How to Structure a Perfect 25-Mark Essay for AQA A-Level Economics
The 25-mark essay is the final question on the AQA A-Level Economics papers, and it's where students have the chance to secure the top grades. Success here isn't about writing 7 pages of text; in fact, the mark scheme never asks for that. It’s about the quality and clarity of your argument.
The most fundamental skill is to not over-complicate things. The key is to understand what type of question is being asked and to apply the correct structure. AQA uses a few different styles, but they mainly fall into two camps: "For vs. Against" questions and "Compare Policies" questions. This guide will show you a clear, effective structure for both.
Step 1: Identify the Question Type
First, read the question carefully and decide which structure to use.
- "For vs. Against" Structure: Use this for questions like "To what extent do you agree..." or "Evaluate the view that..." These questions ask you to weigh up the two sides of a single argument.
- "Compare Policies" Structure: Use this for questions like "What is the best policy to reduce unemployment?" or "Evaluate the effectiveness of different government interventions..." These questions require you to compare several different options.
Structure for "For vs. Against" Questions
This structure is perfect for weighing up the two sides of a specific statement.
1. Introduction: Define, Plan, and Set Your Criteria
- Define Key Terms: Briefly define the main economic concepts.
- Set Your Judgement Criteria: State what your final answer will depend on. For example, "Whether this is beneficial will depend on the extent to which it achieves key efficiencies."
2. Your "For" Argument
- Make Your Point: Start with a sentence that directly uses the language of the question to agree with the statement.
- Analyse: Build your chain of reasoning, using diagrams to help.
- Evaluate: Critique the point. What does its success depend on?
3. Your "Against" Argument
- Make Your Counter-Point: Start a new paragraph that uses the language of the question to disagree with the statement.
- Analyse: Build the chain of reasoning for this opposing view.
- Evaluate: Critique this counter-point as well.
4. Conclusion: Make a Justified Judgement
- Answer the question directly and explain why you have reached your conclusion, weighing up the two arguments you have made.
Structure for "Compare Policies" Questions
This structure is for when you need to decide which policy is "best".
1. Introduction: Define, Plan, and Set Your Criteria
- Define Key Terms: Briefly define the core issue (e.g., "unemployment").
- Set Your Judgement Criteria: State how you will judge which policy is "best". For example, "The best policy will be the one that reduces unemployment with the lowest risk of government failure and negative side effects."
2. Policy 1: Analysis and Evaluation
- Introduce the Policy: Explain what the first policy is (e.g., "Expansionary Fiscal Policy").
- Analyse: Explain how this policy works to solve the problem, using a diagram.
- Evaluate: Discuss the drawbacks of this policy. (e.g., "However, this can lead to a budget deficit and demand-pull inflation.")
3. Policy 2: Analysis and Evaluation
- Introduce the Policy: Explain what the second policy is (e.g., "Supply-Side Policies like education and training").
- Analyse: Explain how this policy works.
- Evaluate: Discuss the drawbacks of this policy. (e.g., "However, these policies have a significant time lag and can be very expensive.")
4. Conclusion: Make a Justified Judgement
- Directly compare the policies against the criteria you set in your introduction. Which one is "best" and why? For example, "In conclusion, while fiscal policy offers a faster solution, supply-side policy is the best long-term solution as it creates less risk of inflation..."
What This Looks Like in Practice: A Student's Success
This structured approach is proven to work. One of our former students, Sarah, used this exact method to transform her essay writing.
"His group classes also integrated exam questions and wove in crucial exam tips which actually helped me understand what examiners are looking for... I achieved 94% in one of my A Level Economics Papers, and full marks in 15/25 markers 3x. This was mostly down to Jaisul's exam tips." - Sarah, August 2024
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