Search Results

Online Tutoring I am pleased to offer online tutoring in Economics to Australian senior secondary students, and specifically to Queensland students working towards their QCE. My approach to tutoring is to challenge you to help you reflect and develop your own learning and thinking strategies and structures to help you succeed in your assessments in secondary school, and in later higher education studies. My tutoring approach is especially useful for students in year 12 for both research reports and exams. I am a registered teacher with Queensland College of Teachers. I am not currently teaching in a Queensland school as I am living in The Netherlands from 2025 to 2028. What I offer: Individual support to develop content knowledge, and application of theory to analysis of economic issues. Guidance to develop your understanding of marking guides, and strategies to align your written work to the marking requirements. Frameworks to improve research skills and writing structures. Individualised practise tasks. Feedback and review of your work. Good chat. What I don't offer: Exemplars of work produced by former students. Editing of drafts for syntax and grammar. Explicit instruction on the "correct answer". But remember: economics is about figuring out possible solutions to complex problems, and I can help you develop your abilities to express your ideas in a clear and concise manner, supported by academic rigour. How we do these sessions: Google online meeting. You are welcome to record the meeting for later review. Cloud servers for access to additional resources. How much does it cost? There is an old expression that 'economists know the price of everything and the value of nothing'. Get in touch via the form below. Let me know what you would specifically like to improve in your work and we can figure out a price. And I hope that you see the value in it! Let’s Work Together Get in touch so we can start working together. First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting!

Student Resources On this page: Unit 1: Markets and Models Unit 1 Topic 1 : The basic economic problem Unit 1 Topic 2 : Economic flows Unit 1 Topic 3 : Market forces Unit 2: Modified Markets Unit 2 Topic 1 : Markets and efficiency Unit 2 Topic 2 : Inequality Unit 3: International Economics Unit 3 Topic 1 : International trade Unit 3 Topic 2 : Global economic issues Unit 4: Contemporary Macroeconomics Unit 4 Topic 1 : Macroeconomic objectives and theory Unit 4 Topic 2 : Economic Indicators and past budget stances Unit 4 Topic 3 : Economic management Unit 1: Markets and models In Unit 1, students understand how the fundamental economic concepts of scarcity, choice and opportunity cost compel individuals, businesses and governments to make decisions about how best to allocate resources among competing needs. The nature of the basic economic problem is examined, and the consequences of scarcity are expressed in the production possibility curve and through the choices made by modern economic systems. Students analyse the factors that impact on the economy through the circular flow of income model and investigate the price mechanism as a model for the efficient allocation of resources. Unit 1 Topic 1: The basic economic problem In Topic 1, students understand the foundations of the subject in terms of scarcity and choices . Students learn key terminology as they consider the different stakeholders involved in the economy, and the basic economic problem of satisfying needs and wants. The first economic model presented in the course is the production possibility curve , which enables students to identify and examine relationships between resources and production. This topic allows students to consider finite resources and how these require choices to be made at an individual and at a national level. Click here to access learning resources Unit 1 Topic 2: Economic Flows In Topic 2, students explore the economic idea of the economy as a system of real and monetary connections between the five key sectors, using the circular flow of income model . They analyse: the forces that affect flows to and from the household, business, financial, government and overseas sectors, the effect of government decisions on the economy, and the interrelationships between each sector. This topic enables students to see links and connections in the economic system that they experience every day. Click here to access learning resources Unit 1 Topic 3: Market Forces In Topic 3, students examine the forces of demand and supply that underlie the operation of the price mechanism in the economy. Important concepts of shortages , surpluses and elasticities are scrutinised. This topic is studied through the lens of the economic problem in a specific current Australian context and market, for example: agricultural (e.g. wool, wheat and beef); other commodities (e.g. minerals and energy); community; financial; share; labour; property/housing and health. This topic develops students’ comprehension of market forces , and how they can use these to their advantage when understanding and predicting prices. Click here to access learning resources Unit 2: Modified Markets Unit 2 Topic 1: Markets and efficiency In Topic 1, students