AQA 7136, Edexcel A 9EC0 and Pearson IAL, point by point.
Students switch boards. Teachers move schools and inherit a different specification. Tutors take on candidates from three boards in the same week, and resit candidates sometimes sit a different one from the course they took. Nobody publishes the translation, so here it is: every AQA spec point against its Edexcel A and Pearson IAL equivalent, with the CC topic page for each.
These are equivalences, not identities. Where a mapping is close it is very close — elasticity, cost curves, the multiplier. Where the boards structure their content differently the mapping is the nearest honest match rather than a translation: AQA folds poverty and inequality into microeconomics while Edexcel treats it inside global development, and Edexcel's Theme 4 carries a body of development economics that AQA does not set at all. Always check your own specification for the exact wording of what you are examined on.
The IAL column gives the unit paper rather than a point reference, because Pearson's International A-Level is assessed as four separate unit papers.
| AQA | AQA specification point | Edexcel A | IAL | Topic pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.1 Economic methodology and the economic problem | ||||
| 4.1.1.1 | Economic methodology | 1.1.1–1.1.2 | WEC11 | Economic methodology |
| 4.1.1.2 | The nature and purpose of economic activity | 1.1.2 | WEC11 | The nature and purpose of economic activity |
| 4.1.1.3 | Economic resources | 1.1.3 | WEC11 | Economic resources |
| 4.1.1.4 | Scarcity, choice and the allocation of resources | 1.1.3 | WEC11 | Opportunity cost |
| 4.1.1.5 | Production possibility diagrams | 1.1.4 | WEC11 | Production possibility diagrams |
| 4.1.2 Individual economic decision making | ||||
| 4.1.2.1 | Consumer behaviour | 1.2.1 | WEC11 | Utility theory |
| 4.1.2.2 | Imperfect information | 1.3.4 | WEC11 | Imperfect information |
| 4.1.2.3 | Aspects of behavioural economic theory | 1.2.10 | WEC11 | Behavioural economic theory |
| 4.1.2.4 | Behavioural economics and economic policy | 1.2.10 | WEC11 | Behavioural economics and policy |
| 4.1.3 Price determination in a competitive market | ||||
| 4.1.3.1 | The determinants of the demand for goods and services | 1.2.2 | WEC11 | Demand theory |
| 4.1.3.2 | Price, income and cross elasticities of demand | 1.2.3 | WEC11 | Price elasticity of demand · Income elasticity of demand · Cross elasticity of demand |
| 4.1.3.3 | The determinants of the supply of goods and services | 1.2.4 | WEC11 | Supply theory |
| 4.1.3.4 | Price elasticity of supply | 1.2.4 | WEC11 | Price elasticity of supply |
| 4.1.3.5 | The determination of equilibrium market prices | 1.2.6 | WEC11 | The determination of equilibrium market prices |
| 4.1.3.6 | The interrelationship between markets | 1.2.7 | WEC11 | The interrelationship between markets |
| 4.1.4 Production, costs and revenue | ||||
| 4.1.4.1 | Production and productivity | 3.3.2 | WEC13 | Production and productivity |
| 4.1.4.2 | Specialisation, division of labour and exchange | 1.1.5 | WEC13 | Division of labour and specialisation |
| 4.1.4.3 | The law of diminishing returns and returns to scale | 3.3.2 | WEC13 | Diminishing returns |
| 4.1.4.4 | Costs of production | 3.3.2 | WEC13 | Fixed and variable costs · Short-run cost curves |
| 4.1.4.5 | Economies and diseconomies of scale | 3.3.3 | WEC13 | Internal economies of scale · External economies of scale · Diseconomies of scale · Long-run production · Minimum efficient scale |
