Edexcel International A Level Economics is four units, each an 80-mark exam, sat in January, June or October and resat if you want. Units 1 and 2 make the International AS. Units 3 and 4 complete the International A Level. It is Pearson’s course for schools outside the UK and for UK students who want a modular A Level, and it is not the same exam as the UK’s Economics A (9EC0). This page sets out the four units, links every section to its notes page, shows how the 80 marks are split in each unit, explains the sittings and resit rules, and compares IAL with 9EC0 so you buy the right revision guide. The tutoring part is at the end.
Edexcel IAL Economics at a glance
| Unit | Code | Level | Time, marks, weight | The sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Markets in action | WEC11/01 | IAS | 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, 50% of the IAS and 25% of the IAL | A: six multiple-choice questions (6). B: five short-answer questions (20). C: a five-part question on a source booklet (34). D: one 20-mark essay from a choice of two |
| Unit 2: Macroeconomic performance and policy | WEC12/01 | IAS | 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, 50% of the IAS and 25% of the IAL | Same shape as Unit 1: 6 + 20 + 34 + 20 |
| Unit 3: Business behaviour | WEC13/01 | IA2 | 2 hours, 80 marks, 25% of the IAL | A: six multiple-choice questions (6). B: a five-part question on a source booklet (34). C: two 20-mark essays from a choice of three (40) |
| Unit 4: Developments in the global economy | WEC14/01 | IA2 | 2 hours, 80 marks, 25% of the IAL | Same shape as Unit 3: 6 + 34 + 40 |
These are from the specification, Issue 2. The qualification codes are XEC11 for the International AS (Units 1 and 2) and YEC11 for the full International A Level (Units 1 to 4). Every unit is available in January, June and October. Unit 3 questions “may draw on any content covered in Units 1 and 2”, and Unit 4 on Units 1, 2 and 3, so the A2 units are synoptic. Calculators are allowed on every unit and every unit carries quantitative questions.
Edexcel IAL Economics Unit 1 to Unit 4: the unit map
Pearson numbers the content unit.3.section, so 4.3.3 is Unit 4, content section 3, which is the balance of payments and exchange rates. Each row links to the notes page that teaches it, as the pages go live.
| Section | Title | Unit | Notes page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3.1 | Introductory concepts: scarcity, the PPF, specialisation, economic systems | 1 | Economic growth and the PPF |
| 1.3.2 | Consumer behaviour and demand, including the elasticities | 1 | Demand, supply and the price mechanism, Elasticity |
| 1.3.3 to 1.3.4 | Supply; price determination, consumer and producer surplus | 1 | Demand, supply and the price mechanism |
| 1.3.5 | Market failure: externalities, public goods, information | 1 | Market failure and externalities |
| 1.3.6 | Government intervention in markets, including price controls | 1 | Maximum and minimum prices, Market failure |
| 2.3.1 | Measures of economic performance: growth, inflation, unemployment, the balance of payments | 2 | Inflation, unemployment and the Phillips curve |
| 2.3.2 to 2.3.3 | Aggregate demand; aggregate supply | 2 | Aggregate demand and aggregate supply |
| 2.3.4 | National income and the multiplier | 2 | Fiscal policy and the multiplier |
| 2.3.5 | Economic growth | 2 | Economic growth and the business cycle |
| 2.3.6 | Macroeconomic objectives and policies | 2 | Monetary policy, Fiscal policy, Supply-side policies |
| 3.3.1 to 3.3.2 | Types and sizes of businesses; revenue, costs and profits | 3 | Costs, revenue, profit and economies of scale |
| 3.3.3 | Market structures and contestability | 3 | Perfect competition and monopoly, Oligopoly and game theory; contestable markets (coming) |
| 3.3.4 | Labour markets | 3 | Labour markets and wage determination |
| 3.3.5 | Government intervention: competition policy and regulation | 3 | Contestable markets, privatisation and regulation (coming) |
| 4.3.1 to 4.3.2 | Causes and effects of globalisation; trade and the global economy, including comparative advantage, the terms of trade, trading blocs, the WTO and protectionism | 4 | International trade and protectionism |
| 4.3.3 | Balance of payments, exchange rates and international competitiveness | 4 | Exchange rates and the balance of payments |
| 4.3.4 | Poverty and inequality | 4 | Inequality and the Lorenz curve (coming) |
| 4.3.5 | The role of the state in the macroeconomy | 4 | Fiscal policy, Supply-side policies |
| 4.3.6 | Growth and development in developing, emerging and developed economies | 4 | Development economics |
Topic maps for the other boards, plus the six-week plan, live on the A Level economics revision hub.
Sections and marks: 6, 20, 34 and 20 or 40
Every IAL unit is built from the same four question types, and the essay is where the units differ.
| Question type | Where | Marks | What it wants | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Section A of every unit: six questions | 6 | Knowledge and short calculations. A twelfth of the paper, so do not linger | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Short answers | Section B of Units 1 and 2: five questions | 20 | Definitions, calculations, a diagram, “explain one reason” | 25 minutes |
| Data question | Section C of Units 1 and 2, Section B of Units 3 and 4: five parts on a source booklet | 34 | A climbing set of parts from a definition to a discussion, all tied to the source. The biggest single block of marks in every unit | 45 minutes |
| Essay | Section D of Units 1 and 2 (one of two); Section C of Units 3 and 4 (two of three) | 20 each | A levels-marked evaluation with a diagram. Units 3 and 4 have two, so 40 of the 80 marks | 25 minutes each |
Mark scheme: The data question is 34 marks in every unit and the essays are 20. Across the four units the data questions are 42.5% of the raw marks and the essays 37.5%; multiple choice is 7.5%. Time is about 1.3 minutes a mark on Units 1 and 2 and 1.5 on Units 3 and 4, so the times in the table are a minute a mark plus reading time.
