Economic Writing

Half yearly exam feedback

These slides are available on your moodle – print them off!

General Feedback

• In section I and II as a group you all did very well, achieving band 4-6 grades

• You are managing the short answer and multiple choice questions well

• However section III was not as impressive, with many of you falling amongst band 3 grades

• As this is a large part of the exam it has negatively effected your overall grade

• So the next two lessons we will be focusing on Economic Writing

Paragraphs

• Most of you managed to write a well structured short answer paragraph but in the extended response you seem to have lost the appropriate structure

• A paragraph is one idea and concept, each sentence adding detail and supporting the first sentence

• Think hamburger

Think Hamburger

Topic sentence introducing what this paragraph will cover

Details explaining/supporting the TS. Include a sentence that substantiates the TS claim

Final statement summing up the paragraph and restating the topic sentence

• Let us answer this question using the hamburger graphic organiser

Explain why the government intervenes into the economy and provides public goods

Explain why the government intervenes into the economy and provides public goods

• Let us now translate the diagram with the additions of text into a flowing paragraph

Model Answer“The Australian government intervenes regularly into the economy

by providing collective goods and services. A collective good or services are demanded by the community as a whole and cannot be met by private business. Private business may not meet this need as it is prohibitively expensive with little return. Alternatively the government may not be willing to allow private business to provide these goods as they form natural monopolies and business may exploit this. It is therefore desirable for the government to provide collective goods and services”.

Explain why the government intervenes into the economy and provides collective goods and services

Guided practice

• Explain why the government intervenes into the economy and provides public goods

TS: government intervening to provide public goodsD1: define public good; non excludable, non rivalD2: examples – light house, street lightsD3: free ridding – therefore private business won’t

provideCon: only the government can provide public goods

Independent practice

• Explain why the government intervenes into the economy and provides merit goods

Paragraphs

• Remember a paragraph is one idea

• Each body sentence supports the one idea

• The final sentence sums up the paragraph restating the main idea

Answering the Question

• A common problem in the responses given in section III was the fact that the question wasn’t answered appropriately

• Instead of evaluating students described• Instead of explaining students outlined• The directive verb is vitally important – revise the

directive term list I have given you!• Let us look at a few questions from the exam

Common verbs in action

Q: Justify government involvement in the economy

This broad section III style question requires you to provide reasons to support the government involvement in the economy.

To do this you will need to have a series of reasons, statistics, facts and explanation as to why the government needs to intervene convincing the reader.

Common verbs in action

Q. Demonstrate how taxation on externalities effect quantity of a goods sold

This question requires you to answer by providing an example.

To do this you could use a diagram and then explain it. You do not always have to write, in fact a simple annotated diagram will answer this question is sufficient detail.

Common verbs in action

Q. Discuss government attempts to control monopoly power in markets

Discuss requires you to...To do this...

Common verbs in action

Q. Contrast between merit and public and explain why the government is the main provider of these goods in the economy?

Contrast requires you...To do this...

Explain requires you...To do this...

Verbs

• It is vital that you become familiar with all the common verbs used in this course

• This will ensure that you will answer the questions appropriately

• Ensuring success

Economics Extended Response writing

• It became apparent that many of you do not structure and plan your essays well

• A good essay plan ensures that you answer the question correctly, satisfying the directive verbs and makes it easier for markers to mark

• You should take a few minutes to plan your essays in exams

Note take these points

Simple essay structure

• An essay consists of an introduction– Introduces the topic, defines key terms, tells the reader

broadly what it will cover• Body paragraphs– Support the introduction by elaborating on key points

• Conclusion– Concludes the essay, sums up the text and provides

closure

Generally utilises a passive tone

Account, analyse, apply, describe, examine, explain, outline, indentify, recount, summarise, synthesise

Note take these points

Describe the nature of government intervention into the Economy

Intro: governments intervene into the economy for a variety of reasons. They include (list)... This intervention is to ensure the stability of the economy and the well being of citizens.

Body: each reason explored and linked back to either ensuring stability of economy or well being of citizens

Concl: the government regularly intervenes into the economy, in the following of ways... In order to ensure stability and the well being of citizens.

Complete this for homework

Persuasive essay structure

• This text type is similar to the simple essay however has the following differences

• Introduction– Introduces the arguments key points

• Body– Key points of arguments elaborated and supported by evidence

• Conclusion– Summarises arguments, with an appeal to reason supporting this

position

Utilises an adversarial argumentative tone, the essay should be structured so that your position reflects the only logical outcome

Analyse, evaluate, justify

Note take these points

Justify the involvement of government in the economy, internalising spill over costs

Intro: many economic activities pass costs onto others, these are called spill over costs or externalities. It is morally justifiable for the government to levy taxes on these businesses to cover these costs. These taxes are justifiable as they...

