This is the map. Every A Level economics revision topic, every board, one page. Each topic below gets its own notes page: the diagrams the examiner wants, a worked example in pounds, three exam-style questions with mark-scheme answers. Pages go live one at a time, so the grid fills in over the autumn. Start with the paper you sit first, find the topic you fear most, and work from there.
How each board examines A Level Economics
Three papers, two hours each, whichever board you sit. The names change. The shape does not.
| Board | The three papers | Each paper | Where the long answers are |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA 7136 | Paper 1 markets and market failure, Paper 2 national and international economy, Paper 3 economic principles and issues | 2 hours, 80 marks, 33.3% | Papers 1 and 2: a 40-mark context (2, 4, 9 and 25 marks) and a 40-mark essay (15 and 25). Paper 3: 30 multiple choice, then a 50-mark case study (10, 15 and 25) |
| Edexcel 9EC0 | Paper 1 markets and business behaviour (Themes 1 and 3), Paper 2 the national and global economy (Themes 2 and 4), Paper 3 micro and macro (all four) | 2 hours, 100 marks, 35% / 35% / 30% | Papers 1 and 2: short answers, one data response, one extended essay from a choice of two. Paper 3: two data-response sections, each ending in an essay choice |
| OCR H460 | Component 01 microeconomics, 02 macroeconomics, 03 themes in economics | 2 hours, 80 marks, 33.3% | Components 01 and 02: data response, then two 25-mark questions (one quantitative). Component 03: 30 multiple choice and 50 marks on an unseen theme |
| Cambridge International 9708 | AS Papers 1 and 2, A Level Papers 3 and 4 | Multiple choice, data response and essays | Data response and essays at both AS and A Level |
The board facts above come from each board’s current specification (for Cambridge, the 9708 syllabus for 2026-2028) and, for AQA, the June 2023 papers.
The topic map: every topic, every board
Each row is one notes page. The columns tell you where the topic sits in your specification. Pages without a link are still being written.
| Topic (notes page) | AQA 7136 | Edexcel 9EC0 | OCR H460 | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demand, supply and the price mechanism | 4.1.3 | 1.2.1 to 1.2.8 | Component 01, section 2 | Micro |
| Elasticity: PED, YED, XED and PES | 4.1.3.2, 4.1.3.4 | 1.2.3, 1.2.5 | Component 01, 2.6 | Micro |
| Market failure and externalities | 4.1.8.2 to 4.1.8.5 | 1.3.1, 1.3.2 | Component 01, 2.8 | Micro |
| Maximum and minimum prices | 4.1.8.9 | 1.4.1 | Component 01, 2.11 | Micro |
| Costs, revenue, profit and economies of scale | 4.1.4 | 3.3 | Component 01, 3.2 | Micro |
| Perfect competition and monopoly | 4.1.5.3, 4.1.5.6 | 3.4.2, 3.4.5 | Component 01, 4.1 and 4.2 | Micro |
| Oligopoly and game theory | 4.1.5.5 | 3.4.4 | Component 01, 4.4 | Micro |
| Labour markets and wage determination | 4.1.6 | 3.5 | Component 01, section 5 | Micro |
| Aggregate demand and aggregate supply | 4.2.2 | 2.2, 2.3 | Component 02, 1.2 to 1.4 | Macro |
| Monetary policy and interest rates | 4.2.4.3 | 2.6.2 | Component 02, 3.2 | Macro |
| Fiscal policy and the multiplier | 4.2.5.1, 4.2.2.4 | 2.6.2, 2.4.4 | Component 02, 3.1 and 1.5 | Macro |
| Inflation, unemployment and the Phillips curve | 4.2.3.2 to 4.2.3.4 | 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.6.4 | Component 02, 2.4 and 2.8 | Macro |
| Economic growth and the business cycle | 4.2.3.1 | 2.5 | Component 02, 2.1 | Macro |
| Exchange rates and the balance of payments | 4.2.6.3, 4.2.6.4 | 4.1.7, 4.1.8 | Component 02, 2.5 and 4.2 | Macro |
| International trade and protectionism | 4.2.6.2 | 4.1.2 to 4.1.6 | Component 02, 4.1 and 4.4 | Macro |
| Supply-side policies | 4.2.5.2 | 2.6.3 | Component 02, 3.3 | Macro |
| Financial markets and the financial sector | 4.2.4.1, 4.2.4.2 | 4.4 | Component 02, section 5 | Macro |
| Development economics | 4.2.6.5 | 4.3 | Component 02, 2.2 | Macro |
| Every A Level economics diagram | all | all | all | Skills |
| Exam technique: 25-mark essays | all | all | all | Skills |
| Past papers by board | all | all | all | Skills |
Every section number here was checked in September 2026 against the AQA specification (v1.3), Edexcel’s Issue 2 and OCR’s v3.0. AQA’s web version numbers the same sections 3.1 and 3.2. The PDF, and every textbook, says 4.1 and 4.2.
What each paper tests, and what to revise for it
Do not revise the whole specification for every paper. Revise the paper in front of you.
| Your paper | Topics it draws on | The question that decides your grade | Revise this first |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA Paper 1, Edexcel Paper 1, OCR Component 01 | Markets, elasticity, market failure, intervention, costs, market structures, labour | The 25-mark essay on a market or a firm | Every micro diagram from memory, the four market structures, externalities with the welfare triangle |
| AQA Paper 2, Edexcel Paper 2, OCR Component 02 | AD/AS, growth, inflation, unemployment, monetary and fiscal policy, supply side, trade, exchange rates | The 25-mark policy evaluation | AD/AS shifts, the transmission mechanism, the conflicts between objectives |
| AQA Paper 3, Edexcel Paper 3, OCR Component 03 | Everything, through one case or theme | The synoptic 25-marker that mixes micro and macro | Multiple-choice speed (AQA and OCR), reading data quickly, linking a micro cause to a macro effect |
Notice the pattern. Every paper ends in a 25-mark answer. On AQA, five 25-markers carry 125 of the 240 marks, which is 52% of the whole A Level. Content is how you earn the first 12 marks. Analysis and evaluation are how you earn the rest.
