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9640 · Oxford AQA International AS Level

9640/21

Paper 2

Economics · 2024 · Variant 1

Relative difficulty

Demanding · 3.5/5

Analysis source: Oxford AQA

Analysis aligned to the official syllabus and assessment design.

Relative difficulty

3.5 / 5

Total marks

160

Duration

210 min

Most tested topic

Government Intervention, Externalities, and Supply-Side Policies

Cohort performance

Session statistics from official examination reports

Total marks

160

Duration

210 min

Session difficulty

3.5 / 5

Key examiner messages

Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise

1

High marks were secured by students who mastered the precise micro-foundations of market failures and macroeconomic indicators.

Question difficulty map

How candidates performed on each question in this series

No data available in official reports

Assessment objectives

Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary

Conceptual Knowledge6
Application of4
Analytical reasoning3
Evaluation & Analysis1

Skill weighting

Shows the skill mix this paper tested most heavily.

Conceptual KnowledgeConceptualKnowledgeApplication ofApplication ofAnalytical reasoningAnalyticalreasoningEvaluation & AnalysisEvaluation &Analysis
SkillWeightShare
  • Conceptual Knowledge

    Weight: 6100%
  • Application of

    Weight: 467%
  • Analytical reasoning

    Weight: 350%
  • Evaluation & Analysis

    Weight: 117%

Method marks watchlist

Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost

No data available in official reports

Recurring mistakes across years

Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject

No data available in official reports

Question choice intelligence

Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)

No data available in official reports

Level exemplars

What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like

No data available in official reports

Grade & admission context

How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards

Report type

Examiner report — national grade boundaries and question-level commentary

Level A

Approx. 80% of maximum mark

Level B

Approx. 70% of maximum mark

Level C

Approx. 60% of maximum mark

Level D

Approx. 50% of maximum mark

Level E

Approx. 40% of maximum mark

Deep insights

What top candidates did

Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series

No data available in official reports

Command word playbook

How to match each command word to the expected response style

DefineFrequency: 4

Match the expected response style for “Define” questions.

CalculateFrequency: 4

Show formula, substitution, and unit; method marks need visible working.

ExplainFrequency: 4

Give reasons and link mechanism to outcome; each point needs a because/so chain.

AnalyseFrequency: 2

Break into parts and explain how each contributes to the whole question focus.

AssessFrequency: 2

Match the expected response style for “Assess” questions.

extentFrequency: 2

Match the expected response style for “extent” questions.

Time traps

Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks

Unit 1 Section A (M20m / 15 marks

Min per mark: 1.3

Unit 1 Section B (D85m / 65 marks

Min per mark: 1.3

Unit 2 Section A (M20m / 15 marks

Min per mark: 1.3

Unit 2 Section B (D85m / 65 marks

Min per mark: 1.3

Syllabus traceability

Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session

Government intervention in markets

21 marks this session

Positive and negative externalities in consumption and production

21 marks this session

Supply-side policies

21 marks this session

MCQ trap analytics

Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary

No data available in official reports

Topic heatmap across years

Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject

Mark intensity

LowHigh
Topic
2023
2024
2025
Σ

Government intervention in markets

22
21
43

Private goods, public goods and quasi-public goods (Market failure and government intervention in markets)

32
32

Monetary policy

32
32

Economic growth and the economic cycle

28
28

The determination of market prices

25
25

Economic growth and the economic cycle (Economic performance)

22
22

Positive and negative externalities in consumption and production

21
21

Supply-side policies

21
21

Paper comparison

Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session

Unit 1: The Operation of Markets, Market Failure and the Role of Government: Unit 2: The National Economy in a Global Environment:

80 marks105 min

Marks you can still earn

Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit

No data available in official reports

Practise what examiners flagged

Target weak topics from this report inside the Revui app

Self-diagnostic checklist

Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise

  • 1Message

    High marks were secured by students who mastered the precise micro-foundations of market failures and macroeconomic indicators.

