Summary
Highlights
Unit 6 typically constitutes a minimum of three short questions (30 marks) and one long question (60 marks), totaling 90 marks or 22.5% of the paper. However, this is based on the assumption that the paper structure remains consistent with previous years.
Despite having five topics, Unit 6 usually only provides access to one long question. In contrast, Unit 1 often offers two long questions, and Units 2, 3, 4, and 5 can offer one to two. Unit 7, with only three topics, also typically provides one long question, making it potentially more efficient to study for the same mark allocation.
The speaker suggests that if students are strategic about leaving out a unit, Unit 6 might be a candidate due to its extensive content for a single long question compared to the shorter, less complex Unit 7. However, there's a crucial caveat regarding short questions.
Recent exam trends show an increased emphasis on Unit 6 and 7 for short questions. In 2025, seven out of twelve short questions originated from these two units, with four from Unit 6 and three from Unit 7. This highlights the necessity of studying these units for short questions, even if a student plans to skip their long questions.
Certain topics within Unit 6 are frequently repeated in short questions. Economic variables (such as inflation) and categories of industry/ownership structures are identified as 'repeat offenders.' Students are advised to practice short questions from previous years for these topics, even if they don't intend to answer Unit 6's long question.