can we spot questions or topics such as is there a trend to show how frequent the topic will come out in A Levels?

Thanks

[kitty2]

jerrold:

Hi kitty You're welcome!


For econs, I think the mistake many people make is to study very hard but overlook the importance of writing an 'economic' answer. Maybe I'll explain with an example:

Answer that is not economic:

When people earn higher salaries, they will buy more products and this leads to an increase in the demand for good X which then causes it to become more expensive. More of good X is sold in the market.

Economic answer -

Demand for a normal good like good X increases when consumer incomes increase. With higher incomes, consumers become more willing and able to pay for the same good. As demand increases, buyers bid up prices and cause an upward pressure on price. Ceteris paribus, the new market equilibrium occurs at a higher price and quantity.

Basically:

(1) you need to write down the 'economic theory' at the start to support your answer.

It's like maths: Speed = Distance / Time. Distance increased. Therefore, speed increases.
Demand increases when income increases. Income increased, thus demand increases.

(2) Make sure to use the exact keywords! \"salaries\" => income. Examiners can only give you marks if words like \"willing and able\" appear --> they're all in the 'definitions' you learn.

(3) Explain in detail (if its relevant to the question): For a market equilibrium question like that, the process which demand increases (upward pressure, etc) should be included.

(4) Write in continuous point form! You don't need to link it all together like GP as long it's understandable.

Instead of: Partial market failure occurs due to the presence of negative externalities, which are...Some examples of negative externalities include...At the same time, social marginal costs, which are defined as...include...On the other end of the spectrum, social marginal benefits can be seen as...Examples of such benefits include...

Try: Partial market failure occurs due to negative externalities. Negative externalities are third party costs not considered by decision-makers.These include...Social marginal cost is....These include...Social marginal benefit is...These include...

Basically, making what you write understandable and spot on is most important. No need for extra words like \"some examples\", \"on the other end\"...Writing extra words wastes valuable time and can make your sentences long and hard to follow!

Hope this helps

(P.S. If you have any other questions, you could post them on owlcove or own our fb page too. Good luck!)

Thank you very much for your time and detailed explanation . Wonder is there any good guide books available?

[jerrold]

Hi guys


I don't really know of any good books actually...I didn't use any assessment books or textbooks for my econs last time. What I did use was a lot of wikipedia and school notes. I think the best way to study for h2 econs (it might differ from person to person though) is to actually try to understand the concepts and discuss with your friends. Reading books doesn't help if nothing goes in, especially since usually textbooks are BORING.

If you're interested in econs itself, a great book that's also fun to read is Freakonomics - where you'll get to see econs in real life. But it's not that relevant to A levels.

As for spotting questions...there's no set formula to knowing what questions will come out. Recently the exam setting has been getting more and more unpredictable too! My best guess is to look at the prelim papers schools set for their students (because schools themselves also try to spot questions for their students to practice more on, and naturally schools are better at spotting questions than us).

The best way though, is really to understand the syllabus itself, so that no matter what question comes out you'll be ready - it really isn't that hard because THE SYLLABUS DOESN'T CHANGE. No matter what they ask, they have to end up testing the same things...