Why do so many students find Economics challenging?

In the GCE ‘A’ level examination, there is now less emphasis on testing the lower order thinking skills of knowledge and comprehension. In order to do well in the examinations, students must show evidence of higher order thinking skills (Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation) in their answers. Regurgitation of content from lecture notes will weaken their ability to achieve the highest level of response in the Economics paper. Students will need to be able to explain current economic events in terms of the relevant economic principles learnt and also integrate the different topics learnt to construct a coherent line of argument and reconcile conflicting ideas. In addition, students must be able to evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of the various economic policies learnt in the lecture notes. Finally, the answers given must be logical, clear and concise as examiners reward “quality” rather than “quantity” of response given in the essays.

Students should keep themselves updated on current affairs. They should be aware of global economic events, in particular the Singapore economy. Students need to keep abreast of current news and reports available online and on print media, as Economics is dynamic and constantly changing. Students will stand out if they are able to quote up-to-date information and statistics in their examination scripts.

Apart from having good knowledge on current affairs, students need to be able to apply economic concepts in the right context in order to excel.