Unit 2 exam technique (WEC12)

The paper

1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks.

• Section A: 6 multiple-choice questions, 1 mark each.
• Section B: 5 short-answer questions, 4 marks each (20 marks): typically explain, draw or calculate.
• Section C: a five-part data-response question on a source booklet (34 marks): define (2), explain (4), analyse (6), examine (8), discuss (14).
• Section D: one 20-mark essay from a choice of two (evaluate / to what extent).

Aim for roughly one minute per mark, leaving time to read the extracts.

Command words from the specification's taxonomy

Short answers and calculations

• Calculate: write the formula, substitute the numbers, give the answer with the right unit (or none, for a multiplier). A typical 4-mark split is 1 for the formula, 2 for working, 1 for the answer. A correct answer alone usually gets full marks, but working rescues marks if you slip.
• Draw: label axes (price level, real output), all curves and old and new equilibria, and show the shift with an arrow.
• Explain: define the key term, apply it to the context (a country or figure in the question), and give a cause-and-effect chain.

Data response and essays

• Use the extracts: quote figures and refer to the country named. Unsupported general answers lose application marks.
• For 14 and 20 markers, Pearson mark schemes split marks between knowledge, application and analysis (KAA) and evaluation. In the January 2025 WEC12 mark scheme, essays had 12 KAA and 8 evaluation marks, and answers that did not refer to an economy were capped for KAA.
• Evaluation tools: magnitude (how big?), time (short versus long run), it depends on (spare capacity, the multiplier, elasticities, confidence), stakeholders (who gains and loses), the reliability of data, and alternative policies. Finish with a justified judgement.

Multiple choice

Read every option. Draw a quick sketch for AD/AS questions. Check units and whether the figure asked for is a level or a rate of change, and percentage versus percentage points.

Worked example

Plan the evaluation for: 'Evaluate the benefits of increased government spending on infrastructure for an economy.' (20 marks)

1. KAA: higher G raises AD with a multiplier effect (short run); better infrastructure cuts firms' costs and raises productivity, shifting LRAS right (long run).
2. Evaluation 1: size depends on the multiplier and on spare capacity; near full capacity it causes inflation.
3. Evaluation 2: time lags and risk of cost overruns; opportunity cost and a larger budget deficit or crowding out.
4. Judgement: likely to be beneficial if the economy has a negative output gap and projects are well chosen, because both AD and LRAS rise.

Answer: Two-sided analysis with AD and LRAS, three or four evaluation points, and a conditional judgement in context.

Check yourself

1. Section A is 6 marks, Section B is 20, Section C is 34 and Section D is 20. Check the total marks for WEC12.
   Show answer

   80 marks. 6 + 20 + 34 + 20 = 80 marks.

2. The paper lasts 105 minutes for 80 marks. About how many minutes per mark is that, to 2 decimal places?
   Show answer

   1.31 minutes. 105 / 80 = 1.31 minutes per mark.

3. An 8-mark 'examine' question requires
   • a definition only
   • analysis with a brief evaluation
   • a diagram only
   • a full judgement weighing many viewpoints over two pages
   Show answer

   analysis with a brief evaluation. Examine adds evaluation to a developed chain of reasoning.

4. In a 6-mark 'analyse' question, evaluation
   • carries most of the marks
   • must include a final judgement
   • is not required
   • must cover three counter-arguments
   Show answer

   is not required. Analyse questions reward knowledge, application and analysis only.

5. Which is essential for full marks on a 'draw' question about a rise in AD?
   • Labelled axes, original and new AD curves and the two equilibria
   • A paragraph of evaluation
   • A real-world statistic
   • A Phillips curve
   Show answer

   Labelled axes, original and new AD curves and the two equilibria. Draw questions reward accurate labelling of the diagram.

6. In the January 2025 WEC12 essay mark scheme, what happened to essays that did not refer to an economy?
   • They received zero
   • They lost all evaluation marks
   • They were capped for knowledge, application and analysis
   • They were not affected
   Show answer

   They were capped for knowledge, application and analysis. Context is required for the top KAA levels.

7. Which sentence is an example of evaluation?
   • The impact depends on the size of the multiplier, which is small in an open economy with a high MPM
   • Government spending is a component of AD
   • AD = C + I + G + (X - M)
   • Fiscal policy uses taxation
   Show answer

   The impact depends on the size of the multiplier, which is small in an open economy with a high MPM. It weighs the significance of the argument, using 'it depends' with a reason.

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Sources

• Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level in Economics specification, Issue 2 (June 2018)
• Pearson qualifications: Edexcel International Advanced Level Economics (2018)
• Pearson Edexcel IAL Economics WEC12 Unit 2 mark scheme, January 2025
• Cognito: Edexcel International A level Economics specification

Last updated 8 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.