Repo rate 5.50% — RBI hikes 25 bp, stance calibrated tightening (Oct 2026) India CPI 6.09% (Oct 2026, 2024=100 series) — above the RBI's 6% upper limit ₹/USD ≈ ₹93.8 per US dollar (12 Nov 2026) Brent crude ≈ $95/bbl (13 Nov 2026) — Gulf supply risk Repo rate 5.50% — RBI hikes 25 bp, stance calibrated tightening (Oct 2026) India CPI 6.09% (Oct 2026, 2024=100 series) — above the RBI's 6% upper limit ₹/USD ≈ ₹93.8 per US dollar (12 Nov 2026) Brent crude ≈ $95/bbl (13 Nov 2026) — Gulf supply risk
IB Diploma Programme · Economics HL & SL · 2026–27

Understanding the world
starts with Economics.

Your complete resource hub — curriculum notes, real-world news, IA guidance, exam prep, and direct links to the sources that matter. Aligned to the current IB Economics guide (first assessment 2024).

🗓️ Deadlines & Important Dates

Assessment calendar 2026–27

Internal assessment deadlines and class tests, listed separately for each year group. All work is submitted through MS Teams unless I tell you otherwise. Dates are fixed — extensions are only granted through the DP Coordinator.

Year 12

First year of the DP · Microeconomics commentary
Thu 17 Sep 2026

Class Test 1TEST

Paper 1 part (a) style — one 10-mark question. Content covered: everything up to and including market equilibrium. Explanation with a relevant, accurate and correctly labelled diagram.

Tue 13 Oct 2026

Class Test 2TEST

Coming soon — Ms Arora will confirm the format and content.

Thu 26 Nov 2026

Class Test 3TEST

Coming soon — Ms Arora will confirm the format and content.

Wed 24 Feb 2027

Microeconomics commentary — first draftIA

Unit 2 article, published no earlier than one year before you write. Maximum 800 words. Name your key concept and include at least one fully explained diagram. This is the only draft I can read and advise on.

Tue 18 May 2027

Microeconomics commentary — finalFINAL

Final version plus the original article, uploaded to MS Teams. This becomes Commentary 1 of your three-commentary portfolio, which you complete in Year 13.

Your remaining two commentaries — macroeconomics and the global economy — fall in Year 13. Plan your key concepts across all three from the start so you do not repeat one.

Year 13

Final year · Portfolio completed and submitted
Mon 14 Sep 2026

Macroeconomics commentary — first draftIA

Unit 3 article. Use a different key concept and a different source from your microeconomics commentary. Evaluation (Criterion E) must run through the analysis, not sit in a final paragraph.

Thu 17 Sep 2026

Class Test 1TEST

Paper 1 part (b) style — evaluating macroeconomic policy: monetary, fiscal and supply-side. Bring current examples; the RBI's August hold and the energy price shock are both fair game.

Wed 23 Sep 2026

Class Test 2TEST

Coming soon — Ms Arora will confirm the format and content.

Mon 5 Oct 2026

Class Test 3TEST

Coming soon — Ms Arora will confirm the format and content.

Tue 3 Nov 2026

Macroeconomics commentary — finalFINAL

Final version plus the original article, uploaded to MS Teams. No further redrafting after this date.

Mon 14 Dec 2026

Global economy (trade) commentary — first draftIA

Unit 4 article. Your third and final key concept, and a third different source. Apply all five commentary criteria (A–E) deliberately as you write.

Wed 10 Feb 2027

Global economy (trade) commentary — finalFINAL

Final version plus the original article, uploaded to MS Teams.

Mon 1 Mar 2027

Complete portfolio — school deadlineFINAL

All three commentaries, the cover sheet and all three original articles, assembled as one submission. This is the school deadline; the coordinator uploads to the IB for external moderation after this.

Check Criterion F before you submit: three different units, three different sources, three different key concepts, each article contemporary at the time of writing.
🌍 Economics in the News

Real-world syllabus connections

Each article links directly to an IB syllabus unit. Use these for IA article sourcing and Paper 1 / Paper 2 examples. Filter by topic.

