How AS & A Level Economics (9708) is really marked
Economics 9708 spans sixteen papers, and the styles differ sharply by paper. Papers 11-14 and 31-34 (multiple choice) are entirely point-marked — 1,161 of the 1,289 questions in our bank are marked this way overall. But the extended-response papers (21-24 and 41-44) shift the balance: 68 questions are marked by pure level-of-response and a further 56 by a hybrid of points and levels, because these papers ask you to apply economic theory, analyse a scenario and then evaluate it, and the quality of that reasoning — not just its presence — decides the band.
This mixed structure means two different skills are being tested in the same syllabus. On the data-response and essay papers, the mark scheme is explicit that simply displaying knowledge of a concept (defining income elasticity, drawing a demand-and-supply diagram) is Assessment Objective 1 knowledge only; it does not earn the marks reserved for applying that concept to the specific scenario in the question, and it earns nothing for evaluation, which needs a reasoned judgement, not a summary.
Because evaluation marks are consistently the ones candidates leave on the table, the level-marked and hybrid papers effectively have two thresholds: get the economics right, then go further and weigh it up. Both thresholds have to be cleared separately — strong analysis with no judgement caps the mark, and a lone assertive judgement without analysis behind it caps it just as hard.
Where candidates actually lose marks
- Answering from a generalised, non-economics angle (for example, an environmental discussion of electric cars) rather than applying the specific determinants of demand asked for. (try the question)
- Writing 'worsened' to describe a negative figure instead of correct, objective terminology, since 'worsened' is subjective and not creditable (a deficit could reflect beneficial spending). (try the question)
- On a PPC diagram, shifting the whole curve left instead of showing a movement to a point inside the curve caused by unused resources such as unemployed labour. (try the question)
- Producing untidy or imprecise diagrams that, despite positive marking, still lose marks, alongside a lack of judgement about the actual size of an effect (which depends on the elasticity coefficient given). (try the question)
- Drawing a variable-standard cost/revenue diagram that fails to show marginal cost passing through minimum average cost or the profit-maximising point where MR = MC. (try the question)
- Not knowing the definition of equity as fairness, and when applying the concept, ignoring which specific group (the poorer workers) actually bears the cost. (try the question)
- Confusing the concept of 'terms of trade' with the 'rules of trade' or 'balance of trade', which meant most candidates attempting the question scored zero. (try the question)
- Confusing depreciation of a floating exchange rate with devaluation of a fixed one, and asserting exports would automatically rise without engaging with elasticities. (try the question)
Command words in AS & A Level Economics
| Command word | Times in our bank | What it demands |
|---|---|---|
| Identify | 812 | Used heavily on the multiple-choice papers — requires selecting the single correct option rather than constructing an argument. |
| Assess | 113 | Demands a weighed judgement on the extent or importance of something, not just a description of the factors involved. |
| Explain | 104 | Needs a reasoned chain from cause to effect using economic theory — a definition alone is not an explanation. |
| Deduce | 99 | Requires working out an answer from data or a diagram given in the question, showing the reasoning that gets you there. |
| Calculate | 45 | Method and a correctly labelled final figure both matter; base your percentage calculations on the correct starting value. |
| Evaluate | 44 | Asks for a balanced judgement that compares alternatives and reaches a conclusion, not a one-sided list of points. |
| Consider | 26 | Signals that a balanced discussion is expected, weighing more than one factor or viewpoint before any conclusion. |
| Describe | 8 | Wants an accurate account of what is shown, such as a trend in data, without explaining why it occurred. |
How to revise with past papers
The clearest gap between average and strong answers in this subject is evaluation, so when marking your own past-paper attempts, check specifically whether you reached a conclusion that weighs alternatives against each other, rather than restating your analysis in different words. A useful discipline is to write your evaluative sentence first and then check the analysis above it actually supports it.
Because the multiple-choice papers are pure points and the extended papers are level- or hybrid-marked, practise them differently: drill multiple-choice papers for speed and accuracy under time pressure, and mark extended answers against the level descriptors in the mark scheme rather than just checking whether the 'right facts' appear, since knowledge alone is capped at the lower bands.
Always anchor your answer to the specific context given in the question — a named country, a named policy, a stated market — since generic economic theory that never gets tied back to the scenario tends to stall in the lower bands. When you review a completed paper, underline every place you used the given context by name; if you cannot find several such places, the answer was probably too generic.
Practise real 9708 questions with AI marking →FAQs
Are the multiple-choice and essay papers marked the same way?
No. The multiple-choice papers are entirely point-marked, while the data-response and essay papers combine points with level-of-response marking (68 pure-level and 56 hybrid questions in our bank), so the extended papers reward quality of argument as much as correct facts.
What is the single most common reason marks are lost?
Weak or absent evaluation — analysing a topic correctly but summarising rather than reaching a genuine, weighed judgement caps the mark even when the knowledge is strong.
Does drawing a diagram matter if I explain the answer in words?
Yes, where a diagram is asked for — producing no diagram, an inaccurate one, or the wrong type (micro instead of macro) loses marks even when the written explanation is reasonable.
Which command word should I focus most revision on?
Identify is the most frequent by far, reflecting the heavy multiple-choice component, but Assess and Evaluate are where marks most easily slip, so it is worth practising the difference between describing a factor and judging its relative importance.