Economics

Curriculum Intent

At Challney High School for Girls, we believe that Economics provides our students with the opportunity to see the world as it really is. Over the course of the two years, we aim to provide our girls with the knowledge, understanding and application to become, at the very best, economically literate citizens. This in turn provides them with the capacity to share their knowledge with those around them and utilise it in a way which enables them to be influential in the effective and efficient use of the world’s resources, in order to create a better world.

Our vision is that students understand the importance and relevance of the subject in relation to the real-life challenges we face. At the very core, our key purpose is for students to tackle the basic economic problem. If there are not enough resources to satisfy all wants, what is the best way to allocate those resources? We want students to understand the complexities surrounding this question and gain a sense of how this can be done efficiently and equitably on an individual, national and international level.

Reading is critical to the economics curriculum and students are exposed to a balanced diet of news articles, headlines and short extracts which help to develop subject specific literacy, application of the subject and further appreciate the relevance of economics to every citizen. By the end of the course, we expect students to be able to ‘find the economics’ in any article.

Key stage 4

Students studying Economics follow OCR 9-1 Economics syllabus (J205), where they study an Introduction to Economics as well as National & International Economics. Below is an overview of the content covered across Year 10-11. Further detail on each area can be found here.

Students sit two papers at the end of Year 11:

Paper 1: Introduction to Economics (J205/01)* 

• 80 Marks 
• 1 hour 30 minute written paper
• 50% of the total GCSE

Paper 2: National and International Economics (J205/02)* 

• 80 Marks
• 1 hour 30 minute written paper
• 50% of the total GCSE

Useful Links:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/economy.
• http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/topics.
• https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/education/home-learning-hub/post-16-economics-learning-resources
• https://economicsfactory.com/product-category/economics-today/