understand that markets can fail when the price mechanism results in a sub-optimal allocation of resources. They examine market failure and explore traditional and innovative measures and strategies using economic criteria , for example socially optimal and/or efficient outcomes. This topic analyses how markets may not always work efficiently and effectively, and the different choices and opportunities that exist when this phenomenon occurs. Click here to access learning resources Unit 2 Topic 2: Case options of market measures and strategies In Topic 2, students study a choice of two of the three case options listed below of market measures and strategies to apply the economic concepts and economic ideas developed in Topic 1. Students analyse different situations to explain the causes and effects of the market failure and the need for intervention. They evaluate strategies and/or interventions to achieve socially desirable and/or optimal outcomes. Case option A: Market Concentration Case option B: Environmental Economics Case option C: Inequality (Click here to access learning resources ) Unit 3: International Economics In Unit 3, students focus on the complex ideas and relationships underlying the international economy and the impact that these have on Australia’s domestic economy and decision-making. Students consider Australia’s engagement in international trade and the global economy, including the theories behind trade and exchange rates. They examine the balance of payments in depth, considering elements of the current and capital accounts. In Global economic issues, students explain the factors that contribute to and have an impact on globalisation. Trade barriers and trade agreements are investigated from a theoretical and contemporary viewpoint and form the basis of student-led research. Current economic events and economic measurements will be used to support and develop understanding in this unit. Longer term international trends may be considered in an analysis to see structural changes over time. However, the emphasis must be on a current situation and not on an event in the economic history of Australia. Students will understand measurements of economic data and how to calculate changes in percentages. Unit 3 Topic 1: International trade Click here to access learning resources In Topic 1, students understand the dynamic nature and extent of Australia’s international trade interconnections. They examine the reasons for international trade and Australia’s place in the global economy. Current statistics are analysed to reveal relationships, patterns and trends that cause and affect Australia’s economic growth. Economic models are used to analyse movements in exchange rates over time and evaluate the consequent impacts on the domestic economy. Trends in the balance of payments are analysed to evaluate the implications for the Australian economy. Unit 3 Topic 2: Global economic issues In Topic 2, students study three major factors affecting Australia’s trade relationships with the rest of the world. Firstly, the factors that have contributed to globalisation are explored from Australia’s viewpoint. Secondly, economic ideas and models are used to examine the impacts of different barriers to trade, and the economic tensions they create. Finally, the impacts of international trading agreements are considered. Click here to access learning resources Unit 4: Contemporary macroeconomics In Unit 4, students concentrate on the practical application of the Australian Government’s domestic macroeconomic objectives. They investigate the performance of the economy by focusing on the economic cycle and analysing a variety of economic indicators to evaluate economic performance and budget stances. Students examine aggregate demand and supply to model the level of output in the economy and its relationship to the government’s current macroeconomic objectives. Available policy instruments are analysed and evaluated to make decisions about the relevant policy mix with reference to the current economic climate. Current economic events and economic measurements will be used to support and develop understanding in this unit. Students will understand measurements of data, how different economic indicators are measured, and basis point or percentage point movements. Unit 4 Topic 1: Macroeconomic objectives and theory In Topic 1, students study the primary macroeconomic objectives of the Australian Government and economic theory. They connect this knowledge to a variety of economic concepts, principles and models. Click here to access learning resources Unit 4 Topic 2: Economic indicators and past budget stances In Topic 2, students apply their knowledge of economic indicators and theory to analyse and evaluate past economic events and decisions made in the annual federal budget of the government of the day. Click here to access learning resources Unit 4 Topic 3: Economic Management In Topic 3, students examine policy choices made in Australia about economic activity. This topic has three sub-topics, each of which focuses on an aspect of policy decision-making based on demand management and supply-side economic ideas and perspectives. Click here to access learning resources Additional resources for Unit 4 QCAA Syllabus for Economics : pages 26 - 29 Get in Touch brettonomics@gmail.com

