Introduction
The A/L Economics paper is not just about what you know—it is about how you present it. Every year, hundreds of bright students in Sri Lanka lose easy marks in the Structured Essay section, not because they lack knowledge, but because they overlook small technical details required by the Department of Examinations marking scheme.
As you prepare for your upcoming exams, avoiding these five common pitfalls can be the difference between a ‘B’ and an ‘A’. Let’s break them down.
1. Confusing “Change in Demand” with “Change in Quantity Demanded”
This is the number one trap in Microeconomics. Many students use these terms interchangeably, but in the A/L Economics syllabus, they mean two completely different things.
- The Mistake: Writing that a price increase caused a “change in demand.”
- The Fix: Remember that Price changes cause a movement along the curve (Change in Quantity Demanded). Non-price factors (like income or taste) shift the entire curve (Change in Demand). Be precise with your terminology to score full marks.
2. Drawing Graphs Without Full Labels
A perfect curve is worthless if the examiner doesn’t know what it represents.
- The Mistake: Drawing a Supply and Demand graph but forgetting to label the axes (Price/Quantity) or the equilibrium points ($E_1$, $E_2$).
- The Fix: Treat every graph like a map. Always label your Y-axis (e.g., Price/Cost), your X-axis (e.g., Quantity/Output), and clearly mark every shift. If the graph isn’t labeled, it isn’t graded.
3. Ignoring the “Action Verbs” in the Question
The command word in the question dictates how much you should write.
- The Mistake: Writing a two-page paragraph for a question that asks you to “State” or “List.”
- The Fix:
- “State/List”: Brief bullet points. No explanation needed.
- “Describe”: What is it? Give features.
- “Analyze/Examine”: Why is it happening? Look at implications and relationships.
- “Assess/Criticize”: Give both pros and cons, then a conclusion.
4. Failing to Link Theory to the “Sri Lankan Context”
Economics is a living subject. Pure theory without context often feels “incomplete” in essay answers.
- The Mistake: Explaining inflation purely with definitions without referencing the current economic situation in Sri Lanka.
- The Fix: When explaining concepts like inflation or exchange rates, briefly mention a real-world example. For instance, referencing recent trends in the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) or CCPI (Colombo Consumer Price Index) adds value to your answer.
5. Poor Time Management on Low-Mark Questions
The Structured Essay is a race against the clock.
- The Mistake: Spending 15 minutes on a 4-mark question and leaving only 5 minutes for a 10-mark question.
- The Fix: Allocate time based on marks. A good rule of thumb is 1.5 minutes per mark. If a question is worth 4 marks, spend no more than 6 minutes on it.
🚀 Practice Makes Perfect: Download A/L Past Papers
The best way to avoid these mistakes is to practice with real exam questions. We have compiled a complete library of past papers and marking schemes for you.