Sittings and resits: January, June and October
Three things the UK A Level does not have.
- Three sittings a year. Every unit is available in January, June and October. A student can take Unit 1 in January, Unit 2 in June, Unit 3 the next January and Unit 4 in June, and never sit two economics exams in one week.
- Resits of any unit. The specification says students “can resit any unit irrespective of whether the qualification is to be cashed in”. If you resit more than once, only “the better of the two most recent attempts” counts, so a third attempt can replace a good second one with a worse third. Resit once, prepared.
- Cash-in codes. Units are entered separately; the AS (XEC11) or A Level (YEC11) grade is claimed by a cash-in entry once the units are in. Your exams officer handles it, but the January cash-in date can fall before the January results, so ask.
Exam tip: Use the sittings to spread the load, not to rush. A Unit 1 sat in January of Year 12, four months into the course, is often the resit. Sitting Units 1 and 2 together in June, with the whole AS taught, usually scores higher first time.
Edexcel IAL against Edexcel A Level (9EC0)
Students buy the wrong revision guide every year. This is the difference.
| International A Level (YEC11) | UK A Level Economics A (9EC0) | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Four units, 80 marks each, 320 raw marks | Three papers, 100 marks each, 300 raw marks |
| Modular or linear | Modular: units sat separately in January, June or October, resits allowed | Linear: all three papers in one May and June series, no unit resits |
| Exam time | 1 h 45 + 1 h 45 + 2 h + 2 h = 7.5 hours | 2 h + 2 h + 2 h = 6 hours |
| Essays | 20 marks, six across the A Level, in Sections D or C | 25 marks, four across the A Level (Section C of Papers 1 and 2, two on Paper 3) |
| Data questions | A 34-mark five-part question in every unit, on a source booklet | A 50-mark five-part Section B on Papers 1 and 2; two 25-mark data responses on Paper 3 |
| Multiple choice | Six questions in every unit | Section A of Papers 1 and 2: five 5-mark questions mixing MCQ and short answers |
| Content | The same four themes in the same order, with an international framing. Unit 4 includes quantitative easing as a currency tool and purchasing-power parity by name | Themes 1 to 4. Paper 3 is synoptic across all four |
| Standard | Set to be comparable; grades A* to E on the A Level, A to E on the AS | A* to E |
The notes pages on this site serve both. Where a section number differs, the spec-map table at the top of each notes page gives the 9EC0 number; the unit map above gives the IAL one.
IAL exam technique: the data question and the two essays
- The data question is the paper. Thirty-four marks in every unit. Read the source booklet for ten minutes before writing, mark every figure and year, and quote one in each part. The last part is a discussion: two sides and a judgement.
- Section B on Units 1 and 2 is quick marks. Five short answers for 20. Define, calculate, draw, explain one reason. Stop when the marks are earned.
- Two essays in Units 3 and 4, from three. Choose the two whose diagrams you can draw cold. Twenty-five minutes each, one developed point each way, a diagram, a judgement.
- Quantitative skills in every unit. Percentage changes, index numbers, elasticities, the multiplier, the terms of trade. Write the units next to every answer.
Common mistake: Revising from 9EC0 past papers only. The content overlaps almost completely, but the IAL question shapes differ: the 34-mark data question and the 20-mark essays have their own mark schemes. Practise from the WEC papers on the Pearson site, which are free.
Lessons built around the IAL sittings
- WEC11 to WEC14 papers: lessons are built on IAL past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports, so the 34-mark data question and the 20-mark essay become routine.
- Planned around your sitting: January, June or October, the plan works back from the unit you sit next, online and one-to-one across time zones.
- Twenty-five minutes, twenty marks: most sessions close with a timed essay at exam pace.
- Single lessons only: no package to commit to; the rate is on the A Level economics tutor page.
FAQ
Q: What is WEC11 and which unit is it?
A: WEC11 is the unit code for Unit 1, Markets in action, the first of the two International AS units. WEC12 is Unit 2, WEC13 Unit 3 and WEC14 Unit 4. XEC11 and YEC11 are the qualification codes for the AS and the full A Level.
Q: Is IAL economics the same as Edexcel A Level economics?
A: No. The content is nearly the same, but the IAL is modular with four 80-mark units, three sittings a year and resits, while 9EC0 is linear with three 100-mark papers in one series. The essays are 20 marks on the IAL and 25 on 9EC0. The comparison table above has the rest; the Edexcel A Level page sets out 9EC0 in full.
Q: Can I resit an IAL economics unit?
A: Yes, any unit, in any of the three sittings, whether or not the qualification has been cashed in. Only the better of your two most recent attempts counts towards the grade.
Q: Which IAL economics unit should I revise first?
A: Whichever you sit next, but Unit 2 and Unit 4 share the macro thread and Unit 1 and Unit 3 the micro thread. Revise them as pairs: the A2 unit builds on its AS partner and can test it.
Q: Where are the notes for each IAL section?
A: In the unit map above. Follow a section’s link for the notes: the diagrams, a worked example in pounds and three practice questions with mark-scheme answers.
Q: Do UK universities accept the International A Level?
A: The IAL is Pearson’s international version of the A Level and is designed to be comparable. Check the entry requirements of the course you want, because a few departments state their requirements in terms of the UK qualification.
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