AQA A-Level Economics · Paper 3 guide
AQA Economics Paper 3: the multiple choice and the investigation, explained
AQA A-Level Economics Paper 3 (7136/3) is 2 hours, 80 marks and a third of the A-level. Section A is 30 one-mark multiple-choice questions across micro and macro. Section B is a 50-mark investigation based on an insert of data: a 10-mark data question, a 15-mark explain question and a 25-mark evaluation.
Checked against AQA’s 7136 specification and the 2017–2024 Paper 3 question papers and mark schemes — October 2026
Paper 3 at a glance
| Part | What you do | Marks | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | 30 multiple-choice questions on the whole course | 30 | about 40 min |
| Section B: reading | Read the insert’s extracts and data | — | about 5 min |
| Section B: 10-marker | Judge how far the data support a view | 10 | about 15 min |
| Section B: 15-marker | Explain an economic issue in the investigation’s context | 15 | about 22 min |
| Section B: 25-marker | Evaluate and make a justified recommendation or judgement | 25 | about 38 min |
2 hours, 80 marks, 33.3% of the A-level, with a calculator and the insert. This structure was the same in every June series from 2017 to 2024. Suggested times are our split, not an AQA rule: about 80 seconds per multiple-choice question leaves room for the investigation, which carries 50 of the 80 marks.
Section A: 30 multiple-choice questions
The questions cover both micro and macro, so Paper 3 is the one paper where gaps from either half of the course show up. Some are short calculations or ask you to read a diagram, and you are allowed a calculator.
- Work it out before you look at the options. Decide what the answer should be, then find it. Distractors are built from the common mistakes.
- Sketch the diagram. A 10-second sketch of a shift settles most “what happens to price and quantity” questions.
- Watch for NOT and LEAST. Underline them as you read.
- Never leave one blank. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so flag hard ones, move on, and come back.
Answer: B. Quantity falls by about 4% (0.4 × 10%), so revenue becomes 1.10 × 0.96 = 1.056 of what it was. A is the trap: it is the change in quantity, not revenue.
The 10-marker: how far do the data support a view?
In every series from 2017 to 2024 the 10-mark question asked, in some form, to what extent the data suggest or support a view, using a named extract in the insert. It is a data judgement, and it has three levels.
Worked example
| Our practice data (invented) | Town A | Town B |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly pay, 2025 | £620 | £540 |
| Change in median pay since 2020 | +12% | +19% |
| Unemployment rate, 2025 | 3.8% | 5.1% |
| Average house price ÷ median annual pay | 9.5 | 5.2 |
Our practice question: To what extent, if at all, do the data suggest that Town A’s labour market is performing better than Town B’s? [10]
Town A has higher pay, £620 compared with £540, and lower unemployment, 3.8% compared with 5.1%. This suggests that Town A’s labour market is performing better than Town B’s.
Why it stays in Level 2: two relevant points with figures, but the numbers are only copied, half the table is ignored, nothing is said about what the data can’t show, and the judgement is a restatement.
On levels, Town A looks stronger: median pay is about 15% higher and unemployment 1.3 percentage points lower. But Town B’s pay grew faster, 19% against 12% since 2020, so the gap is closing.
The data also have limits. The pay figures are nominal and housing is far more expensive in Town A (9.5 times pay against 5.2), so real living standards from that pay may be closer than the headline suggests. Medians hide how pay is spread, and one year’s unemployment rate could reflect a single closure. So the data support the view only partly: Town A performs better on current levels, while Town B is improving faster.
The one change: using every row to compare (gaps and changes, not copied numbers), saying what the data can’t show, and ending with a judgement that answers “to what extent”.
The 15-marker: explain, don’t evaluate
The 15-mark question asks you to explain an economic issue in the investigation’s context. Its levels reward knowledge, application to the context, use of data and clear chains of reasoning. Evaluation is not in its level descriptors, so spend the time building two or three complete chains instead.
The 25-mark question that ends the investigation is marked like the other AQA 25-markers. See our 25-mark essay guide for the five levels and a worked rewrite.
Level summaries on this page are our plain-English reading of AQA’s June 2024 Paper 3 mark scheme, not AQA’s wording. The practice question, data and answers are written by Markaroo; they are not from an AQA paper.
Where Paper 3 marks are lost
- Too long on Section A. The multiple choice is 30 marks; the investigation is 50. Bank the time for Section B.
- Copying numbers in the 10-marker. Compare them: gaps, changes, percentages. Copied figures are not “effective use of data”.
- No limitations. The top level of the 10-marker asks for some appreciation of the data’s limits: nominal against real, averages, time period, what is missing.
- Evaluating in the 15-marker. Its levels reward analysis. Save your judgement for the 25-marker.
- Ignoring the insert in the 25-marker. The investigation’s data are there to be used. Bring at least one figure into your recommendation.
Paper 3 questions
What is on AQA Economics Paper 3?
Section A is 30 one-mark multiple-choice questions covering both micro and macro. Section B is a 50-mark investigation based on an insert of data, with questions worth 10, 15 and 25 marks. The paper is 2 hours, 80 marks and 33.3% of the A-level.
How long should I spend on the Paper 3 multiple choice?
Around 40 minutes, or about 80 seconds a question. Section B carries 50 of the 80 marks, so it needs the larger share of the 2 hours.
How do you answer the Paper 3 10-mark question?
It asks how far the data support a view. Make at least three points that compare the figures, say what the data cannot show, and finish with a judgement that answers “to what extent”. The top level needs all three.
Do you need to evaluate in the Paper 3 15-marker?
No. Its level descriptors reward knowledge, application, use of data and analysis, not evaluation. Evaluation is rewarded in the 25-mark question at the end of the investigation.
Can I practise AQA Economics Paper 3 on Markaroo?
Yes. Past AQA Economics papers, including Paper 3, can be attempted inside the app, and written answers are marked with a mark, the reason for it and the one change that moves each answer up. The free plan includes 2 written answers and 10 multiple-choice questions marked free.