| 4.1.4.6 | Marginal, average and total revenue | 3.3.2 | WEC13 | Marginal, average and total revenue |
| 4.1.4.7 | Profit | 3.3.4 | WEC13 | Profit |
| 4.1.4.8 | Technological change | — | WEC13 | Technological change |
| 4.1.5 Perfect competition, imperfect competition and monopoly | ||||
| 4.1.5.1 | Market structures | 3.1.1 | WEC13 | Market structures |
| 4.1.5.2 | The objectives of firms | 3.2.1 | WEC13 | The objectives of firms |
| 4.1.5.3 | Perfect competition | 3.4.2 | WEC13 | Perfect competition |
| 4.1.5.4 | Monopolistic competition | 3.4.3 | WEC13 | Monopolistic competition |
| 4.1.5.5 | Oligopoly | 3.4.4 | WEC13 | Oligopoly · Collusion in oligopoly · Oligopoly and the kinked demand curve |
| 4.1.5.6 | Monopoly and monopoly power | 3.4.5 | WEC13 | Monopoly power |
| 4.1.5.7 | Price discrimination | 3.4.5 | WEC13 | Price discrimination |
| 4.1.5.8 | The dynamics of competition and competitive market processes | 3.1.2 | WEC13 | The dynamics of competition |
| 4.1.5.9 | Contestable and non-contestable markets | 3.4.1 | WEC13 | Contestable markets |
| 4.1.5.10 | Market structure, static and dynamic efficiency, resource allocation | 3.4.1 | WEC13 | Static and dynamic efficiency |
| 4.1.5.11 | Consumer and producer surplus | 1.2.8 | WEC13 | Consumer and producer surplus |
| 4.1.6 The labour market | ||||
| 4.1.6.1 | The demand for labour, marginal productivity theory | 3.5.1 | WEC13 | Labour demand |
| 4.1.6.2 | Influences upon the supply of labour to different markets | 3.5.2 | WEC13 | Labour supply |
| 4.1.6.3 | Wage rates and employment in perfectly competitive labour markets | 3.5.3 | WEC13 | Wage determination |
| 4.1.6.4 | Wage rates and employment in imperfectly competitive labour markets | 3.5.3 | WEC13 | Monopsony in the labour market |
| 4.1.6.5 | The influence of trade unions on wages and employment | 3.5.3 | WEC13 | Trade unions in the labour market |
| 4.1.6.6 | The National Minimum Wage | 3.5.3 | WEC13 | The national minimum wage |
| 4.1.6.7 | Discrimination in the labour market | 3.5.3 | WEC13 | Discrimination in the labour market |
| 4.1.7 Distribution of income and wealth: poverty and inequality | ||||
| 4.1.7.1 | The distribution of income and wealth | 4.2.2 | WEC14 | The distribution of income and wealth |
| 4.1.7.2 | The problem of poverty | 4.2.1 | WEC14 | The problem of poverty |
| 4.1.7.3 | Government policies to alleviate poverty and influence distribution | 4.2.2 with 2.6.2 | WEC14 | Policies to redistribute income and wealth |
| 4.1.8 The market mechanism, market failure and government intervention | ||||
| 4.1.8.1 | How markets and prices allocate resources | 1.2.7 | WEC11 | How markets and prices allocate resources |
| 4.1.8.2 | The meaning of market failure | 1.3.1 | WEC11 | Factor immobility as a market imperfection |
| 4.1.8.3 | Public goods, private goods and quasi-public goods | 1.3.3 | WEC11 | Public goods |
| 4.1.8.4 | Positive and negative externalities in consumption and production | 1.3.2 | WEC11 | Externalities |
| 4.1.8.5 | Merit and demerit goods | 1.3.2 | WEC11 | Merit and demerit goods |
| 4.1.8.6 | Market imperfections | 1.3.4 | WEC11 | Monopoly as market failure · Imperfect information as market failure |
| 4.1.8.7 | Competition policy | — | WEC11 | Competition policy |
| 4.1.8.8 | Public ownership, privatisation, regulation and deregulation | 3.6.1 | WEC11 | Nationalisation · Privatisation |
