Examiners’ Report
June 2018
GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
, Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications
Edexcel and BTEC qualifications come from Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a
wide range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes
for employers. For further information visit our qualifications websites at www.edexcel.com or
www.btec.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page at
www.edexcel.com/contactus.
Giving you insight to inform next steps
ResultsPlus is Pearson’s free online service giving instant and detailed analysis of your students’
exam results.
See students’ scores for every exam question.
Understand how your students’ performance compares with class and national averages.
Identify potential topics, skills and types of question where students may need to develop their
learning further.
For more information on ResultsPlus, or to log in, visit www.edexcel.com/resultsplus.
Your exams officer will be able to set up your ResultsPlus account in minutes via Edexcel Online.
Pearson: helping people progress, everywhere
Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help everyone progress
in their lives through education. We believe in every kind of learning, for all kinds of people,
wherever they are in the world. We’ve been involved in education for over 150 years, and by
working across 70 countries, in 100 languages, we have built an international reputation for our
commitment to high standards and raising achievement through innovation in education. Find out
more about how we can help you and your students at: www.pearson.com/uk.
June 2018
Publications Code 9EB0_03_1806_ER
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2018
2 GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
,Introduction
This was the second examination of paper 9EB0_03 and in some ways it was rather disappointing.
The average mark was lower and many candidates did not appear to have learned from the first
exam, with the same problems occurring.
The pre-release case study should have been the stimulus for independent or group-led research
into a wide range of examples that could have then been used to illustrate and reinforce answers.
Many answers were generic in content and therefore did not reach the higher levels. It is worth
remembering the levels of response indicators, where use of supporting evidence is one of the
identifying characteristics for the higher levels.
Centres need to appreciate the requirement to allocate 20% of the marks to quantitative skills (QS)
as stated in the specification. For example, many candidates either failed to heed the instruction to
use a diagram for questions 2(a) or drew an inaccurate one. The stimulus material contained a
range of data, in both written and numerical form, QS9 (see specification, appendix 3) requires
candidates to be able to ‘interpret, apply and analyse information in written, graphical, tabular and
numerical forms’. Many candidates chose to ignore the data or did not make full use of it, once
again limiting their attainment.
On the positive side, many candidates had prepared well, and it was pleasing to see the use of
many examples and case studies beyond the ones included in the extracts. Arguments based on
these were convincing and able to access the highest level.
GCE Economics B 9EB0 03 3
, Question 1 (a)
Most candidates were able to access this question and tackled it in a positive way. Stronger
candidates examined HDI as an indicator of development and compared that to the rate of growth.
The more perceptive candidates were able to point out that a high FDI value was a sign of a
developed economy and therefore likely to have a slow rate of growth, whilst those with lower FDI
values were likely to be developing economies with a faster rate of growth. This was backed up by
the use of the evidence and their own wider knowledge. Some candidates explained why HDI was
not a valuable measurement of growth by concentrating predominately on other economic
indicators such as GDP to measure growth or the Gini-coefficient to show inequality.
Weaker responses seemed unsure as to just what HDI meant, most knew it had several strands but
these were often not fully identified or were misidentified. This did not help the rest of the
response to be convincing. Some candidates are still not including balance in their answers, despite
the command to ‘Discuss’.
This response reached Level 2 and scored 4 marks.
4 GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
June 2018
GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
, Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications
Edexcel and BTEC qualifications come from Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a
wide range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes
for employers. For further information visit our qualifications websites at www.edexcel.com or
www.btec.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page at
www.edexcel.com/contactus.
Giving you insight to inform next steps
ResultsPlus is Pearson’s free online service giving instant and detailed analysis of your students’
exam results.
See students’ scores for every exam question.
Understand how your students’ performance compares with class and national averages.
Identify potential topics, skills and types of question where students may need to develop their
learning further.
For more information on ResultsPlus, or to log in, visit www.edexcel.com/resultsplus.
Your exams officer will be able to set up your ResultsPlus account in minutes via Edexcel Online.
Pearson: helping people progress, everywhere
Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help everyone progress
in their lives through education. We believe in every kind of learning, for all kinds of people,
wherever they are in the world. We’ve been involved in education for over 150 years, and by
working across 70 countries, in 100 languages, we have built an international reputation for our
commitment to high standards and raising achievement through innovation in education. Find out
more about how we can help you and your students at: www.pearson.com/uk.
June 2018
Publications Code 9EB0_03_1806_ER
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2018
2 GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
,Introduction
This was the second examination of paper 9EB0_03 and in some ways it was rather disappointing.
The average mark was lower and many candidates did not appear to have learned from the first
exam, with the same problems occurring.
The pre-release case study should have been the stimulus for independent or group-led research
into a wide range of examples that could have then been used to illustrate and reinforce answers.
Many answers were generic in content and therefore did not reach the higher levels. It is worth
remembering the levels of response indicators, where use of supporting evidence is one of the
identifying characteristics for the higher levels.
Centres need to appreciate the requirement to allocate 20% of the marks to quantitative skills (QS)
as stated in the specification. For example, many candidates either failed to heed the instruction to
use a diagram for questions 2(a) or drew an inaccurate one. The stimulus material contained a
range of data, in both written and numerical form, QS9 (see specification, appendix 3) requires
candidates to be able to ‘interpret, apply and analyse information in written, graphical, tabular and
numerical forms’. Many candidates chose to ignore the data or did not make full use of it, once
again limiting their attainment.
On the positive side, many candidates had prepared well, and it was pleasing to see the use of
many examples and case studies beyond the ones included in the extracts. Arguments based on
these were convincing and able to access the highest level.
GCE Economics B 9EB0 03 3
, Question 1 (a)
Most candidates were able to access this question and tackled it in a positive way. Stronger
candidates examined HDI as an indicator of development and compared that to the rate of growth.
The more perceptive candidates were able to point out that a high FDI value was a sign of a
developed economy and therefore likely to have a slow rate of growth, whilst those with lower FDI
values were likely to be developing economies with a faster rate of growth. This was backed up by
the use of the evidence and their own wider knowledge. Some candidates explained why HDI was
not a valuable measurement of growth by concentrating predominately on other economic
indicators such as GDP to measure growth or the Gini-coefficient to show inequality.
Weaker responses seemed unsure as to just what HDI meant, most knew it had several strands but
these were often not fully identified or were misidentified. This did not help the rest of the
response to be convincing. Some candidates are still not including balance in their answers, despite
the command to ‘Discuss’.
This response reached Level 2 and scored 4 marks.
4 GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
