Cognivia Tutoring offers 1:1 A-Level Economics lessons with Archie Dyer, who scored a 7 in IB Higher Level Economics and studies Theoretical Physics at UCL. Lessons are one hour, online on Google Meet or in person around Marylebone, London, and follow your own exam board. They cost £45 an hour online or £55 in person; the 30-minute trial is free.
By Archie Dyer, founder and tutor · Last updated 11 October 2026
Three 2-hour papersMicroeconomics, macroeconomics and a paper that draws on both, all sat at the end of the course.
Taught by Archie DyerA 7 in IB Higher Level Economics; now second-year Theoretical Physics at UCL.
Follows your exam boardLessons use the student’s own specification and papers.
£45 online, £55 in personOne hour, 1:1. No group classes.
Free 30-minute online trialNo card needed.
Enhanced DBS checkedArchie is the founder and the only tutor.
How A-Level Economics is assessed
A-Level Economics is a linear qualification: the whole grade comes from three written papers sat at the end of the course. The three specifications below share a pattern. One paper is mainly microeconomics, one is mainly macroeconomics, and a third draws on the whole course. They differ in marks, weightings and the kinds of question on each paper.
A-Level Economics paper structure by exam board and specification
Specification
Papers
AQA (7136)
Three 2-hour papers of 80 marks, each 33.3% of the A-Level. Paper 1, Markets and market failure, covers the microeconomic content. Paper 2, National and international economy, covers the macroeconomic content. Each has a data response section (one context chosen from two, 40 marks) and an essay section (one chosen from three, 40 marks). Paper 3, Economic principles and issues, covers all the content: multiple choice questions worth 30 marks, then case study questions requiring written answers worth 50 marks.
Pearson Edexcel Economics A (9EC0)
Three 2-hour papers of 100 marks. Paper 1, Markets and business behaviour (35%), assesses microeconomics from Themes 1 and 3. Paper 2, The national and global economy (35%), assesses macroeconomics from Themes 2 and 4. Each has multiple-choice and short-answer questions, one data response question in parts, and one extended open-response question chosen from two. Paper 3, Microeconomics and macroeconomics (30%), assesses all four themes in two sections, each a data response question that includes a choice of extended open-response questions.
OCR (H460)
Three 2-hour papers of 80 marks, each 33.33% of the A-Level. Microeconomics and Macroeconomics each consist of data response questions and extended response questions; students choose one extended question from two that require a quantitative response, and one from two that do not. Themes in economics has 30 multiple choice questions, then short answer and extended response questions on an unseen theme for 50 marks.
When
All papers in one summer series. AQA: “students must complete all exams in May/June in a single year.” Pearson: “Students must complete all assessment in May/June in any single year.” OCR calls its A-Level “a linear qualification with 100% external assessment”.
Quantitative skills
At least 20% of the marks on all three. AQA: “The assessment of quantitative skills will include at least Level 2 mathematical skills as a minimum of 20% of the overall A-level marks.” Pearson says its listed quantitative skills “will constitute a minimum of 20% of the overall marks for this qualification”. OCR: “A minimum of 20% of the overall assessment marks are targeted at the assessment of quantitative skills across the three components.”
Synoptic paper
Pearson: “synoptic assessment can be found in Paper 3: Microeconomics and macroeconomics.” OCR says Themes in economics “is entirely synoptic”. AQA’s Paper 3 assesses all fourteen content sections.
Calculator
Pearson: “Students may use a calculator in assessments for this qualification”. OCR: “Students are permitted to use a scientific or graphical calculator for components 01, 02 and 03.”
Paper structures, timings, weightings, question types and quantitative skills checked against each board’s own specification: AQA 7136 at a glance and specification PDF; the Pearson Edexcel 9EC0 specification (Issue 2); and the OCR H460 specification. Checked on 11 October 2026. Cognivia Tutoring is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board; your school can confirm which specification you are entered for.
Where A-Level Economics is demanding
What follows is observation drawn from the specifications themselves. It is not a set of statistics about results, and it is not a claim about any particular student.
Evaluation is marked in its own right. AQA’s fourth assessment objective is to “evaluate economic arguments and use qualitative and quantitative evidence to support informed judgements relating to economic issues”, and it carries approximately 22–25% of the A-Level. Knowledge of terms, concepts and models carries approximately 20–23%. An essay that explains the theory accurately but reaches no supported judgement leaves that part unanswered.
Diagrams are an examined skill. The AQA and Pearson Edexcel quantitative skills lists both include the ability to “construct and interpret a range of standard graphical forms”, and AQA names “the construction and use of graphs” among the skills students should acquire. A diagram has to be drawn accurately and then used in the argument.
Data response is done against the clock. For its Microeconomics and Macroeconomics papers, OCR advises spending approximately 45 to 50 minutes reading the stimulus material and answering the data response questions, which leaves approximately 40 minutes for each of the two 25-mark questions.
The third paper removes the boundary between micro and macro. AQA’s Paper 3 assesses all the content, Pearson’s Paper 3 asks students to “make connections and transfer higher-order skills across all four themes”, and OCR’s is “entirely synoptic”. Topics revised in separate boxes have to be used together.
The numbers are not optional. At least 20% of the marks assess quantitative skills. AQA’s list includes percentage changes, index numbers, elasticity calculations, and cost, revenue and profit.