Macroeconomics · Monetary Policy

RBI raises the repo rate to 5.50% and turns hawkish

The Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously for a 25-basis-point rise in October and, on a 4–2 split, moved its stance to calibrated tightening, citing food and energy prices while lifting its growth forecast to 7.1%. Set beside the August hold, it shows a central bank concluding that a supply shock now threatens second-round effects — draw contractionary monetary policy on AD/AS and weigh the cost to growth.

Unit 3 · Monetary Policy
RBI · 7 Oct 2026 Read article →
Macroeconomics · Growth & Inflation

IMF: the world economy is holding up, but its shock absorbers are wearing thin

The IMF's October outlook keeps 2026 global growth at about 3.1% and puts headline inflation at 4.7%, crediting rerouted energy supplies and an AI investment boom for offsetting the war-driven energy shock. It is a ready-made AD/AS case of an adverse supply shock partly cushioned by rising investment, and its call for tight money alongside fiscal restraint gives a Paper 1 part (b) plenty to evaluate.

Unit 3 · AD/AS & Supply Shocks
IMF Blog · 13 Oct 2026 Read article →
Microeconomics · Government Intervention

Would banning diesel exports bring down US fuel prices?

With US diesel averaging over $6.50 a gallon, a business-school economist weighs a proposed export ban that would push more fuel onto the home market while raising prices for countries that rely on imports. Students can show the domestic supply shift and the world-price effect on supply and demand diagrams, then evaluate why refiners might respond by cutting output instead.

Unit 2 · Price Mechanism & Intervention
The Conversation · 23 Sep 2026 Read article →
Microeconomics · Market Power

Nigeria's giant refinery cut imports — but who now sets the price?

An opinion piece argues that the Dangote refinery has slashed Nigeria's petrol imports yet left the domestic market so concentrated that the savings from local production may never reach motorists. HL students can model it as a dominant firm with price-setting power, then weigh tougher regulation against letting import competition discipline prices.

Unit 2 · Market Power (HL)
Al Jazeera · 22 Sep 2026 Read article →
Global Economy · International Trade

WTO doubles its goods-trade forecast on the strength of AI demand

The October update lifts 2026 merchandise trade growth to 3.9% from 1.9% in March, with chips and servers driving almost half the increase even as Middle East exports fall sharply. A strong winners-and-losers example: trade gains are flowing to economies that make AI hardware while energy exporters lose ground.

Unit 4 · Benefits of Trade
WTO · 8 Oct 2026 Read article →
Global Economy · Exchange Rates

RBI defends the rupee, but forecasters still see it sliding toward 100

After the rupee neared 97 per dollar, the RBI made speculative bets costlier and began supplying dollars directly to state oil companies, spending tens of billions of dollars of reserves along the way. Draw the market for rupees to show how a heavy oil import bill and portfolio outflows push the currency down, then evaluate how long reserve sales can sustain a managed float.

Unit 4 · Exchange Rates
CNBC · 15 Oct 2026 Read article →
Global Economy · Protectionism

White House keeps its tariffs despite a cost-of-living backlash at the polls

After voters punished the governing party over prices in the midterms, the administration said its tariffs will stay, while a former adviser called them a tax on American shoppers and New York Fed research puts the share passed on to consumers at about a quarter. A clean tariff-diagram exercise: mark the lost consumer surplus and the government revenue, then use the pass-through estimate to argue who really pays.

Unit 4 · Trade Protection
CNBC · 10 Nov 2026 Read article →
Development · Poverty

World Bank: the fight against extreme poverty has stalled, and jobs are the way out

About 811 million people still live on under $3 a day, a share barely changed since the pandemic, and the Bank expects the number to be higher in 2030 unless per-capita growth speeds up. Its estimate that better schooling for poor workers could nearly halve extreme poverty lets students weigh human-capital investment against growth-led development strategies.

Unit 4 · Poverty & Development Strategies
World Bank · 26 Oct 2026 Read article →
Labour Markets · Unemployment

Strong US jobs numbers hide a rise in long-term unemployment

October payrolls beat forecasts, yet the average jobless spell stretched to about 27 weeks and the long-term unemployed reached their largest share of all jobless workers since 2021. A good route into hysteresis: explain how skills and contacts fade the longer someone is out of work, and why that can turn cyclical unemployment into something closer to structural.

