Examiners’ Report
June 2017
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 2017
Publications Code 9EB0_03_1706_ER
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2017
2 GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
, Introduction
This was the first examination of paper 9EB0 03 and it yielded mixed results. For some
candidates it gave the opportunity to bring together concepts and topics from across
all four themes and show an impressive and integrated grasp of the subject. Rather
disappointingly, for many others it represented a wasted opportunity. The pre-release case
study should have been the stimulus for independent or group led research into a wide
range of examples that could then have been used to illustrate and reinforce answers. It is
worth remembering the levels of response indicators, where use of supporting evidence is
one of the identifying characteristics for the higher levels. Far too many candidates offered
generic and general answers that failed to do this and so prevented access to the full range
of marks.
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 diagrams for questions 1(c) and 2(c), or drew inaccurate ones. 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. Diagrams
were often used well and arguments based on these were convincing and able to access the
highest level.
GCE Economics B 9EB0 03 3
June 2017
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 2017
Publications Code 9EB0_03_1706_ER
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2017
2 GCE Economics B 9EB0 03
, Introduction
This was the first examination of paper 9EB0 03 and it yielded mixed results. For some
candidates it gave the opportunity to bring together concepts and topics from across
all four themes and show an impressive and integrated grasp of the subject. Rather
disappointingly, for many others it represented a wasted opportunity. The pre-release case
study should have been the stimulus for independent or group led research into a wide
range of examples that could then have been used to illustrate and reinforce answers. It is
worth remembering the levels of response indicators, where use of supporting evidence is
one of the identifying characteristics for the higher levels. Far too many candidates offered
generic and general answers that failed to do this and so prevented access to the full range
of marks.
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 diagrams for questions 1(c) and 2(c), or drew inaccurate ones. 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. Diagrams
were often used well and arguments based on these were convincing and able to access the
highest level.
GCE Economics B 9EB0 03 3