Current events are part of the course. Pearson expects students to “demonstrate an awareness of current economic events and policies”.
Assessment objective wording and weightings from the AQA 7136 scheme of assessment and specification PDF; other quotations and timing advice from the Pearson Edexcel 9EC0 and OCR H460 specifications. Checked on 11 October 2026.
IB Economics and the TMUA
A-Level Economics and IB Economics are different courses with different papers, and this page is about the A-Level. If the student is on the IB Diploma, the IB Economics page covers Standard Level and Higher Level.
Some economics degrees also ask for an admissions test. UAT-UK says: “There are seven universities using the TMUA for selection to some courses in Mathematics, Economics, or Computer Science.” Whether a particular economics course asks for it has to be checked on that university’s own course page.
The TMUA is a mathematics test, not an economics one. UAT-UK says it “is based on content typically covered within Higher Level GCSE mathematics courses or AS level mathematics”, and it is two 75-minute papers of 20 multiple-choice questions with no calculator. A-Level Economics does not prepare a student for it. Archie tutors it as separate work: see the TMUA page.
Checked against the official UAT-UK page About the TMUA. Checked on 11 October 2026.
Who you would be working with
Lessons are with Archie Dyer, the founder of Cognivia Tutoring and its only tutor. There is no panel of tutors behind the website and no one else you might be passed to.
43 out of 45 in the IB, with 7s in HL Maths, Physics and Economics.
Second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL (University College London), after a First in his first year.
10 A*s at IGCSE.
Tutoring for over two years.
Enhanced DBS checked, and based in Marylebone, London.
Archie did not sit A-Levels, and his degree is in physics, not economics. He took the IB Diploma and scored a 7 in Higher Level Economics. He tutors the A-Level Economics specifications; he does not hold A-Level grades and is not an economics undergraduate. Lessons follow the student’s own exam board and specification, so say which one at the trial.
Nothing here is a promise about a grade. A-Levels are marked by the exam boards, and no tutor can guarantee the result.
How he teaches. In Archie’s words: “I find where the understanding actually breaks down, which is usually two or three topics further back than where the marks were lost, and we rebuild from there. I keep lessons relaxed. I would far rather a student asked me something they think is obvious than sat quietly and nodded.” The free 30-minute trial is the way to judge that for yourself: bring a topic you find difficult. There is more on the About Archie page.
Prices and practical details
A-Level Economics prices at Cognivia Tutoring
What
Online
In person
One 1-hour 1:1 lesson
£45
£55
5-pack — five 1-hour lessons, £15 off
£210
£260
30-minute trial lesson
Free
Online only
A-Level Economics costs the same as the other A-Level subjects, whichever exam board the student is on. A 5-pack is held in a My lessons account, so the five lessons can be booked one at a time.
1 hour, 1:1. Every lesson is with Archie, built around one student. There are no group classes.
Online on Google Meet, or in person around Marylebone, London (+£10). The Meet link is in your confirmation email; times are shown in your own time zone.
Free 30-minute online trial, no card needed. A relaxed session to meet and see if it clicks.
24 hours’ notice to cancel, by email or phone. See the refund policy.
Payment by Stripe at booking. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Full prices for every subject and level are on the pricing section of the home page. Parents receive a short note after each lesson on what was covered and what to practise next.
At Cognivia Tutoring, A-Level Economics lessons are £45 an hour online, or £55 an hour in person around Marylebone, London. A 5-pack of five 1-hour lessons saves £15: £210 online or £260 in person. The 30-minute online trial is free and needs no card.
Lessons follow the student’s own exam board and specification. This page sets out the paper structure for AQA (7136), Pearson Edexcel Economics A (9EC0) and OCR (H460). Archie did not sit any of them himself, because he took the IB Diploma with Higher Level Economics, so tell him the board at the trial.
Yes. Online lessons run on Google Meet, with the link in the booking confirmation email. The booking calendar shows times in your own time zone, and students join from the UK and across Europe.
Yes. In-person lessons take place around Marylebone, London, and cost £10 more than online, at £55 an hour. See the Marylebone page for details.
The AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR specifications each state that at least 20% of the A-Level marks assess quantitative skills. AQA’s list includes ratios and fractions, percentages and percentage changes, index numbers, elasticity calculations, and cost, revenue and profit. It is applied arithmetic and graph work, not A-Level Maths content.
No. Archie scored a 7 in IB Higher Level Economics, as part of 43 out of 45 overall, but his degree is Theoretical Physics at UCL, where he is in his second year after a First in his first year. He took the IB Diploma, not A-Levels, and tutors the A-Level Economics specifications.
Some economics degrees ask for it. UAT-UK says seven universities use the TMUA for selection to some courses in Mathematics, Economics or Computer Science. Whether your course is one of them has to be checked on the university’s own course page. See the TMUA page for how the test works.
Book the free 30-minute online trial and bring a topic you find difficult. You will see how Archie explains it and whether his teaching suits you before paying anything, and no card is needed. After every paid lesson, parents receive a short note on what was covered and what to practise next, so progress stays visible.
Where to go next
A free 30-minute trial is the simplest way to find out whether this is the right fit. Nothing is charged and no card is needed.