The best way to revise A Level Economics
Reading notes is not revising. Reading feels like progress and produces none. Here is the method that works for this subject.
- Draw first. Every diagram from memory, blank paper, one minute each. Label the axes, the curves, the equilibrium points. If you cannot draw it cold, you do not know it yet.
- Define second. Each topic has 10 to 15 terms the mark scheme wants word for word. Say them out loud. “Allocative efficiency is where price equals marginal cost.”
- Then write. One timed question a day, from a real past paper, marked against the real mark scheme. Start with 9 and 10-markers. Move to 25s in week three.
- Mark like an examiner. Highlight your chains of reasoning. Count the “so”s. Circle every judgement. If a paragraph has no chain and no judgement, it earned knowledge marks only.
- Keep an error list. One page. Every diagram you drew wrong, every term you fluffed. Redo the list every Sunday.
Exam tip: The single biggest jump in grade comes from step 3. Students who write one timed question a day for six weeks stop losing marks to the clock.
Notes, diagrams and past papers: how the pages fit together
Each topic page has the same parts, in the same order, so you always know where to look.
- Spec map. Which sections and papers test the topic, for each board.
- What you must be able to do. Five to seven bullets in the examiner’s own words: define, draw, calculate, explain, evaluate.
- The teaching. Three to five short sections with the diagrams, generated from the same numbers the worked example uses.
- Worked example. Six or more steps, in pounds, with small round numbers.
- Exam-style questions. Three of them, in the board’s own stems, with mark-scheme answers.
- Examiner’s checklist. The mistakes that lose marks on this topic, and how to avoid them.
The diagrams page collects every diagram in one place, with the marks each earns. The past-papers page links to the official papers on each board’s site, by year and series, so you always practise on the real thing.
A six-week revision plan
Six weeks is enough if you follow it. Each week has one job. The plan assumes you sit three papers in May and June.
| Week | Job | Diagrams to master | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Micro markets: demand, supply, elasticity, surplus | Equilibrium, shifts, elastic vs inelastic, tax incidence | Four 9 or 10-mark questions, one a day |
| 2 | Micro failure and firms: externalities, intervention, costs, market structures | Both externality diagrams, max and min price, cost curves, perfect competition, monopoly, kinked demand | Four short questions and your first 25-marker |
| 3 | Macro core: AD/AS, growth, inflation, unemployment | Classical and Keynesian AD/AS, AD shifts, PPF, Phillips curve | Two 25-markers, timed |
| 4 | Macro policy: monetary, fiscal, supply side, trade, exchange rates | LRAS shift, tariff, currency demand and supply | Two 25-markers, one data response |
| 5 | Full papers | Redraw your error list | One full paper for each of Papers 1 and 2, under exam conditions |
| 6 | Paper 3 and the synoptic links | Any diagram you still hesitate on | 30 multiple choice in 40 minutes, then one full Paper 3 |
If you have twelve weeks, do the plan twice. The second pass goes faster and sticks.
Common mistake: Spending weeks 1 to 4 making beautiful notes and leaving all the writing for weeks 5 and 6. Writing is the skill being examined. Start it in week one.
FAQ
Q: Where are the A Level economics notes for each topic?
A: In the topic map above. Each row links to a notes page as it goes live. Every page follows the same shape: spec map, the diagrams, a worked example, three exam questions with answers.
Q: Are these revision notes enough on their own for A Level economics?
A: For content, yes, if you also do the practice questions on each page. What no notes can give you is timed writing. Add one past-paper question a day and you have a complete plan.
Q: How is AQA A Level economics revision different from Edexcel or OCR?
A: The content overlaps by roughly four fifths. What differs is the question shape. AQA and OCR set 30 multiple-choice questions in their third paper. Edexcel does not. Edexcel’s Theme 4 has financial-sector and development content that carries more weight than on the other boards. OCR asks a quantitative 25-marker in Components 01 and 02. The board pages spell out each difference: AQA 7136, Edexcel 9EC0, OCR H460.
Q: What should A Level economics Edexcel revision focus on?
A: Themes 1 and 3 for Paper 1, Themes 2 and 4 for Paper 2, and the links between them for Paper 3. Edexcel’s extended essays are chosen from a pair, so practise planning two and picking the stronger one in under two minutes.
Q: What is the best way to revise A Level economics in the last month?
A: Stop making notes. Draw every diagram from memory once a day, write one timed 25-marker a day, and mark it against the real mark scheme. Keep the error list going until the day before the exam.
Q: Can I download the A Level econs notes as a PDF?
A: No. Students search for “econs notes” and hope for one file that does the job. It does not work that way. A PDF gets read once. The pages here are built to be worked through, question by question, and they change as the specifications change.
Turn the notes into marks
If a topic on this map will not stick, one-to-one lessons fix it faster than another read-through. Send me your board and the paper you sit first, and you will have a lesson time back within 24 hours. How lessons run, and what they cost, is on the A Level economics tutor page.
Book a lesson
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