Cognivia Tutoring is one tutor, Archie Dyer, who scored a 7 in HL Economics and 43 out of 45 in the IB. He teaches IB Economics 1:1 at Standard and Higher Level, in one-hour lessons online on Google Meet or in person around Marylebone, London, at £45 online or £55 in person.
By Archie Dyer, founder and tutor · Last updated 11 October 2026
Enhanced DBS checkedArchie is the founder and the only tutor.
What IB Economics covers
The current Diploma Programme economics course is the one the IB labels “First assessments 2022”. The IB starts from a single idea: “At the heart of economic theory is the problem of scarcity. Owing to scarcity, choices have to be made.”
There are four units, the same at both levels. The IB also names nine key concepts that run through all of them: scarcity, choice, efficiency, equity, economic well-being, sustainability, change, interdependence and intervention.
IB Economics units with recommended teaching hours at SL and HL
Unit
SL hours
HL hours
1. Introduction to economics
10
10
2. Microeconomics
35
70
3. Macroeconomics
40
75
4. The global economy
45
65
Internal assessment
20
20
Microeconomics doubles at HL. The HL list adds three subtopics that do not appear in the SL list: market failure through asymmetric information, market failure through market power, and the market’s inability to achieve equity.
Units, key concepts and recommended hours are taken from the IB’s Diploma Programme subject briefs for Economics, first assessments 2022: standard level and higher level. Checked on 11 October 2026 against the most recent archived copy of the IB’s published brief; confirm the current version with your school.
The papers at SL and HL
SL students sit two papers. HL students sit three.
IB Economics assessment components with duration and weighting at SL and HL
Component
Time
SL weighting
HL weighting
Paper 1 — extended response
1 hour 15 minutes
30%
20%
Paper 2 — data response
1 hour 45 minutes
40%
30%
Paper 3 — policy paper
1 hour 45 minutes
Not sat at SL
30%
Internal assessment — portfolio of three commentaries
20 teaching hours
30%
20%
That is 3 hours of exams at SL and 4 hours 45 minutes at HL. The IB describes every paper as “based on all units of the syllabus”.
Not stated here: calculator rules, mark totals, the commentary word limit and exam dates. The subject briefs do not give them, so they are left out. Your child’s school has the full subject guide.
Papers, durations, weightings and the portfolio description are from the assessment tables in the IB’s Economics subject briefs for standard level and higher level. Checked on 11 October 2026 against the most recent archived copy of the IB’s published brief; confirm the current version with your school. Cognivia Tutoring is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IB.
Where the course asks the most
The IB publishes sample questions in its subject briefs. The points below come from those and from the tables above; they are not statistics about students.
Paper 1 wants real examples. A sample question reads: “Using real-world examples, evaluate the effectiveness of monetary policy to achieve low unemployment.” Theory alone does not answer that.
Paper 2 wants diagrams used, not just drawn. A sample question begins “Using an exchange rate diagram, explain how…”. Producing and using diagrams is one of the IB’s assessment objectives.
Paper 3 is a different kind of task. The HL sample asks students to use the data provided to “recommend a policy that could be introduced by the government of Country X”. At 30%, it weighs as much as Paper 2.
No paper can be revised for by unit. Because each is based on all units, a weak unit can surface in any of them.
The commentaries matter more at SL. The portfolio is 30% of the SL grade, as much as Paper 1, and 20% at HL.
With one student in the lesson, the hour can go to whichever paper is the problem.
Help with the internal assessment commentaries
The economics internal assessment is a portfolio of three commentaries on published news extracts. The help available is the coursework feedback service: written comments on a draft the student has written, returned within 5 days.
Up to 750 words — £50, written comments only.
Up to 1,500 words — £100, including a 30-minute call.
Up to 3,000 words — £200, including a 30-minute call.
Guidance only: Archie never writes any part of the work. The student remains responsible for their own work and for the IB’s rules on academic integrity.
Lessons are with Archie Dyer, the founder of Cognivia Tutoring and its only tutor. He took Economics at Higher Level in the IB and scored a 7.
43 out of 45 in the IB, with 7s in HL Maths, Physics and Economics.
10 A*s at IGCSE.
Second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL (University College London), after a First in his first year.
Tutoring for over two years, in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics.
Enhanced DBS checked. Based in Marylebone, London.
His degree is in physics, not economics, and this page does not pretend otherwise. What he brings is having taken IB Economics at HL himself and over two years of tutoring one student at a time.
What he will not do is promise a grade. The IB is marked by the IB, and no tutor sits in that room.
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
IB Economics tutoring 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
SL and HL are the same price. 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, IB 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. SL and HL are the same price, and the 30-minute online trial is free with no card needed.
HL students sit a third exam, Paper 3, a policy paper worth 30% of the HL grade, and have HL extension topics, including three extra microeconomics subtopics on market failure and equity. SL has two papers worth 70% in total, with the internal assessment worth 30%. At HL the three papers are worth 80% and the internal assessment 20%.
Paper 3 is sat only at Higher Level. The IB describes it as a “policy paper based on all units of the syllabus”. It lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and is worth 30% of the final HL grade, the same weighting as Paper 2.
Yes, as written feedback on the student’s own draft. Detailed written comments are returned within 5 days: £50 up to 750 words (written comments only), £100 up to 1,500 words and £200 up to 3,000 words, both of which include a 30-minute call. It is guidance only: Archie never writes any part of the work. See the coursework feedback page.
Yes. Archie Dyer took Economics at Higher Level in the IB and scored a 7, as part of a total of 43 out of 45. He is now a second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL and has been tutoring for over two years.
Yes. Online lessons run on Google Meet and the booking calendar shows times in your own time zone. In-person lessons are also available around Marylebone, London, for £10 more.
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
Nothing is charged for the 30-minute online trial and no card is needed, so that is the usual place to start.