Unit 3 · Unemployment
CNBC · 6 Nov 2026 Read article →
🧭 The Nine Key Concepts

The conceptual thread through the course

The current guide is built around nine key concepts woven through all four units. In your IA, each commentary must use a different one as a lens to analyse your article.

Tap any concept to see what it means and how it is used.

Six real-world issues frame the units: how consumers & producers make choices; when markets fail and whether intervention helps; why economic activity varies over time; how governments manage the economy; who wins and loses from global integration; and why development is uneven.
📖 IB Syllabus · First Assessment 2024

Curriculum overview

Four units for both SL and HL. HL students cover additional depth — HL-only topics, diagrams and calculations appear in bold in the guide. Recommended teaching time: 150 hours (SL), 240 hours (HL).

UNIT 01

Introduction to Economics

SL 10 hrs · HL 10 hrs
  • What is economics? Scarcity, choice, opportunity cost
  • Factors of production & the basic economic questions
  • Economic systems & the circular flow of income
  • Production possibilities curve (PPC)
  • How economists approach the world: positive vs normative
  • Economic methodology & schools of thought
SLHL
UNIT 02

Microeconomics

SL 35 hrs · HL 70 hrs
  • Demand, supply & competitive market equilibrium
  • Elasticities (PED, YED, PES)
  • Role of government & the price mechanism
  • Market failure — externalities & common pool resources
  • Public goods; asymmetric information (HL); market power (HL)
  • Critique of maximizing behaviour & behavioural economics (HL)
SLHL Extended
Real-world issues: how choices are made · when markets fail and does intervention help?
UNIT 03

Macroeconomics

SL 40 hrs · HL 75 hrs
  • Measuring economic activity (GDP, GNI, real vs nominal)
  • AD/AS model & macroeconomic equilibrium
  • Macroeconomic objectives; the business cycle
  • Economics of inequality and poverty (Lorenz, Gini)
  • Monetary policy & fiscal policy (Keynesian multiplier, HL)
  • Supply-side policies; sustainable government debt (HL)
SLHL Extended
Real-world issues: why activity varies over time · how governments manage the economy?
UNIT 04

The Global Economy

SL 45 hrs · HL 65 hrs
  • Benefits of trade; comparative advantage (HL)
  • Trade protection — tariffs, quotas, subsidies
  • Economic integration & the WTO
  • Exchange rates & the balance of payments
  • Sustainable development & measuring development (HDI, MPI)
  • Barriers to growth/development & development strategies
SLHL Extended
Real-world issues: winners & losers of global integration · why is development uneven?
Note: Development economics is no longer a separate unit. In the current guide it is integrated into Unit 4: The Global Economy (topics 4.7–4.10), alongside international trade, exchange rates and the balance of payments.
📁 Resources & Study Materials

Everything you need, in one place

All class materials are in one shared folder. If you cannot access it, message Ms Arora on MS Teams.

📁

Econ IBDP Resource Bank

Everything lives in one shared OneDrive folder: class notes, the diagram library, past papers & mark schemes, the IA article bank, HL quantitative worksheets, flashcard decks, and the textbook reading list. Updated within 24h of each lesson.

Open the Resource Bank →
✍️ Internal Assessment · 30% SL / 20% HL

IA commentary guide

A portfolio of three commentaries, maximum 800 words each, each based on a different unit (2, 3 or 4) and using a different key concept as a lens. Total: 45 marks.

How the portfolio works

3

Three commentaries

One each from Unit 2 (microeconomics), Unit 3 (macroeconomics) and Unit 4 (the global economy). Year 12 writes the first; Year 13 writes the other two and assembles the portfolio.

800

Words each, maximum

Diagram labels, tables, headings and the reference list are not counted. Anything past 800 words is not read by the examiner.

9

Key concepts to choose from

Each commentary must use a different one as its analytical lens, named explicitly. Reusing a concept costs you marks in Criterion D.

1

Draft per commentary

I can read and comment on one draft only. Use it well — send the article and your diagram plan alongside it.