Teaching Resources QCAA Economics Unit 2: Modified Markets On this page: Unit 2 Topic 2 Inequality : A game to teach income inequality, the Lorenz curve snd Gini coefficient A game to teach income inequality, the Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient PLEASE NOTE: Since I last ran this experiment with a class group I have developed an interactive Lorenz Curve model and Gini Coefficient calculator. You can find it on the Unit 2 topic 2 page . The interactive may be an effective tool for later revision or homework tasks. BACKGROUND: I'm not particularly effective in teaching the mathematical elements of Economics, so I had to figure out a way to get students to understand the calculations and graphing of quintiles and deciles in Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient. For the first couple of years I did the 'chalk and talk' and - through some further review - most students seemed to get it. But it didn't feel like 'sticky learning'. It also didn't feel like the middle class students I taught genuinely appreciated the extent of income inequality in Australia. Two reflection questions emerged: 1. how can I get students to intuit the calculations and graphing of the Lorenz curve? 2. how can I get them to feel what it might be like to be in the lower income quintiles? The method below is the result of this reflection. Resources required: Bundles of fake money The fake currency is in bundles of five notes equalling value of $100 Each value is based on real data - I used Australia, USA, South Africa (the highest inequality), China, Netherlands, and then a perfectly equal society (5 people each get $20). PPT slide to do graphing on the board. Here are the files that you'll need to run the activity : Currency for Lorenz curve Lorenz Curve graph Step 1: the set up This activity requires students to be in groups of five. Try and spread groups apart so that they don't interact between groups. Provide each group with the five currency notes of a country - each country currency equals $100 (aka 100%) - each student gets one currency note. Ensure that you give one group the 'perfectly equal' currency of 5 x $20 notes - this helps to draw the line of perfect equality onto the model. Each group is a country, and each student will represent an income quintile within that country - the note value is a % of the country income. Students can discuss how much money each member of their country has, but not to discuss with other countries. Step 2: small group graphing Using ppt slide above, as a guide , students can draw the 'frame' for the Lorenz curve in their books. Guide class to find the lowest currency value in their group, explain how that is the % income of the lowest 20% of population in that country, and model how to place a point on their graph for the 20% (first) quintile. Do the same for the 40% (second) quintile. From there on in, the groups can usually figure out how to graph the remaining quintiles. Have a break - ask students to compare their currency note / income with people in other groups (countries). Step 3: whole group graphing Using the ppt slide projected on the board, the class can now graph their curves onto a whole class model. Start with the country of perfect equality. I'd recommend plotting Australia as the second line - someone from the group can plot it onto the model projected onto the board. Then when you plot other nations, students can make predictions on the level of relative inequality, and provide reasons. Step 4: discussion This is where I've found this activity to be most beneficial. Some leaping off questions for you: Perfect equality country: how did it feel when you realised that you all earned the same income of $20? And then how did it feel when you realised that some people in other countries earn significantly more than you? Low income people: how did it feel knowing others in your country earned much more than you? Did anyone try and snatch the currency of another person in their group - why? Why does Netherlands exhibit more income inequality than USA (eg. political systems, government objectives, social structure, enterprise mindset etc)? Compare the first quintile for China and Australia - they are equal. Is this what you would have expected - why? Get some data on top 10%, top 5%, and top 1% of income earners for a selected economy. Step 5: Gini Coefficient Now you should be able to explain the Gini Coefficient with relative ease. I don't go down the path of calculating, but students tend to pick up on the Gini values - and the differences between countries - very quickly. Step 6: Additional tasks / Review / Homework Examine the Lorenz curve for a country of your own interest. Add to your graph in your book. Wealth inequality - what is the difference in Gini coefficient for wealth versus income inequality in Australia. What are some factors that may have contributed to this difference? Locate data on the changes in Australia's Gini coefficient over time. Describe the changes using analysis tools (trends, % change, range etc). Research three reasons for the change. Predict future trends and evaluate implications.

