HKDSE Economics study guide
HKDSE Economics · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) is the public examination taken by senior secondary students in Hong Kong. Economics is one of the Category A Senior Secondary elective subjects listed by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, alongside subjects such as Business, Accounting and Financial Studies, Geography and History. Category A subjects consist of four core subjects - Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Citizenship and Social Development - plus various elective subjects, so Economics is normally taken alongside the cores rather than instead of them. Results are reported under Standards-referenced Reporting (SRR). Except for Citizenship and Social Development, performance is reported in five levels, with level 5 highest; the best-performing level 5 candidates receive 5 and the next top group receive 5 , while attainment below level 1 is 'Unclassified'. Because the published subject-information pages do not set out the Economics paper structure, question counts, duration or domain weightings, candidates should confirm those details in the Economics assessment framework before planning revision. Topics on this exam: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. The HKDSE Economics study guide has 2 sections and about 912 words.
01Microeconomics
Microeconomics is the HKDSE Economics domain that examines how consumers and producers allocate scarce resources. Paper 1 multiple-choice and Paper 2 short/data-response questions test definitions, curve shifts, elasticity calculations, tax incidence, cost curves and market structures; essay questions may require evaluation of government intervention. Scarcity forces choice. Opportunity cost is the value of the highest-valued alternative forgone, including non-money costs; sunk costs are not opportunity costs.
443 words, about 2 min02Macroeconomics
Macroeconomics in HKDSE Economics studies economy-wide outcomes: national income, unemployment, inflation, money and banking, fiscal and monetary policy, the balance of payments and exchange rates. Paper 1 tests definitions and calculations; Paper 2 data-response questions require policy transmission and evaluation. GDP by expenditure = C + I + G + X − M. Include final goods only; exclude intermediate goods, transfer payments, second-hand assets and pure financial transactions.
469 words, about 2 minMore study resources for HKDSE Economics
- Practice questionsA bakery can produce 200 loaves a day using 5 workers.
- FlashcardsOpportunity cost. The value of the next best alternative forgone when a choice is made.
- Cheat sheetOpportunity cost of a choice = value of the next best alternative forgone; it exists even when no money is paid, and sunk costs are excluded from it.
- Key termsOpportunity cost. The value of the next best alternative given up when a choice is made.
- Study planBuild a one-page formula and definition sheet covering scarcity, opportunity cost, the three basic economic questions, and the production possibility curve.
- Common mistakesThe candidate draws the shift but then traces a horizontal or vertical line from the old equilibrium to the new supply curve, confusing the movement along a curve with the shift of a curve.
- Exam-day guidePrint or download the admission document issued by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) and check that your name, candidate number, and registered papers are correct.