| 4.1.8.9 | Government intervention in markets | 1.4.1 | WEC11 | Indirect taxes · Subsidies · Maximum prices · Minimum prices · Carbon trading and carbon taxes |
| 4.1.8.10 | Government failure | 1.4.2 | WEC11 | Government failure |
| 4.2.1 The measurement of macroeconomic performance | ||||
| 4.2.1.1 | The objectives of government economic policy | 2.6.1 | WEC12 | The objectives of government economic policy |
| 4.2.1.2 | Macroeconomic indicators | 2.1.1 | WEC12 | Macroeconomic indicators |
| 4.2.1.3 | Uses of index numbers | 2.1.2 | WEC12 | Uses of index numbers |
| 4.2.1.4 | Uses of national income data | 2.1.1 | WEC12 | Living standards and wellbeing |
| 4.2.2 How the macroeconomy works | ||||
| 4.2.2.1 | The circular flow of income | 2.2.1 | WEC12 | The circular flow of income |
| 4.2.2.2 | Aggregate demand and aggregate supply analysis | 2.4.3 | WEC12 | Aggregate demand and aggregate supply analysis |
| 4.2.2.3 | The determinants of aggregate demand | 2.2.1–2.2.5 | WEC12 | Aggregate demand · Consumer spending and saving · Investment and the accelerator |
| 4.2.2.4 | Aggregate demand and the level of economic activity | 2.4.4 | WEC12 | The multiplier |
| 4.2.2.5 | Determinants of short-run aggregate supply | 2.3.2 | WEC12 | Short-run aggregate supply |
| 4.2.2.6 | Determinants of long-run aggregate supply | 2.3.3 | WEC12 | Long-run aggregate supply |
| 4.2.3 Economic performance | ||||
| 4.2.3.1 | Economic growth and the economic cycle | 2.5.1–2.5.4 | WEC12 | The causes of economic growth · The economic cycle · Equilibrium national output · The impact of economic growth |
| 4.2.3.2 | Employment and unemployment | 2.1.3 | WEC12 | Employment and unemployment · Policies to reduce unemployment |
| 4.2.3.3 | Inflation and deflation | 2.1.2 | WEC12 | Inflation and deflation |
| 4.2.3.4 | Possible conflicts between macroeconomic policy objectives | 2.6.4 | WEC12 | The Phillips curve |
| 4.2.4 Financial markets and monetary policy | ||||
| 4.2.4.1 | The structure of financial markets and financial assets | 4.4.1 | WEC12 | Financial markets and financial assets |
| 4.2.4.2 | Commercial banks and investment banks | 4.4.1 | WEC12 | Commercial and investment banks |
| 4.2.4.3 | Central banks and monetary policy | 4.4.3 | WEC12 | Central banks · Monetary policy · Quantitative easing · Currency volatility and the macroeconomy |
| 4.2.4.4 | The regulation of the financial system | 4.4.2 | WEC12 | Regulation of the financial sector |
| 4.2.5 Fiscal policy and supply-side policies | ||||
| 4.2.5.1 | Fiscal policy | 2.6.2 | WEC12 | Fiscal policy |
| 4.2.5.2 | Supply-side policies | 2.6.3 | WEC12 | Supply-side policies |
| 4.2.6 The international economy | ||||
| 4.2.6.1 | Globalisation | 4.1.1 | WEC14 | Globalisation |
| 4.2.6.2 | Trade | 4.1.2–4.1.6 | WEC14 | Specialisation and trade · Patterns of trade · Customs unions · Single markets · Import tariffs · Non-tariff barriers · The impact of protectionism |
| 4.2.6.3 | The balance of payments | 4.1.7 | WEC14 | Balance of payments |
| 4.2.6.4 | Exchange rate systems | 4.1.8 | WEC14 | Exchange rate systems · Single currency |
| 4.2.6.5 | Economic growth and development | 4.3.1–4.3.3 | WEC14 | Growth and development |
The revision platform is built for all three specifications, and written work is marked against the same framework regardless of which one you sit.
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