The changes to A
Level courses that will come into force in September have been based on
new requirements and close scrutiny by OFQUAL. The A level Economics and
Business Studies course which was set up in 2008 has been discontinued
(although it may still be available to overseas centres). Mr. Gove's
stipulation, that there would be no joint subject courses, made this
inevitable. However, Edexcel were keen to develop a course which would
follow the new requirements while retaining some of the distinctive
ideas that underpinned the old joint Economics and Business course.
The result is A level Economics B
Across the board, the new specifications have benefited from the involvement of many people in the development process. (Many more people played a part in the process in 2014 than in 2008.) Teamwork has been crucially important and there is a strong possibility that teachers will find the new specifications generally more user friendly than the 2008 vintage.
The new course
Edexcel's new course. Economics B, is an Economics course. But the criteria for each subject set out specific content amounting to 60% of the course. That has made it possible to abide by the Economics criteria in full while allowing the development team to include many useful business concepts and case studies in the remaining 40%. Time will tell but it may be that the new format has allowed the team to integrate the two subjects more effectively than before.
Economics B does have additional economics content, some aspects of the subject that did not previously appear in the joint subject specifications. Perhaps the most prominent is coverage of the financial crisis of 2008.
A considerable effort is being made both within Edexcel and in forthcoming publications to ensure that straightforward ways of explaining this are accessible to all. The subsequent impact of the crisis is simply too great to be ignored.
The quantitative skills required are of course the same for Economics A and B. But in fact, many of the skills required have been taught for some time as part of the forerunner courses. While the mark schemes on the question papers will give qualitative skills more emphasis, the actual work involved will not be very different from that associated with the old specifications. There has always been considerable emphasis on data interpretation skills and this has not changed.
Comparisons with Edexcel A Level Economics and Business Studies (2008-2015)
The strong emphasis on case studies and the application of economic ideas in a real world context has not changed at all. In fact most teachers will find the questions in the Sample Assessment Material very similar in style to those of the old joint course. Business contexts are used extensively and students will get good opportunities to solve problems and tackle decision-taking processes in an educated way. This approach was clearly helpful to Edexcel in meeting the requirements of the OFQUAL consultants. …
The result is A level Economics B
Across the board, the new specifications have benefited from the involvement of many people in the development process. (Many more people played a part in the process in 2014 than in 2008.) Teamwork has been crucially important and there is a strong possibility that teachers will find the new specifications generally more user friendly than the 2008 vintage.
The new course
Edexcel's new course. Economics B, is an Economics course. But the criteria for each subject set out specific content amounting to 60% of the course. That has made it possible to abide by the Economics criteria in full while allowing the development team to include many useful business concepts and case studies in the remaining 40%. Time will tell but it may be that the new format has allowed the team to integrate the two subjects more effectively than before.
Economics B does have additional economics content, some aspects of the subject that did not previously appear in the joint subject specifications. Perhaps the most prominent is coverage of the financial crisis of 2008.
A considerable effort is being made both within Edexcel and in forthcoming publications to ensure that straightforward ways of explaining this are accessible to all. The subsequent impact of the crisis is simply too great to be ignored.
The quantitative skills required are of course the same for Economics A and B. But in fact, many of the skills required have been taught for some time as part of the forerunner courses. While the mark schemes on the question papers will give qualitative skills more emphasis, the actual work involved will not be very different from that associated with the old specifications. There has always been considerable emphasis on data interpretation skills and this has not changed.
Comparisons with Edexcel A Level Economics and Business Studies (2008-2015)
The strong emphasis on case studies and the application of economic ideas in a real world context has not changed at all. In fact most teachers will find the questions in the Sample Assessment Material very similar in style to those of the old joint course. Business contexts are used extensively and students will get good opportunities to solve problems and tackle decision-taking processes in an educated way. This approach was clearly helpful to Edexcel in meeting the requirements of the OFQUAL consultants. …
