Commercials
Cambridge IGCSE Economics
Syllabus topics
92 topics and subtopics in the 2027-2029 syllabus, examined from 1 Jan 2027.
- 2
The allocation of resources
- 2.1 The role of markets in allocating resources
- 2.2 Demand
- 2.2.1 Individual and market demand
- 2.2.2-2.2.3 Movements along and shifts of a demand curve
- 2.3 Supply
- 2.3.1 Individual and market supply
- 2.3.2-2.3.3 Movements along and shifts of a supply curve
- 2.4 Price determination
- 2.5 Price changes
- 2.6 Price elasticity of demand (PED)
- 2.6.1-2.6.2 Definition and calculation of PED
- 2.6.3 Determinants of PED
- 2.6.4-2.6.5 PED, spending, revenue and decision-making
- 2.7 Price elasticity of supply (PES)
- 2.8 Market economic system
- 2.9 Market failure
- 2.10 Mixed economic system
- 2.10.1-2.10.2 The mixed economic system
- 2.10.3a Maximum and minimum prices
- 2.10.3b Indirect taxation and subsidies
- 2.10.3c Regulation, privatisation, nationalisation, direct provision and quotas
- 3
Microeconomic decision-makers
- 3.1 Money and banking
- 3.1.1 Money
- 3.1.2 Banking
- 3.2 Households
- 3.3 Workers
- 3.3.1 Choice of occupation
- 3.3.2 Wage determination
- 3.3.3 Reasons for differences in wages
- 3.3.4 Mobility of labour
- 3.3.5 Division of labour
- 3.4 Firms
- 3.4.1 Different types of firms
- 3.4.2 Mergers
- 3.4.3 Economies and diseconomies of scale
- 3.5 Firms and production
- 3.5.1-3.5.2 Demand for factors; labour-intensive and capital-intensive production
- 3.5.3 Production and productivity
- 3.6 Firms' costs, revenue and objectives
- 3.6.1-3.6.2 Costs of production
- 3.6.3-3.6.4 Revenue
- 3.6.5 Objectives of firms
- 3.7 Types of markets
- 3.7.1 Competitive markets
- 3.7.2 Monopoly markets
- 4
Government and the macroeconomy
- 4.1 Government macroeconomic intervention
- 4.2 Fiscal policy
- 4.2.1-4.2.2 Government budget and spending; fiscal policy measures
- 4.2.3 Taxation
- 4.3 Monetary policy
- 4.4 Supply-side policy
- 4.5 Economic growth
- 4.5.1-4.5.3 Definition, measurement, causes and consequences of growth
- 4.5.4-4.5.5 Recession and policies to promote growth
- 4.6 Employment and unemployment
- 4.6.1-4.6.2 Definitions and measurement of unemployment
- 4.6.3 Causes and types of unemployment
- 4.6.4-4.6.5 Consequences of unemployment and policies to reduce it
- 4.7 Inflation
- 4.7.1+4.7.3 Inflation, deflation and the causes of inflation
- 4.7.2 Measurement of inflation
- 4.7.4-4.7.5 Consequences of inflation and policies to control it
- 6
International trade and globalisation
- 6.1 Specialisation and free trade
- 6.1.1 Specialisation by country
- 6.1.2 Free trade
- 6.2 Globalisation and trade restrictions
- 6.2.1-6.2.2 Globalisation
- 6.2.3 Role of multinational companies
- 6.2.4-6.2.6 Trade restrictions
- 6.3 Foreign exchange rates
- 6.4 Current account of the balance of payments
- 6.4.1 Structure of the current account
- 6.4.2-6.4.4 Causes, consequences and policies for current account imbalances
About this syllabus
Cambridge IGCSE Economics covers six topics: the basic economic problem (scarcity, factors of production, opportunity cost, PPCs); the allocation of resources (markets, demand and supply, price determination, elasticity, market and mixed economies, market failure and government intervention); microeconomic decision-makers (money and banking, households, workers, firms, costs and revenue, competitive and monopoly markets); government and the macroeconomy (aims, fiscal, monetary and supply-side policy, growth, unemployment, inflation); economic development (living standards, poverty, population); and international trade and globalisation (specialisation, free trade and restrictions, exchange rates, the current account).
How you are assessed
All candidates take Paper 1 Multiple Choice (1 hour, 40 questions, 40 marks, 30%) and Paper 2 Structured Questions (2 hours, 80 marks, 70%: one compulsory 20-mark data question in Section A and three of four 20-mark questions in Section B). Calculators may be used in both.
Ready to master Cambridge IGCSE Economics?
Study each topic, practise with instant marking and see exactly what to revise next.