Skip to content
EconToMarks

Study

Build better answers from real economics

Find an example, see the chain behind it, test the evaluation, and use the evidence where it earns marks.

Example finder

Start with the question you need to answer

8 examples in this view

Clear
21 August 2026 · United KingdomReal exampleDeep Dive15-marker25-marker

UK public borrowing was £1.8bn in July 2026

UK public sector net borrowing was £1.8bn in July 2026 and net debt stood at £2,984.9bn, or 94.1% of GDP. The example is useful for separating the borrowing flow from the debt stock and evaluating fiscal policy rather than treating all borrowing as automatically harmful.

Chain

Government borrowing finances spending beyond current revenue → fiscal policy can support AD in the short run → debt stock and debt-interest obligations may rise → future fiscal space can narrow

Evaluation

Borrowing is a flow and debt is a stock; whether higher borrowing is harmful depends on the economic cycle, what the borrowing finances, interest costs and the effect on future growth.

Diagram

AD/AS diagram showing the demand effect of expansionary or contractionary fiscal policy

11 August 2026 · GlobalReal exampleDeep Dive15-marker25-marker

EIA expects Brent oil to ease from about $85 as supply recovers

The EIA expected Brent crude to average about $85 a barrel in Q3 2026 before easing to around $69 in 2027 as inventories rebuild. This gives students a specific, current supply-shock example rather than a generic statement that oil prices are volatile.

Chain

Higher oil prices → higher transport and production costs → SRAS shifts left → price level rises and real output falls; falling oil prices can reverse part of this pressure

Evaluation

Oil-price effects differ between importing and exporting economies and depend on how persistent the price move is, how energy-intensive production is and whether firms pass costs on to consumers.

Diagram

AD/AS diagram showing an oil-price shock changing short-run aggregate supply

13 August 2026 · United KingdomReal exampleDeep Dive15-marker25-marker

UK output per hour rose 0.7% year on year in Q2 2026

ONS’s preferred RTI-based estimate showed UK output per hour 0.7% higher in Q2 2026 than a year earlier and output per worker 1.4% higher. The alternative LFS-based estimate was weaker, making measurement uncertainty a ready-made evaluation point.

Chain

Higher productivity → more output per unit of labour → lower unit costs and higher productive capacity → LRAS can increase → stronger non-inflationary growth and scope for higher real wages

Evaluation

Early productivity estimates are uncertain and revised; a single quarter does not establish a lasting trend, and the ONS preferred administrative-data measure currently differs from the Labour Force Survey estimate.

Diagram

LRAS diagram showing higher productive capacity

18 August 2026 · United KingdomReal exampleDeep Dive15-marker25-marker

UK unemployment was 4.9% in April–June 2026

The UK unemployment rate was 4.9% in April–June 2026, with employment at 75.1% and economic inactivity at 20.9%. The release is useful because it connects labour-market conditions to household income, aggregate demand and inflation.

Chain

Higher labour-market slack → weaker wage bargaining and household income growth → consumption pressure eases → AD may weaken and inflation pressure may fall

Evaluation

Unemployment data should not be read alone: inactivity, payrolls, vacancies, wage growth and survey-quality issues can change the interpretation of labour-market slack.

Diagram

Labour market diagram or AD/AS diagram linking weaker employment to household income and demand

26 August 2026 · United StatesReal exampleDeep Dive15-marker25-marker

U.S. GDP growth slows to 1.5% annualised in Q2 2026

U.S. real GDP grew at a 1.5% annualised rate in Q2 2026, down from 2.1% in Q1. Yet private domestic final sales grew 4.2%, making this a strong example of why students should look beyond the headline GDP number.

Chain

Slower GDP growth → weaker contribution from parts of AD → slower increase in real output, although strong private domestic demand can mean the headline GDP figure understates underlying demand

Evaluation

Headline GDP should be read alongside private domestic final sales, imports and price data: the 1.5% rate signalled slower output growth, but 4.2% growth in private domestic final sales pointed to stronger underlying demand.

Diagram

AD/AS diagram showing slower aggregate-demand growth

19 August 2026 · United KingdomReal exampleDeep Dive15-marker25-marker

UK CPI inflation rises to 2.9% in July 2026

UK CPI inflation rose to 2.9% in the 12 months to July 2026 from 2.6% in June, while CPIH rose to 3.1%. The release is useful for analysing real incomes, the Bank of England’s policy trade-off and the distinction between headline and underlying inflation.

Chain

Higher inflation → faster rise in the price level → lower real purchasing power and greater pressure on monetary policy → consumption, investment and aggregate demand may weaken

Evaluation

The economic effect depends on the source and persistence of inflation: a temporary supply shock has different implications from broad, demand-driven inflation, while wages and expectations determine the effect on real incomes.

Diagram

AD/AS diagram chosen according to whether inflation pressure is demand-pull or cost-push

30 July 2026 · United KingdomReal exampleDeep Dive15-marker25-marker

Bank of England holds Bank Rate at 3.75%

The Bank of England kept Bank Rate at 3.75% in July 2026. Three MPC members preferred an increase to 4.0%, showing how policymakers were balancing persistent inflation risks against signs of weaker demand.

Chain

Higher or unchanged restrictive interest rates → borrowing remains expensive and saving relatively attractive → consumption and investment weaken → AD growth slows → inflation pressure may ease

Evaluation

Monetary policy is less powerful when households and firms are insensitive to rates, and its effects arrive with long lags; the appropriate stance also depends on whether inflation is demand-driven or supply-driven.

Diagram

AD/AS diagram showing restrictive interest rates limiting aggregate demand

Updated July 2026 · China / GlobalReal exampleDeep Dive25-markerTrade

China’s growth slows and weakens global demand

China’s real GDP grew 4.3% year on year in Q2 2026, down from 5.0% in Q1. First-half growth was 4.7%. The example shows how slower activity in a major economy can transmit to other countries through trade and aggregate demand.

Chain

Slower Chinese growth → weaker import demand from China → lower exports for exposed trading partners → net exports fall → AD falls → real GDP growth may slow

Evaluation

The effect is strongest for economies and sectors highly exposed to Chinese demand; diversified export markets, exchange-rate movements and stronger domestic demand can offset part of the shock.

Diagram

AD/AS diagram showing weaker export demand reducing aggregate demand

Practice

Apply the evidence yourself

Use a real example to practise the chain, evaluation and judgement instead of memorising a model essay.

15-marker

Evaluate the likely effects of a sustained rise in world oil prices on an oil-importing economy.

Review the Deep Dive →

15-marker

Evaluate the view that higher labour productivity is the most important cause of long-run economic growth.

Review the Deep Dive →

15-marker

Evaluate the view that a rise in unemployment will significantly reduce inflation in the UK.

Review the Deep Dive →

15-marker

Evaluate the view that a slowdown in GDP growth necessarily shows that aggregate demand is weak.

Review the Deep Dive →

15-marker

Evaluate the view that a rise in inflation will necessarily reduce economic growth in the UK.

Review the Deep Dive →

15-marker

Evaluate the effectiveness of higher interest rates as a policy for reducing inflation in the UK.

Review the Deep Dive →

25-marker

Evaluate the view that slower economic growth in China will significantly reduce economic growth in its major trading partners.

Review the Deep Dive →