Teacher briefing pack

One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review

2024 2024

Economics

High marks were secured by students who mastered the precise micro-foundations of market failures and macroeconomic indicators. Specifically:

  • High marks were secured by students who mastered the precise micro-foundations of market failures and macroeconomic indicators.

Total marks
160
Duration
210 min
Session difficulty
3.5 / 5

Session analysis

High marks were secured by students who mastered the precise micro-foundations of market failures and macroeconomic indicators. Specifically:

Updated Jun 12, 2026

Paper breakdown

Unit 1: The Operation of Markets, Market Failure and the Role of Government: Unit 2: The National Economy in a Global Environment:

80 marks105 min

Top chapters

Government intervention in markets21 marks
Positive and negative externalities in consumption and production21 marks
Supply-side policies21 marks

Exam structure insights

Marks by chapter

See where the marks were concentrated so revision time goes to the highest-value topics.

Government intervention in mark21 marks
Positive and negative externali21 marks
Supply-side policies21 marks
Price, income and cross elastic18 marks
Fiscal policy14 marks
The distribution of income and12 marks
Aggregate demand and aggregate10 marks
Measuring economic growth, deve6 marks

Mark accessibility

Estimate which marks were basic, mid-level, or high-difficulty.

75% within easy or medium reach

40
80
40
Easy: 40 marksMedium: 80 marksHard: 40 marks

Command word frequency

Spot common command words so answers match the expected response style.

Define4 times
Calculate4 times
Explain4 times
Analyse2 times
Assess2 times
extent2 times

Question type mix

Compare the mark share of each paper section and question type.

160Marks
  • Evaluative Essay

    40·2·25%

  • Multiple Choice

    30·30·19%

  • Short Explanation / Data Interpretation

    24·4·15%

  • Analytical Essay

    24·2·15%

  • Diagrammatic Explanation

    18·2·11%

  • Definition

    12·4·8%

  • Calculation

    12·4·8%

Study ROI

Bigger bubbles recur more often; higher bubbles carry more marks, helping you rank revision priorities.

DifficultyRecurrence %Government interve…Positive and negat…Supply-side policiesPrice, income and …Fiscal policy

Difficulty trend

Compare difficulty across recent years.

3.820223.220233.52024

Time vs marks

Compare marks with suggested time allocation to plan exam pacing.

MarksMinutesMarks / min

Unit 1 Section A (M

0.75 m/min
15
20

Unit 1 Section B (D

0.76 m/min
65
85

Unit 2 Section A (M

0.75 m/min
15
20

Unit 2 Section B (D

0.76 m/min
65
85

Total marks

160

Total time

210 min

Avg pace

0.76

Cumulative marks ladder

The line is your running mark total question by question; dashed lines are the estimated grade cut-offs. See which question the line crosses your target grade at, so you know how far you must answer cleanly and which questions decide a band.

04080120160A estimatedB estimatedC estimatedD estimatedE estimatedU estimated15Q01-15 (Unit18Q01-15 (Unit21Q17.1 Calc Pl23Q17.1 Calc Pl27Q17.1 Calc Pl33Q18.2 Evaluat39Q18.2 Evaluat48Q18.2 Evaluat60Q21 Assess Po80Q21 Assess Po95Q21 Assess Po98Q16.2 Define101Q16.2 Define104Q16.2 Define107Q18.1 Explain113Q18.1 Explain119Q18.1 Explain128Q20 Analyze G140Q20 Analyze G160Q20 Analyze G

Next-year prediction

Topics worth watching next year, with the reason shown directly below each bar.

Globalisation

85%

85%

Monetary policy

75%

75%

Labour market interventions

70%

70%

Analysis is paraphrased for study purposes. Always verify against the official examiner report and mark scheme.

9640/21 — Oxford AQA International AS Level Economics (2024) | Revui