Communication and Economic Reasoning: Making the Case Readable
Structure that scores
Communication and Economic Reasoning rewards answers that are organised, precise and logically sequenced. Use a short plan: define the key term, state your reasoning, apply it to the scenario, and conclude. Paragraphs should each carry one idea, opened by a topic sentence. Use connectives that signal logic - 'therefore', 'however', 'this implies', 'in contrast' - so the marker can follow your chain of thought without effort.
Precision of language
Use economic terminology accurately: 'an increase in demand' not 'more demand'; 'the quantity supplied' not 'the amount producers want'; 'a depreciation of the currency' not 'the dollar goes down'. Avoid hedging that hides meaning. Quantify where data is supplied: 'a rise of 2.5 percentage points' is stronger than 'a big rise'. Label any diagram fully - axes, curves, equilibrium points, and the direction of shift - and refer to it in the text.
Traps
Common failures include writing a narrative rather than an argument, contradicting an earlier sentence, using 'price' and 'inflation' interchangeably, and drawing a diagram that is never mentioned. Another trap is answering the question asked in a previous practice paper rather than the one on the page - always re-read the directive verb ('explain', 'analyse', 'evaluate') and match the depth of your response to it.
Rule of thumb
For any extended response, use the four-sentence spine: (1) claim, (2) mechanism, (3) evidence or scenario application, (4) qualification. This produces a paragraph that demonstrates knowledge, applies it, evaluates it and reads cleanly - the four domains in miniature.