Economics

Head of Economics Mr J.S.Williams

Economics studies some of the most important and interesting problems facing us as consumers, workers or employers, citizens of Europe, and citizens of the world. Although it has something in common with subjects such as History, Politics, Geography and Business Studies, its methods are unique, and once students acquire the Economics 'mind-set' they will be able to explain and analyse the world in a way which is intriguing, thought provoking and useful. Economics is highly thought of by university admissions tutors, and, if students decide to make it the basis of their degree course, they can expect employers to take the same view; Economics graduates are among the highest paid of all.

The course is unusual in that very little specific teaching is required for the final module, Economics in a European Context. Instead, students apply the knowledge of the previous five modules to a range of problems and policies typical of the European economy. The central concern is of course the European Union, but we also cover the so-called Transition Economies (Russia, Bulgaria and so on) and the small number of Western European nations which chose not to join the EU (e.g. Norway). The European Union is now the world's largest trading area, in terms of population, income and wealth, and a study of its history, development, institutions, policies, successes and failures is likely to be of vital importance. Issues such as the single market and tax harmonisation are clearly destined to remain the central concern of British politics, and an understanding of the issues is essential. We are also following closely the rise of China and India as dominant forces in the coming century.

Each year, any number from 15 to 25 choose Economics at AS. Many go on to read the subject at University departments such as Oxford, the LSE and UCL. To be good at the subject students need (at least) three things: they need to be interested in what is reported at the front end of a decent newspaper; they need to be comfortable with numbers and diagrams (at least a grade B in GCSE Maths is desirable); and they need to be reasonably articulate and fluent in speaking and writing English. If English is not your main language, an IELTS equivalent score of 6.0 is desirable.

“ We even talk about economics down the pub ”