CCEA AS-Level · Analysis & Prediction

2025 CCEA AS-Level Economics 4410 Past Paper: Analysis & Answers

The CCEA AS Level Economics Unit AS 1 (Markets and Market Failure) is an 80-mark, 90-minute examination structured into three distinct sections: short-answer and data calculations (Section A, 25 marks), a case study on NHS healthcare provision (Section B, 35 marks), and an extended evaluation essay choice (Section C, 20 marks). The paper strikes an even balance between quantitative skills (elasticity calculations, economic rent, index interpretation) and conceptual diagrammatic analysis (tax incidence, PPF shifts, positive consumption externalities).

Updated: 31 Aug 2026

Analysis Sample paper

Difficulty 3.2/5

Total marks

Duration

90 mins

Most tested

Government Intervention and Policy Evaluation in Healthcare and Merit/Demerit Markets

Paper breakdown

AS 1: Markets and Market Failure: 80 marks · 90 mins

Top chapters

Government Intervention in Markets · 26 marksMarket Failures and Imperfections · 24 marksElasticity of Demand and Supply · 8 marksThe Basic Economic Problem of Scarcity and Choice · 6 marks

Overall Verdict & Exam Structure

CCEA AS 1 (Markets and Market Failure) provides a balanced and rigorous assessment of microeconomic principles. The examination is divided into three sections: Section A (25 marks) tests fundamental concepts, quantitative skills, and diagrammatic analysis; Section B (35 marks) tests data comprehension, PPF dynamics, merit goods, and policy evaluation via a case study on the NHS; and Section C (20 marks) provides an essay choice between government prohibition of disposable vapes and income/wealth inequality.

Where the Marks Are Won

A substantial 35% of the total paper is concentrated in Section B, where high-scoring candidates demonstrate precision in microeconomic diagrams—specifically shifting the PPF inward due to resource constraints and illustrating the underconsumption of merit goods where \( \text{MSB} > \text{MPB} \). Furthermore, quantitative marks in Section A (economic rent calculation \( \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height} \) and elasticity adjustments) offer straightforward points for mathematically confident students.

Examiner Pitfalls & Common Mistakes

Tax Incidence Diagrams: Candidates often fail to clearly delineate consumer burden versus producer burden when demand is relatively elastic (\( |\text{PED}| > 1 \)).
Merit Goods vs Public Goods: Confusing merit goods (excludable and rivalrous with positive externalities) with pure public goods (non-excludable and non-rivalrous) is a persistent error.
Data Analysis without Manipulation: In 5-mark comparison questions, quoting raw numbers without calculating percentage differences or proportions limits marks to Level 1.

Exam Strategy & Prediction

Time allocation is vital: allocate ~25 minutes to Section A, ~40 minutes to Section B, and ~25 minutes to Section C. Ensure all diagrams are fully labelled with equilibria (\( P_1, Q_1 \)), shifts clearly arrowed, and deadweight loss or surplus areas shaded where applicable. Future series are highly likely to test government intervention remedies such as minimum pricing, tradable permits, and labour market minimum wage dynamics.

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Charts

Marks by chapter

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Question type mix

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Short Answer & Distinction12 marks · 3 questions
Quantitative & Calculation7 marks · 3 questions
Data Interpretation5 marks · 1 questions
Diagrammatic Analysis21 marks · 3 questions
Extended Evaluation / Essay35 marks · 2 questions

Mark accessibility

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75%within easy or medium reach

easy: 22 marksmedium: 38 markshard: 20 marks

Difficulty trend

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Command word frequency

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Skill weighting

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Study ROI

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Positive & Negative Externalities Diagrams

15 marks · Difficulty 2.8 · recurrence 95%

Indirect Taxation & Elasticity Burden Analysis

10 marks · Difficulty 2.5 · recurrence 90%

Elasticity Calculations (PED, YED, XED)

8 marks · Difficulty 2 · recurrence 85%

PPF Diagrams & Factor Immobility

6 marks · Difficulty 2.2 · recurrence 80%

Economic Rent & Transfer Earnings

3 marks · Difficulty 3.4 · recurrence 60%

Time vs marks

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marksmins

Next-year prediction

Topics worth watching next year, with the reason shown directly below each bar.

Minimum and Maximum Price Controls88%

Price controls were omitted from Section A and B in this series, making diagrammatic questions on binding price ceilings or price floors highly probable.

Negative Externalities in Production and Tradable Permits82%

Merit goods and consumption externalities featured heavily; production externalities with market-based solutions (carbon pricing/permits) are primed to rotate in.

Public Goods and Free-Rider Problem75%

Public good market failure is a core AS 1 syllabus anchor and frequently appears either as a distinction question in Section A or an essay option in Section C.

Cumulative marks ladder

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Topic-year heatmap

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Jun 2023

Jun 2024

Jun 2025

Government Intervention in Markets

Supply-Side Policies

Market Failures and Imperfections

Macroeconomic Objectives

Unemployment

Key Economic Concepts

Elasticity of Demand and Supply

Macroeconomic Equilibrium

Economic Growth

Exchange Rates

Examiner insights

Official report

Common pitfalls

Failing to state definitions before performing elasticity and economic rent calculations.
Treating data in Section B purely descriptively without calculating percentage differences, relative shares, or ratios.
Drawing generic market failure diagrams without contextual labels (e.g., failing to label MPB, MSB, FME, and SOE explicitly).
One-sided policy evaluation in 15-mark and 20-mark questions lacking clear opposing trade-offs, unintended consequences, or implementation constraints.

Misconceptions

Confusing normal goods (positive YED) with luxury goods (YED greater than 1), assuming any normal good must be a necessity.
Believing an indirect tax burden always splits 50/50, neglecting relative price elasticity of demand and supply.
Conflating a movement along a PPF with an inward shift of the PPF boundary caused by resource degradation.

Where marks are lost

Omitting the negative sign or direction in elasticity calculation results (e.g., writing 7.6% instead of -7.6% or a 7.6% fall).
Incomplete labelling of economic rent triangles (area above labour supply curve and below equilibrium wage rate).
Superficial final judgements in Section C essays that merely summarise earlier points rather than weighing up relative policy effectiveness.

Estimated grade boundary

Updated: 31 Aug 2026

Source: CCEA

Grade	Mark	Percentage
A	—	80%
B	—	70%
C	—	60%
D	—	50%
E	—	40%

Official grade boundaries published by CCEA.

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