Body: give example of externality, its effect on others, response by government as just

Body: promote notions of corporate citizenship, image of business

Body: encourages business to pursue changeConclusion: restate argument, government involvement as only

option

Complete this for homework

Complex essay structure

• Introduction– Introduces both sides of the debate/summarises

similarities and differences• Body– If possible should weave between debates/similarities

and differences forming a tapestry. • Conclusion– Restate the debate/key similarities and differences

Utilises passive tone

Discuss, compare, contrast.

Compare and contrast/discuss• Introduction: introduces broad similarities and

differences/sides of debate• Body:

– B1 – a similarity/side A debate point 1– B2 – a difference/ side B debate point 1– B3 – a similarity/side A debate point 2– B4 – a difference/side B debate point 2

• Conclusion:– Sums up the similarities and differences/sides of debate

Utilises passive tone

Note take these points

Essay Writing Generally

• It is vital that you substantiate all your claims – all key points in your essays with facts or examples!

• So in your paragraphs, you need to include a claim and then a fact or example supporting it

Note take these points

Language Features

• As mentioned; there are broadly three approaches to writing economics essays utilising two different ‘tones’

• Complex essays and simple essays use a neutral tone, very bland factual language

• Persuasive essays use an argumentative tone, language designed to support a point and appeal to reason.

Tone

Persuasive• Clearly• Obviously• Therefore • Visibly• Without a doubt• Logically• Statistics reinforce• Example/statistics supports Utilises persuasive adverbs

Passive• Firstly/secondly/thirdly• Therefore• Evidence suggests• Subsequently• As a result• Etc

Rarely uses persuasive adverbs, utilises positional adverbs

Note take these points – Use in essay

Conjunctions

• Conjunctions are important in essay writing as they give paragraphs a sense of ‘flow’ by joining two phrases; use common conjunctions (and, but, so, because etc) in essay writing

• Consider; today I went to the park. It was fun. versus today I went to the park and it was fun.

Note take these points

Conjunctive Adverbs

• Conjunctive adverbs work like conjunctions in the sense they give flow but they are not as strong, requiring punctuation between the first phrase and the second – a comma, semi-colon or a period. Often you can use them to start paragraphs, providing a link to the previous

• They show cause and effect, relationship, contrast, comparison, and sequence

• Use them in essay writing!

Conjunctive Adverbs• accordingly• additionally• anyway• again• as a result• besides• certainly• comparatively• consequently• contrarily• conversely• finally• further

• furthermore• elsewhere• equally• hence• henceforth• however• just as• identically• in addition• in comparison• in contrast• in fact• incidentally

• indeed• instead• likewise• meanwhile• moreover• namely• nevertheless• next• nonetheless• notably• now• otherwise• rather

• similarly• so• subsequently• still• that is• then• thereafter• therefore• thus• undoubtedly• uniquely• yet

Note take these points

Homework TaskYou will be required to write 2 short essays by next week utilising

the skills covered. Spend an hour on each. We will use your essays, and improve upon them.

1. Describe the nature of government intervention into the Economy– Focus on structure, and the use of conjunctive adverbs – especially

those that sequence . Substantiate all claims2. Justify the involvement of government in the economy,

internalising spill over costs– Focus again on structure, and the use of tone – I want you to

convince be so use adjectives appropriately. Substantiate all claims

Finally...

• The final thing I wish to show you is how to use graphs in answering questions easily from your exam.

Demonstrate how taxation on externalities effect quantity of a goods sold

Graphs

Social Cost of Activity

Quantity

DemandMarginal CostMarginal Social Cost

Price

Externality Addressed

Quantity

DemandMarginal Cost + In-tervention

Price

Graphs continued

• Using the two graphs you can explain how government intervention rectifies in theory the externality produced by an enterprise.

• And then discuss that in fact the higher cost will effect the quantity of goods sold.

• Think the proposed ETS

Homework TaskYou will be required to write 2 short essays by next week utilising

the skills covered. Spend an hour on each. We will use your essays, and improve upon them.

1. Describe the nature of government intervention into the Economy– Focus on structure, and the use of conjunctive adverbs – especially

those that sequence . Substantiate all claims2. Justify the involvement of government in the economy,

internalising spill over costs– Focus again on structure, and the use of tone – I want you to

convince me so use as many persuasive adverbs as appropriate. Substantiate all claims

Note homework