12

Months — article recency

Your article must be published no earlier than one year before you write the commentary, and each commentary needs a different source.

Every deadline for your year group — drafts, finals and the portfolio date — is listed in Key Dates. Submit through MS Teams.

Assessment criteria — 14 marks per commentary

3

Criterion A — Diagrams

Relevant, accurate and correctly labelled diagram(s), fully explained. (AO2, AO4)

2

Criterion B — Terminology

Economic terminology relevant to the article used appropriately throughout. (AO1)

3

Criterion C — Application and analysis

Relevant theory applied to the article with effective economic analysis. (AO2)

3

Criterion D — Key concept

A key concept identified and its link to the article fully explained. (AO2)

3

Criterion E — Evaluation

Judgments supported by effective and balanced reasoning. (AO3)

3

Criterion F — Rubric requirements

Applied to the whole portfolio: different unit, different source, contemporary article. (AO4)

Marks: (14 × 3 commentaries) + 3 for Criterion F = 45 marks. Key rules: each commentary uses a different unit and a different key concept — reusing a key concept risks losing up to 3 marks (twice) or 6 marks (three times) in Criterion D. Maximum 800 words each; the teacher may read and advise on one draft per commentary.
🎯 Exam Preparation

Papers, command terms & strategy

Know what each paper demands before you walk into the exam room. External assessment is 70% at SL and 80% at HL.

Paper 1 — Extended Response

LevelsSL & HL
Duration1h 15min
Marks25
Weighting30% SL / 20% HL
Choice1 question from 3
Part (a) — Explain/analyse with a diagram (10 marks)
Part (b) — Evaluate in a structured essay (15 marks)
Define key terms early; use a real-world example in (b)
HL Paper 1 includes HL extension material

Paper 2 — Data Response

LevelsSL & HL
Duration1h 45min
Marks40
Weighting40% SL / 30% HL
Choice1 question from 2
Seven parts (a)–(g); read the whole extract first
Excludes HL extension; includes some quantitative parts
Part (g) is the 15-mark evaluation — use the text/data
Calculators are allowed (GDCs) on Paper 2

Paper 3 — Policy (HL only)

LevelsHL only
Duration1h 45min
Marks60 (30 × 2)
Weighting30% HL
Choice2 compulsory questions
Part (a) = 20 marks; part (b) = 10 marks (Recommend)
Includes HL extension + quantitative and qualitative parts
Show all working in calculations for method marks
Calculators allowed (GDCs); answer booklet provided

IB Economics command terms

The verb in the question sets the assessment objective and the depth required. Definitions below are from the current guide.

Define
Give the precise meaning of a word, phrase, concept or physical quantity.
AO1
Explain
Give a detailed account including reasons or causes.
AO2
Analyse
Break down in order to bring out the essential elements or structure.
AO2
Discuss
Offer a considered, balanced review of a range of arguments, supported by evidence.
AO3
Evaluate
Make an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations.
AO3
Examine
Consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers its assumptions and interrelationships.
AO3
Justify
Give valid reasons or evidence to support an answer or conclusion.
AO3
To what extent
Consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept, with clear supported conclusions.
AO3
Recommend
Present an advisable course of action with supporting evidence (key to Paper 3 HL).
AO3
Calculate
Obtain a numerical answer showing the relevant stages in the working.
AO4
Draw
Represent by means of a labelled, accurate diagram or graph, using a pencil.
AO4
Sketch
Represent by means of a diagram or graph giving a general idea of the required shape/relationship.
AO4

Get in touch

Questions about your IA, exam technique, or a concept from class? Message me on MS Teams first, then come up to the MFL Workroom during office hours.

📧
Emailm.arora@british-school.org
📍
Where you can find meMFL Workroom, 3rd Floor
💬
Preferred for IA queriesMessage on MS Teams
📚
DepartmentHuman Sciences

Slots to reach me — doubts & concerns

Week A · FridayLesson 8 · MFL Workroom
Week B · WednesdayLesson 1 · MFL Workroom
Before you come up: message me on MS Teams so I know you are coming and what you want to work on, then head to the MFL Workroom.