How to Score Well for Economics Case Study Questions

Anticipating the JC results of 2022? Doing well for exams is the goal of all JC students, and there is plenty of advice to be found on the best way to do so. However, while memorisation techniques can come in handy, having a solid understanding of your content and knowing how to tackle the exam paper still remain the most useful methods for scoring well!

This is especially true for a content heavy subject such as JC Economics, where students need broad economic knowledge and critical thinking skills. The case study questions in paper 1 of JC Econs is a good example of this, and it is understandable why some may find doing well for paper 1 to be extremely difficult. Not only do students work with a strict time limit that requires proper time management, their essay answers also need to be relevant and concise. 

If you’ve been looking for useful tips on how to score well for case study questions, keep reading to find out!

Read the Questions First

Tips on getting ahead of the rest for A-levels: before diving straight into reading the case studies once the exam commences, students should strive to read the questions first! Though it might seem counterintuitive, doing so will give students a much-needed advantage.

By ensuring that you are aware of what the questions are asking for, you can note down the relevant points you come across while going through the case studies. 

This is undoubtedly important for questions with 8 to 10 marks, as you will need enough points to be awarded all the marks. Highlight and mark the evidence you think you’d need when the time comes to brainstorm an answer. You can concentrate on writing instead of spending valuable time looking for previous evidence.

Take Note of Question Keywords

As you read the case study questions, take note of the keywords. For example, it would be expected that a question asking students to ‘discuss’ would be answered differently from a question asking them to ‘explain’.

For questions asking about ‘trends’, it is recommended that students talk about a general trend, relating to increases and decreases, before stating the difference between them. If it is possible to quote any sort of evidence, it is certainly recommended to do so in order to score more marks.

By ensuring you answer in the manner the questions ask for, you can avoid losing valuable marks to help push up your overall score!

Answer the Questions Accurately

When crafting your answer, it can be tempting to embellish it more than what the questions ask for. Though it may not seem like a bad thing to do, students should take note that writing more than what you need has the potential to backfire. Especially if the question specifically asks for one, and only one point.

Aside from running the risk of making it seem as if you didn’t properly read the question, it leaves you open to being marked down, which may end up with you losing points you could have kept. 

Accuracy also applies to the evidence you’re asked to use. If the question requires that you reference a certain paragraph or extract, make sure to follow their instructions to the letter. Unless no specific extract is stated, make sure that the evidence utilised in your answer does not break any of the question’s rules. 

Attempt All the Questions

Although students have studied their hardest and prepared all they could, it is inevitable to end up stuck at certain points. Unless students find themselves out of time, leaving a question blank should always be the final resort. 

If the question you’re unable to answer only costs 2 to 4 marks, then the best thing to do is move on and attempt the rest of the case study questions. Aside from giving yourself the chance to answer questions with more marks, you can easily come back to tackle them later. 

Though it might be scary to leave a blank question behind, you free up valuable time to work on the rest of the paper. If you don’t want to move on, then write an answer to the best of your ability and continue on, because you can always return to fix it later.

Although getting good marks isn’t as easy as simply writing an answer and hoping for the best, leaving questions blank is a sure-fire way of losing marks. Outside of having studied and practised enough, these tips will come in handy for students who want an extra edge to score well for case study questions. 

If you find yourself troubled by more than just case study questions in JC Economics, we recommend that you check out JC Economics Tuition Centre! We deliver our best economics tuition to help broaden your economics knowledge, and in the hands of our experienced and best economics tutor, Anthony Fok, you will learn plenty of useful exam techniques to help ace your papers!