Teaching Resources QCAA Economics Unit 1: Markets and Models On this page: Unit 1 Topic 1: Economic problem. A game to introduce decision-making, opportunity cost and trade-offs. Unit 1 Topic 3: Market forces. A game to introduce price signals, equilibrium, consumer and producer surplus Unit 1 Topic 3: Market forces. Content library Unit 1 Topic 1: Economic Problem A game to introduce decision-making, opportunity cost and trade-offs This is an easy game to set up in class, and students can figure out the play process themselves. Step 1 : Access the resources Instruction sheet Picture cards Step 2: Play the game Set up your class in preferred student small groups, and give each group instructions and a picture card sheet - I keep laminated versions of each in my classroom. Groups have to decide who gets kidney dialysis and who doesn't. The second goal is to get exactly 30 hours of machine use - anything less is underutilisation of resource. The conversations in this game are very engaging, especially when they class figures out what happens to patients who don't receive dialysis! Step 3: Compare results and discuss There are some critical elements to cover in the discussion to engage student learning and support development of cognitions (analyse and evaluate): Economic concepts of scarcity, opportunity cost and trade-offs (analysis) Use of criteria to justify decision (evaluation) Examination of stakeholders (patient, hospital, family members etc) Economic concept of ceteris paribus - you can only make your decisions based upon the information on the cards. Some critical thinking discussion can cover questions such as "what else would we need to know about the patients to enable us to make more informed decisions?". Suggestion for extension: Ask groups to produce a Decision-Making Matrix or a PCQ chart to create a visual record of decisions made. Further notes: A very useful discussion point throughout all economics lessons is discussion of the scope and depth of information and data available to guide decision making - what do we know, and what do we need to find out AKA the 'known unknowns' and the 'unknown unknowns'. Developing a students' ability to discern what they still need to find out is very beneficial in developing their own research approach, as well as helping them to critically evaluate the scope and depth of any work that they produce. patient cards with pictures.docx Dialysis machine game instructions.docx Unit 1 Topic 3: Market forces A game to introduce price equilibrium, and consumer and producer surplus I've used this game as an effective method to introduce trading markets, price equilibrium , and consumer and producer surplus with year 11 classes at the beginning of teaching Unit 1 Topic 3 Markets and Models. I have found that this game works best prior to any explicit content teaching. It helps students to intuit concepts themselves, and also gives a reference point to refer back to during subsequent lessons on the market theory. It works best when there are more than 14 students. and is great when you have a bigger class size. Feedback from students is generally great, and the subsequent learning is 'sticky'. I'd highly recommend that you allocate a lesson for this game, What you will need: A deck of playing cards (or two) Instructions for buyers (link below) Instructions for sellers (link below) Excel spreadsheet to track trades (link below) A bell or similar to signal end of trading period. Please note: This game has been modified from the version published by Charles A. Holt to suit high school students. You can read his original article here . It'll probably help you to understand my instructions below. Also see Smith, Vernon L. “An Experimental Study of Competitive Market Behavior.” Journal of Political Economy, 70.2 (1962): 111-137 for the original literature on competitive market experiments. How to play: Step 1: Split the class into equal groups - one being the vendor group and one being the buyer group - and hand each person an instruction sheet. Give them a moment to read the instruction sheet. Note that my commodity is called a Wegnut but you can edit as you wish. Step 2: Explain that the classroom is now a trading floor, and the goal of each person is to make a trade. Emphasise the following: In a moment, teacher will be handing out a playing card with a number on it. THE NUMBER ON YOUR CARD IS SECRET !!! That number represents either the cost to produce the commodity (seller) or the cash available to buy commodity (buyer). You will only make one trade per round If you are a buyer, you want to buy for the lowest price BELOW the value of your card, meaning that you save money. The aim for buyers is to maximise savings (consumer surplus). If you are a seller, you want to trade for the highest price ABOVE the value of your card, meaning that you make profit. The