A high proportion of A level Economics students go on to study either economics degrees or degrees closely related to economics, such as business studies, accounting and finance, marketing and management. Economics graduates are employed in a range of posts. They work in manufacturing, transport, communications, banking, insurance, investment and retailing industries, as well as in government agencies, consulting and charitable organisations. Employers value economics graduates’ understanding of decision-making, their research and analytical skills, and their experience of viewing problems in their national and international context.

Economics is concerned with how society sets about meeting people’s demands for things they want to consume. It looks at the production, consumption and sale of goods and services, both at the level of individual products, firms and consumers and at the level of the total production and consumption by countries. It also compares alternative ways of using the limited resources (natural resources, workers, machinery and factories) that countries and individuals possess and considers how efficient and/or fair such alternatives are. You will study many topics which are discussed in the newspapers or on TV, such as unemployment, interest rates, the price of petrol, exchange rate and the effects of changes in share prices.