The 10 Most Common Mistakes A Level Economics Students Make (And How to Fix Them)

Every year, the CAIE examiner's report for Economics 9708 tells the same story. Brilliant students who clearly understand economics leave marks on the table because of avoidable, fixable mistakes. After teaching A Level Economics for over a decade, I have seen these same ten errors repeat across hundreds of exam scripts — in AS Level, A2 Level, and O Level alike.

Here are the mistakes, and more importantly, the fixes.

Mistake 1: Describing Rather Than Analysing

What it looks like: "When inflation rises, consumers are worse off." What it should look like: "When inflation rises faster than nominal wages, the purchasing power of households falls — meaning they can afford fewer goods and services with the same income, reducing real standards of living. This effect is particularly pronounced for those on fixed incomes, such as pensioners."

The fix: After every statement you make, ask yourself "Why? How? By how much? Under what conditions?" and answer those questions in your next sentence.

Mistake 2: Drawing Diagrams Without Explaining Them

Examiners cannot give marks for a diagram alone. Every diagram must be referred to explicitly in your written answer — the direction of shift, the change in equilibrium, and the effect on price or quantity.

The fix: After every diagram, write at least two sentences explaining what it shows and linking it directly to the question.

Mistake 3: Generic Conclusions ("It depends")

Writing "In conclusion, whether monetary policy is effective depends on various factors" is the economics equivalent of handing in a blank conclusion. Examiners have seen it thousands of times. It earns zero evaluation marks.

The fix: Specify exactly what it depends on, state which factor is most decisive, and give a clear verdict: "On balance, monetary policy is likely to be less effective in controlling cost-push inflation because interest rate rises reduce aggregate demand but do not directly address the supply-side causes of rising prices."

Mistake 4: Ignoring the Command Word

"Analyse" and "Evaluate" are completely different instructions:

• Analyse: Explain the causes, mechanisms, and effects using economic theory. Evaluation is a bonus. • Evaluate: You must weigh evidence, consider alternative views, and reach a justified conclusion. An answer without evaluation cannot enter the top mark band.

The fix: Read the command word before reading the rest of the question. Write it at the top of your rough plan. Let it govern your entire answer structure.

Mistake 5: Spending Too Long on Short-Mark Questions

Spending six minutes on a 2-mark question and then running out of time for a 12-mark essay is heartbreaking — and completely avoidable.

The fix: Follow the one-minute-per-mark rule as a maximum. A 2-mark question gets two minutes. A 12-mark essay gets twelve minutes. Set a timer in practice and stick to it ruthlessly.

Mistake 6: Confusing Shifts With Movements Along a Curve

This mistake costs marks in almost every single MCQ paper. A movement along the demand curve occurs when the price of the good itself changes. A shift occurs when any other factor (income, price of substitutes, consumer tastes, expectations) changes.

The fix: Draw a demand curve and drill the distinction until it is automatic. Write out the five non-price determinants of demand and supply from memory every week.

Mistake 7: Using Vague Real-World Examples

Writing "For example, in a developing country..." adds nothing. Examiners are looking for specific, credible evidence that demonstrates you engage with real economics.

The fix: Build a bank of five to ten real-world examples for the most commonly tested topics. For monetary policy — reference the Bank of England's 2022–2024 interest rate cycle. For trade policy — reference US-China tariffs. For development economics — reference Pakistan's IMF programme. Specific examples signal genuine understanding.

Mistake 8: Not Reading the Mark Scheme After Practice

Most students do a past paper, check their total score, and move on. This wastes 80% of the learning value of a past paper.

The fix: Read the mark scheme line by line after every past paper. For every mark you missed, understand exactly what the examiner wanted and write a corrected version of your answer.

Mistake 9: Studying Every Topic Equally

Not all Economics 9708 topics are tested with equal frequency. Spending equal time on rarely tested topics at the expense of high-frequency ones is a poor use of limited revision time.

The fix: Run a past-paper frequency analysis. Count how many times each topic has appeared across the last ten years. Allocate revision time proportionally. Demand and supply, elasticity, inflation, and government policy will dominate.

Mistake 10: Studying Alone Without Feedback

Economics essay quality improves fastest when someone experienced reads your work and identifies exactly where your analysis breaks down. Self-marking against a mark scheme is useful, but it rarely catches structural weaknesses in your reasoning.

The fix: Get your essays reviewed by an experienced tutor. Sir Zarak Mushtaq's courses include regular essay feedback sessions — both in-person in Lahore and online for students across Pakistan and internationally.