Which H2 Economics topics keep coming back? What every A-Level paper since 2011 shows
By StudySzn · · 4 min read
The short answer: a few topics come back often, but no handful of topics gives you a safe choice of essays. In the micro section the most frequent were market structures (8 of 15 years), elasticity (7 of 15 years) and demand & supply (7 of 15 years), and in the macro section economic growth (10 of 15 years), fiscal policy (9 of 15 years) and bop & exchange rates (6 of 15 years). Even so, revising only the top 8 topics would have given you a full choice of three essays in just 3 of 15 years. You need about a dozen.
That is because H2 Economics is not a paper where every question is compulsory. You answer both case studies, but for the essays you choose 3 of 6, so the useful question isn’t “which topic carries the most marks?”. It’s “which topics keep coming back, and how many do I need to revise so I always have a choice?”. We went through every case study and essay in the 2011–2025 A-Level papers (all 15 years), checked each one against the original paper, and filed every part of every question under the topic it tests.
How the paper works
Paper 1 is two case studies, both compulsory, 30 marks each. Paper 2 is six essays of 25 marks each. Essays 1 to 3 are micro and essays 4 to 6 are macro, and you answer 3: either 2 micro and 1 macro, or 1 micro and 2 macro. So you always need at least one topic you can write on in each section.
The essays: what keeps coming back
In the micro section, the topics that came up most often were market structures (8 of 15 years), elasticity (7 of 15 years) and demand & supply (7 of 15 years). In the macro section they were economic growth (10 of 15 years), fiscal policy (9 of 15 years) and bop & exchange rates (6 of 15 years). Even the most frequent topic missed several years, so no single topic is a safe bet.
Why you can’t just revise the top few
We tested it. For each past year, we asked: if you had only revised the most frequent topics, could you have found 3 essays that fit the 2 + 1 rule, where you know the topic of both parts? With the top 8 topics, you would have had a full choice in only 3 of 15 years. With the top 10 it was 8, and with the top 12 it was 11. Breadth beats depth here. Use the planner below to see where your own revision stands.
The case studies: the last two parts decide it
Every one of the 30 case studies ends with an 8-mark question and a 10-mark question, which together are 60% of the marks. Case Study 1 leaned micro in 11 of 15 years, and Case Study 2 leaned macro in 14 of 15. The topics that landed most often in those last two parts were economic growth (8), negative externalities (6), protectionism (5) and supply-side policies (4). Most case studies (20 of 30) also open with a data question that asks you to compare, describe or calculate from a table or figure. These are quick marks if you practise them.
Try it yourself
Read the real essay questions by topic or by year and practise any of them, look at how the case studies are built, and tick the topics you have revised to check how many years you would have had a choice. Your choices stay in the page link, so you can send your view to a friend.
Start here: what the past papers tell you
How the paper works
Paper 1: two case studies. You answer both.
Paper 2: six essays, 25 marks each. You answer 3: 2 micro and 1 macro, or 1 micro and 2 macro.
Revise more than the top few
Even the most common topic missed several years. If you had revised only the 8 most common topics, you would have had enough essays to choose from in just 3 of 15 years. With 12 topics it was 11.
The topics that keep coming back
Micro essays
- Market structures8 of 15 years
- Elasticity7 of 15 years
- Demand & supply7 of 15 years
Macro essays
- Economic growth10 of 15 years
- Fiscal policy9 of 15 years
- Balance of payments and exchange rates6 of 15 years
In the case studies, the last two questions decide it
The 8-mark and 10-mark questions at the end are 60% of the marks, every year. Case Study 1 is usually micro, and Case Study 2 usually macro.
Read the real essay questions
Every essay from the past papers, each with a button to practise it. Browse the way that suits you.
Micro essays: from the topic that comes up most to the one that comes up least. Tap a topic to read the real questions that tested it.
Check your revision
Tick the topics you have revised. We then look back at every past year and tell you whether you would have had enough essays you could answer to pick your 3.
- 1. Tick the topics you have revised. The small number is how many years it came up in an essay.
- 2. A year counts as “enough” if you could answer 2 micro + 1 macro, or 1 micro + 2 macro, knowing the topic of both parts of each essay.
Micro topics
Macro topics
With no topics ticked, you would have had enough essays to choose from in
0 of 15 years
- 2011Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2012Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2013Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2014Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2015Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2016Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2017Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2018Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2019Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2020Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2021Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2022Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2023Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2024Nonemicro 0macro 0
- 2025Nonemicro 0macro 0
Revise this next
Why you can’t just revise the top few
If you had only revised the most common topics, in how many years would you have had enough essays to choose from?
- Top 6 topics2 of 15 years
- Top 8 topics3 of 15 years
- Top 10 topics8 of 15 years
- Top 12 topics11 of 15 years
- Top 15 topics13 of 15 years
How to use this when you revise
- Start with the topics marked “very common” or “common” in each section. They are the ones that came up in at least a third of the years.
- Then keep going. Add topics in the planner until you could have had a full choice in most years. That takes around a dozen topics, not three.
- Revise both parts. An essay’s (a) and (b) often test different topics, and you need both to finish the essay.
- Treat the last two case-study parts as essays. They are 60% of the marks, so practise the 8 and 10-mark questions on the topics above.
- Then practise. Pick a topic and do real questions from it in the StudySzn question bank.
How we counted
Each part of a question goes to the topic its own wording tests, so a question that mixes topics is split part by part. “Micro” and “macro” follow the paper’s sections (essays 1 to 3 and 4 to 6). A topic counts as appearing in a year if any essay in that section tested it. For the planner, an essay counts as answerable only if you know the topic of both its parts. This covers past papers only, so it’s a guide to the exam, not a prediction of next year’s.
Put the guide into practice
Download a free weekly revision planner. Pick a topic, attempt a timed question, record your mistakes, and schedule a second attempt. Our guides, planner and heat maps are free to use without an account.
Download the revision planner (CSV)Open in Excel or Google Sheets. Use one row per study session.
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