Cambridge International as and a level Economics Ebook

2
Questions that require your understanding of an economic 
concept that is contained in the data.
3
Questions where you are required to discuss or comment on 
some aspect or concept in the data.
But do remember not to write more than you have to – the 
marks available should give some indication of how much is 
appropriate. Th
is type of question is compulsory at AS Level 
and at A Level.
Essay questions
Th
ese questions require extended writing. Some of the 
questions are ‘structured’, i.e., they consist of related 
parts, usually two. Others may take the form of a 
single task. You may wish to spend around 45 minutes 
writing your answer to the essay question at AS Level; 
at A Level you may wish to spend a little longer on each 
answer, say 50 minutes. Make sure you consider how to 
allocate time proportionately to the marks in the paper, 
and ensure that you leave enough time to answer the 
essay questions.
General advice on how to write in an eff ective way is 
given in the Introduction – why not go back and refresh 
yourself on the main points?
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Cambridge International AS and A Level Economics

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The wording of questions
Examination questions are carefully written to test specifi c 
knowledge and skills. Th
ey never contain questions such as:
■ 
Write all you know about . . .
■ 
Write as much as you can remember about . . .
Unfortunately, students don’t always appreciate this point!
Examination questions usually contain two very 
important instructions:
1
Command or directive words
indicate what form the 
answer should take. For example, it could be in the 
form of a description, a discussion, an explanation 
or merely a statement. These words are there for a 
purpose, namely that they are intended as a guide to 
what skills should be used when you answer a particular 
question.