aim for sellers is to maximise profit (producer surplus). Once the trade is agreed bring it to teacher to check and place onto trade board (the spreadsheet) Step 3: Hand out the trading cards as follows: Hand out the Black cards to buyers, starting with the "10" cards and then descending order - this maximises the cash that buyers have to negotiate trade. Hand out the Red cards to sellers, starting with the "2" cards and then ascending order - this minimises the cost of production for sellers - best opportunity for profit Step 4: Round 1 trade. Open the trading floor for trading - remind the class that value on their trading card is secret! Give students five minutes to negotiate a trade. When a trade price is agreed the pair can come to teacher to check trade is legitimate, and if so log it into round 1 on spreadsheet - project spreadsheet to class if possible. I usually call out the trade loudly to build some excitement and get other students motivated to trade. Importantly, it sends a price signal to the market. Continue to add trades to spreadsheet as they come in. The line graph that will display helps class to determine a price equilibrium Ring the bell at end of five minutes. You may find that quite a few students haven't executed a trade. Collect back all trading cards. Debrief: check for understanding of how the game functions , rules etc. Discuss role of price signals to inform market co-operation and trade. Step 5: Keep students in the same roles of buyer and seller and redistribute trading cards. Step 6: Round 2 trade. Now that the "practice round 1" has been debriefed, open trading for round 2. Keep timer to five minutes. Deending on the group I sometimes have let them just work through trades again, but if the class demonstrates clear understanding of game play then I will make this a round to execute as many trades as possible in the time available. Repeat process in step 4 above, and deepen understanding in debrief through discussion of: Price signal - how does the line graph help to discern a trade price to aim for in negotiations? Price equilibrium - does there appear appear to be a price where most trades seem to be occurring? Market efficiency - are all available units of the commodity being traded, or are some buyers and sellers still unable to trade? Consumer and producer surplus - if you saved some money in your trade what would you use it for in the future? If a producer sells above cost, how might the profit be allocated? Step 7: Round 3 trade. I have two choices here - I can either play another round where students stay on the same team, and we aim for 100% market efficiency - realising all available trades, or students swap sides and buyers become sellers, vice versa. I've also had some classes where students can also tally their surpluses across the rounds to establish who saved the most, and who created most profit. That then finishes the game. Aim for a final debrief, and use it to front-load the theory work in upcoming lessons. As a homework reflection task, ask students to write or record a summary of their role in the game, what happened, what they understand about price signals and price equilibrium etc. Trading game buyer instructions.docx Trading game vendor instructions.docx TRADING GAME chart of trades.xlsx Unit 1 Topic 3: Market forces Content library As a project during some university study, I put together a document using web-based and open-source resources to create a fairly complete document for high school study of market forces. The embedded videos may not work in the document, but the links should all still work. Let me know if you find it useful. DOWNLOAD the document

External Exam: Video Explainers Below are video explainers unpacking the external exam for economics for Queensland Certificate of Education. Please ensure that you access all the past exam resources for economics at the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) website prior to watching these videos. Use the videos to learn the strategies and writing structures for multiple choice, short response, and extended response questions for the economics external exam in Queensland. On this page: Explainer videos for 2024 Economics External Assessment Multiple choice explainer videos Short response explainer videos Extended response explainer videos Exam specifications Explainer Videos: QCE Economics External Assessment 2024 Q11 2024 Economics EA: Short Response Q12 2024 Economics EA: Short Response Q13 2024 Economics EA: Short Response Q14 2024 Economics EA: Short Response Q15 2024 Economics EA: Extended Response Multiple Choice 2024 Economics EA Multiple Choice Explainers 2021 Exam 2022 Exam 2023 Exam Short Response Explainers Unpacking "Explain" short response questions Unpacking "Analyse" short response questions 2022 exam question 11 2022 exam question 12 2022 exam