Please watch the video below to view some of the more frequently asked questions about these subjects, then scroll down to the forum below to submit any of your own questions.
Thank you for watching. If your question was not covered in the video, then please use the "add comment" button below to ask one of our teachers for help. Staff will be live on the forum from 6pm to 8pm on Friday 16th October and will then be checking for questions throughout the weekend (although response times will not be as quick). The forum will close at 4pm on Monday 19th October, after which you can email any questions to admissions@kesbath.com
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Hello, I'm Mrs Utton - Head of Psychology. I'm looking forward to answering your questions this evening.
Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:26239, 16/10/2020 at 17:53
Hi, and a very good evening. My name is Gary Butterworth, Head of Economics and Business Studies. I'm looking forward to answering any questions you have regarding Business Studies and Economics at A level.
Posted by Mr G Butterworth, 16/10/2020 at 18:03
Please can you explain a little bit about what both psychology and economics A'Levels course involves? Is this 100% exam or is there assessed coursework? How many exams do I need to do and what is the structure of the exams please?
Posted by GuestK701, 16/10/2020 at 18:17
Hi, the Economics A level is split into 3 distinctive categories - micro economics, macro economics and development economics. Micro looks at individuals, like you and I, and the decisions that we make when it comes to demanding products - how are we affected by changes in price, income, fashion, tastes etc. Similarly, we look at producers - businesses- and how their decisions are affected by changes in price and other factors such as costs of production, changing tech and tax regimes. Beyond that we consider how markets work and how they allocate resources - in reality this means do they manage to get the right number of resources to the right place to help produce the right number of goods and services for you and I. The micro side also covers how and why markets fail and the consequences for us, society and the environment for example. In year 2 we assess different market structures and look at which is the best for consumers, producers and other stakeholders. Macro economics is the study of the governments objectives. What they are, what targets we should set as economists and what policies can be put in place to best deliver these objectives. For example, if we wish to reduce unemployment what might we best to reach this target using different polices. Development economics looks at these macro element but in the context of developing economies. The course is 100% examined, so no coursework. There are 3 papers; one with multiple choice questions and short answer questions. One which is a data response based paper - one micro question and one macro based question. The final paper is an essay based paper with a choice of 3 essays from 6. I hope that helps.
Posted by Mr G Butterworth, 16/10/2020 at 18:29
Hello, in Psychology the course is assessed by examinations - 3 in total (2 hours each). There are a wide range of exam style questions ranging from multiple choice, analysing a scenario, short answer and mini essay, so you'll develop a wide range of skills. The course covers core areas in Psychology from the importance of early infant development, how our memory works, the causes and treatments of mental disorders, how can 'ordinary people' harm others, the nature and causes of crime, our brain and behaviour to name a few! All this is underpinned by analysing the scientific methods psychologists use as evidence for explaining our behaviour. Hope this helps?
Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:26239, 16/10/2020 at 18:37
Good evening, what gcses subjects and grades are advised to take economics a level?
Posted by GuestK703, 16/10/2020 at 19:00
Hi, we don't have any requirements at KES to have taken specific GCSE subjects or to have gained specific grades. That said, a good pass at Maths (5 or above) is very useful and especially useful if a student is considering economics at university as the ability to take A level Maths is becoming more and more of a prerequisite. Some of our Economists have studied GCSE Business Studies, but again it is not a prerequisite. Business at GCSE helps somewhat, but we soon move away from many of the ideas from GCSE Business as they are covered in that specific A level course. If a student is taking Business Studies at GCSE then I would again say that a 6 or above in the examination would be a good indicator of ability and interest in the subject area. Given that the A level in Economics is examined by essay based questions, the ability to analyse and evaluate data and more mathematical multiple choice questions, subjects such as history, geography, physics and maths lend themselves to providing good skills for the course. That said, if a student was not studying some of these subjects I certainly would not want to put them off. Hope that helps?
Posted by Mr G Butterworth, 16/10/2020 at 19:11
yes, thank you!
Posted by GuestK703, 16/10/2020 at 19:15
Hi - what have previous years achieved in terms of exam results for the three subjects?
Posted by GuestK648, 16/10/2020 at 19:05
Hi, In Business Studies -
2020 A* - 1, A - 3, B - 2, C - 1, D - 1.
2019 A* - 1, A - 4, B - 4, C - 2, D - 1.
2018 B - 1, C - 2
In Economics -
2020 A* - 7, A - 6, B - 6, C - 3.
2019 A* - 5, A - 3, B - 6, C - 3.
2018 A* - 7, A - 5, B - 4, C - 4, D - 1.
Hope that is useful to you. Please note that the 2020 results are CAG's - Centre Assessed Grades. As such, the 2019 results are more representative of our most recent performance.
Posted by Mr G Butterworth, 16/10/2020 at 19:23
Hello, in Psychology:
2019 - A*-7, A-3, B-5, C-1, E-1
2018 - A*-1, A-3, B-5
Hope this is helpful
Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:26239, 16/10/2020 at 19:33
Is there a Psychology in Sport module in the course as I am very interested in this aspect
Posted by Guest201, 16/10/2020 at 19:25
Hello, I'm afraid there isn't a specific unit on Sport Psychology. It's a really interesting area, there is a slight overlap with A level PE in some of the theories of performance/learning. If you are interested in going down the route of becoming a Sport Psychologist, A levels in PE & Psychology would be a good choice followed by a degree in Psychology with a Masters in Sport Psychology. Hope that helps?
Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:26239, 16/10/2020 at 19:41
Thank you to everyone who took time to watch the video and then submit questions. If you have any further Economics or Business Studies questions which you would like to ask outside of this live forum, please do, and I will happily get back to you early next week. Gary Butterworth.
Posted by Mr G Butterworth, 16/10/2020 at 20:02
Thank you for all your questions for Psychology - please do get in touch should you need any further information. Best wishes, Mrs Utton
Posted by DB:Cloud:DB:SIMSemp:26239, 16/10/2020 at 20:07