Step 1: Knowledge & Comprehension

Before you even start writing an Economics essay, you need to know what the topic is about. Contents in essay, is just like the ingredients in culinary! You cannot write an essay without knowledge of contents.

How to acquire knowledge:
1) Pay attention in lectures! That's when the knowledge accumulation begins...
2) Read your notes. Don't be lazy!

Class Activity: Revision with the aid of concept map presented by teacher in tutorials.

(sample concept map -- determinants of Supply forces)

Step 2: Apply & Analyse

Now that you have gotten your ingredients in place, it's time to come up with an essay you can call your own. Do take note that you have hundreds of peers attending the same lectures as you do, they'd probably know as much as you do, if not more.

So how to make your essay unique and stand out from the rest?

1) Apply classroom concepts to real world examples. Being able to make apt applications to real life issues show your readers that you actually understand the concepts you are talking about.
2) Analyse the examples mentioned. Give your readers a clearer and more complete picture of the case scenarios, using the economic concepts to make analysis of the on-goings.

Class Activity: Choose a relevant market to work on as a group. Brainstorm for ideas and construct concept maps using template provided as a reference. Present your findings to the class.

Step 3: Synthesis

With the contents and analysis, it is essential to put them in the right places. Like all dishes, an essay needs to be presentable, in a well-organized manner. An essay containing all the right points in the wrong places will not deliver your ideas in a flow!

How to make your essay presentable:
1) Organize your arguments in a clear and logical progression, making them easy for readers to understand at a glance.
2) Points needs to be structured, followed by respective examples and elaboration, so as to reinforce your arguments effectively.

Class Activity: Work in groups to construct essay outlines using concept map. Present and explain the structure of your essay to the class.

(sample concept map -- Essay outline)

Step 4: Evaluation

The final product is almost close to completion! What do we do to ensure the quality of our essay? Of course, we conclude by evaluating on the concepts and analysis discussed in the main body, to provide a well-balanced overall perspective.

What to look out for evaluation?
1) Counter-argument, balancing your essay with points from both sides of the coin.
2) Limitations of concepts discussed, eg. Strong assumptions --> weak conclusions

Activity: Post your evaluative statements on the blog and comment on those posted by other groups. Edit the original posts based on comments given by peers and teachers.

Pick a demand determinant in the industry you have chosen which is the most significant.

Sample Evaluation

For the case of automobile, government policies will be the most significant determinant in Singapore. This is due the COE, which every car owners must obtain before being able to purchase a car. COE is the additional cost, on top of what car owners have to pay for their vehicles. The higher the COE, the more expensive it is to purchase a car. Hence demand falls significantly.