question 13 2023 exam question 11 2023 exam question 12 2023 exam question 13 2023 exam question 14 Extended Response Explainers Writing structure and strategies for extended response 2022 exam extended response question 14 2023 exam extended response question 15 External Assessment Exam Specifications External assessment: Examination — combination response (25%) External assessment is developed and marked by the QCAA. The external assessment in Economics is common to all schools and administered under the same conditions, at the same time, on the same day. Assessment objectives Comprehend economic concepts, principles and models of macroeconomic objectives, theory and economic management. Analyse an economic issue that involves macroeconomic objectives and economic management. Evaluate an economic outcome relevant to macroeconomic objectives and economic management. Specifications This examination: Consists of a number of different questions relating to Unit 4 Topic 1 and Unit 4 Topic 3 may ask students to - respond using multiple choice, sentences or paragraphs and an extended response - annotate, calculate or draw diagrams - use unseen stimulus materials. Mode: written Time allowed - Planning time: 15 minutes - Working time: 120 minutes Students may use a QCAA-approved non-programmable calculator. Reproduced from Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Economics 2025 v1.2 General senior syllabus October 2024

Contact Got questions? Let's chat. First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for your email! I'll be in touch soon.

I am currently on a three year sabbatical from classroom teaching in Australia, and residing in Amsterdam, Netherlands (returning to Australia early 2028). About Brettonomics I began posting Brettonomics videos on YouTube in 2023, with a primary focus on unpacking the questions from the past papers of Queensland Certificate of Education final external exam in Economics. These videos have had some very positive effects on student outcomes: students who were using past papers as practice exams an opportunity to get into the detail of the marking guide, and from there, to develop comprehensive writing structures and response strategies; students can work independently, at their own pace, and review concepts multiple times; students can pre-learn topics for lessons, which contributes to deeper engagement in class activities; students develop skills in grading their own work, and providing feedback to other students using rubrics. This website expands upon the YouTube videos to provide more content for students for students (linked to QCE Economics curriculum) as well as teaching activities (experiential learning) to engage students in lessons. Brettonomics has always been an individual project, enacted outside of my normal teaching duties. I hope that you find some useful stuff here. About Brett I am a registered secondary school teacher in Queensland, Australia, with qualifications to teach Economics, Business, and Legal Studies. I hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Western Sydney, and Master of Teaching (Secondary) from Australian Catholic University. Prior to teaching I worked in the private sector, where I successfully led a small organisation involved in design, manufacture and sales to retail customers (in-store and online), as well as government and private sector organisations. After a successful sale of that business in 2014, I spent some time on creative projects and study. I began my teaching career in 2020. Outside of teaching, I am very involved in outdoor activities (cycling, skiing, kayaking). I've had side gig playing percussion in bands for many years. I speak English and Spanish and hope to become fluent in Dutch over the next few years. Please note All resources are made available free of charge. All resources on this website remain intellectual property of the author. All third-party resources or links are open-source and freely available to access. Contact I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect. brettonomics@gmail.com

Teaching Resources for Economics In these links you will find some of the useful resources that I have developed for teaching economics. I have a particular interest in the use of experiments and games to develop intuition in understanding, and to create 'sticky' learning. This section began construction in 2025, and is a work in progress. 