Aims & Objectives

Course Aims

Individuals and Societies Aims

The aims of all subjects in individuals and societies are to:

• encourage the systematic and critical study of: human experience and behaviour; physical, economic and social environments; the history and development of social and cultural institutions

• develop in the student the capacity to identify, analyse critically and evaluate theories, concepts and arguments about the nature and activities of the individual and society

• enable the student to collect, describe and analyse data used in studies of society, and to test hypotheses and interpret complex data and source material

• promote the appreciation of the way in which learning is relevant to both the culture in which the student lives and the culture of other societies

• develop an awareness in the student that human attitudes and opinions are widely diverse and that a study of society requires an appreciation of such diversity

• enable the student to recognize that the content and methodologies of the individuals and societies group are contestable and that their study requires the tolerance of uncertainty.

Economics aims

The aims of the economics course at SL and HL are to enable students to:

• develop a critical understanding of a range of economic theories, models, ideas and tools in the areas of microeconomics, macroeconomics and the global economy

• apply economic theories, models, ideas and tools and analyse economic data to understand and engage with real-world economic issues and problems facing individuals and societies

• develop a conceptual understanding of individuals’ and societies’ economic choices, interactions, challenges and consequences of economic decision-making.

Assessment Objectives

1. Knowledge and understanding (AO1)

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of specified content

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the common SL/HL syllabus

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of current economic issues and data

• HL only: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the extension topics


2. Application and analysis (AO2)

• Apply economic concepts and theories to real-world situations

• Identify and interpret economic data


• Analyse how economic information is used effectively in particular contexts

• In the internal assessment task: explain the link between key economic concepts and economic commentaries

• HL only: demonstrate application and analysis of the extension topics


3. Synthesis and evaluation (AO3)

• Examine economic concepts and theories


• Use economic concepts and examples to construct and present an argument

• Discuss and evaluate economic information and theories


• HL only: demonstrate economic synthesis and evaluation of the extension topics


• HL only: select and use economic data using economic theory to make policy recommendations.


4. Use and application of appropriate skills (AO4)

• Produce well-structured written material, using appropriate economic theory, concepts and terminology

• Produce and use diagrams to help explain economic theory, concepts and real-world issues

• Select, interpret and analyse appropriate extracts from the news media

• Interpret appropriate data sets


• Use quantitative techniques to identify, explain and analyse economic relationships