How is this module assessed in OCR Economics?

The macroeconomic content is examined in Component 2 (Macroeconomics, H460/02), an 80-mark, 2-hour paper. The synoptic skills are examined in Component 3 (Themes in economics, H460/03), also 80 marks and 2 hours, which opens with 30 multiple-choice questions and then sets data-response and extended-response questions on an unseen theme that combines micro and macro analysis. Each component is worth 33.33 per cent.

What does synoptic mean in Component 3?

Synoptic means drawing together knowledge and skills from across the whole specification rather than one topic in isolation. Component 3 sets an unseen theme that requires candidates to combine microeconomic analysis (markets, market failure, business behaviour) with macroeconomic analysis (objectives, AD-AS, policy and the global context), reaching a supported judgement that links the two levels.

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International and development economics - OCR A-Level Economics (H460) overview

Q: What does the international-and-development-economics module of OCR Economics cover?

It covers the global context and how it is examined synoptically. The content is international trade and comparative advantage, the terms of trade, globalisation and trading blocs, the methods of protection (tariffs, quotas and subsidies) and the arguments for and against them, exchange-rate systems and the effects of currency changes (with the Marshall-Lerner condition and the J-curve), the balance of payments and the current account, economic development and the Human Development Index, and the synoptic skills tested in Component 3.

An overview of the international-and-development-economics module of OCR A-Level Economics (H460), covering international trade and comparative advantage, globalisation and protectionism, exchange rates and the balance of payments, economic development, and the synoptic Themes in economics paper, and how the module is examined.

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The dot points in this module
How this module is examined
How to study this module
Work through the dot points
For the official specification

The international-and-development-economics module of OCR A-Level Economics (specification H460) covers the global context and provides the integrated, synoptic analysis tested in Component 3. This page maps the dot points and how they are examined.

The dot points in this module

International trade and comparative advantage: Absolute and comparative advantage, the gains from specialisation and trade, the terms of trade, and the limitations of comparative advantage.
Globalisation and protectionism: The causes and effects of globalisation, trading blocs and the WTO, the methods of protection (tariffs, quotas and subsidies) and their welfare effects, and the arguments for and against protectionism.
Exchange rates and the balance of payments: Floating and fixed exchange-rate systems, the causes and effects of exchange-rate changes (including the Marshall-Lerner condition and the J-curve), and the structure of the balance of payments and the current account.
Economic development and emerging economies: The difference between growth and development, the measurement of development including the HDI, the barriers to development, and strategies to promote it.
Synoptic themes in economics (Component 3): How to combine microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis on an unseen theme, the structure of the Themes in economics paper, and the synoptic skills examiners reward.

How this module is examined

OCR Economics is a two-year linear course with three papers at the end. The macroeconomic content here is examined in Component 2 (Macroeconomics), and the synoptic skills in Component 3 (Themes in economics), the unseen-theme paper that opens with 30 multiple-choice questions and then sets data-response and extended-response questions combining micro and macro. Each component is 80 marks, 2 hours and 33.33 per cent. Higher-mark questions are marked by levels of response.

How to study this module

Master the diagrams. Practise the tariff diagram, AD-AS for exchange-rate and trade effects, and the gains-from-trade reasoning.
Drill the calculations. Comparative advantage from opportunity costs, exchange-rate percentage changes, the terms of trade and the HDI dimensions.
Practise the synoptic format. Rehearse linking a micro effect to a macro effect on an unseen theme, and time the 30 multiple-choice questions.
Use real examples. US-China tariffs, sterling's moves, the UK current-account deficit and the Asian growth model make application marks easy.

Work through the dot points

Each dot point has its own focused answer page with worked exam questions and cross-links: international trade and comparative advantage; globalisation and protectionism; exchange rates and the balance of payments; economic development and emerging economies; and synoptic themes in economics.

For the official specification

OCR publishes the full specification (H460), past papers and mark schemes at ocr.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and OCR's own past papers, because the question style and the levels-of-response mark schemes are board-specific.

Sources & how we know this

OCR A Level Economics (H460) Specification — OCR (2023)