1 Unit 1: Markets and Models Teaching resources for: Topic 1: Economic problem Topic 3: Market forces 2 Unit 2: Modified Markets UNDER CONSTRUCTION 3 Unit 3: International Economics UNDER CONSTRUCTION 4 Unit 4: Contemporary Macroeconomics UNDER CONSTRUCTION Useful websites Interactive games for students Marginal Revolution University : u nit plans, courses, great videos and explainers, and interactive practice games. Next Gen Personal Finance : a selection of online games and challenges International Monetary Fund EconEd : interactives and explainers. Escape from Barter Island : a fun cartoon trading interactive game. The Fiscal Ship : fiscal policy online game. Meme games : don't take these too seriously! Teaching resources Marginal Revolution University : Unit plans, courses, great videos and explainers, and interactive practice games. Reserve Bank of Australia : Explainers, chart packs, digital interactives, and teacher and student workshops. Ross Gittins : weekly articles unpacking current Australian economic issues. Core Econ : open source textbooks (undergrad level) and visualisation tools (inflation, inequality). EconEdLink : teaching resources and lesson plans. Models and data International Monetary Fund Datamapper : all the data you will need, available in downloadable spreadsheets Interactive Economics : tools to develop models and graphs to understand economic concepts. Econ Graphs : interactive economic models. Visual Capitalist : excellent infographics and data visualisations Get in Touch brettonomics@gmail.com

Teaching Resources QCAA Economics Unit 3: International Economics On this page: Unit 3 Topic 2 : A taxonomy for economic data analysis THE THREE LEVELS OF ECONOMIC DATA BACKGROUND: A critical issue that I see students face in developing their IA2 research reports is how to create links in data to demonstrate how changes in one sector of the economy (or dataset) can be evidenced in another sector (or dataset). So my question then became: how can I create a sequence of targets to help students to analyse data and economic information at a deeper and more perceptive level? Subsequently, I have been using a three level taxonomy with students. The intention is to create an understanding of how to connect information from the granular to the big picture - the idea being that they can create a path of analysis from the micro to the macro . In terms of the marking guide, it will likely help shift students' work closer towards that 'perceptive' end of the ISMG. Importantly, it has also created a meta-language in economics data analysis - for reflection on the quality and quantity of the research information that the student has collected, to identify information gaps, and to give some targets for the structure of the analysis presented in the report. This explainer is also published on the student resources page . Below is the explainer for students. I would encourage you to give it a try with your classes! A big challenge in writing an economics research report is figuring out how to connect the data to demonstrate elements such as cause and effect relationships - how do we create a path of analysis from the microeconomic issues through to macroeconomic outcomes? So let's have a look at how we can create a three level system to deepen our analysis. LEVEL 1 DATA Data relating to a stakeholder or individual sector of the economy (eg.firms and industry sectors, consumers or government) Examples: data on industry trade with foreign customers foreign investment activity into an industry sector (eg. mining investment) LEVEL 2 DATA Data relating to an overall (aggregate) aspect of trade or investment Examples: total export or import trade values or volumes total foreign investment Balance of Trade Currency valuations LEVEL 3 DATA The macroeconomic indicators: Gross Domestic Product Inflation Employment Balance of Payments Applying the three levels of economic data :: Australia / China trade example In 2021, China enacted a range of trade protection on imports from Australia. Most of these barriers were removed in 2023. The three level model helps us to analyse and evaluate outcomes during this period of export trade constraints. LEVEL 1 Australia coal exports to China LEVEL 2 Australia-China bilateral balance of trade LEVEL 3 Australia Current Account Creating connections between data and economic information presents a significantly more complete picture: At level 1 , the negative effect of China trade protection on Australia's coal exports is clearly evident. This then flows through to level 2 , where a downturn in bilateral trade balance is evident in 2022. At level 3 , the effect is also evident in Net Goods and Services (top line) and Current Account Balance (red line). I think you'll agree that this method provides some significant insight into the issue, and yields a deeper analysis than just focussing on a dataset in isolation. Some final ideas: Remember: Correlation doesn't always equal causation , so make sure you do further research to determine cause-and-effect. The Analysis criteria in the marking guide requires "discerning meaning drawn from patterns and trends ..." as well as "... explanation of economic relationships ...". I reckon that this three level model will give you some targets to achieve "discernment".