One choice.Everythingmoves.↗
Follow the signals. Find the connections. Make your own economic discoveries.
7 connected scenesOne world to understand
IB ECONOMICS / THE BRITISH SCHOOL, NEW DELHI
01 / 07Choices
SCROLL. WATCH. MAKE THE CONNECTION.
A SMALL CHOICE. A BIGGER PICTURE.Your coffee.
Your coffee.
Someone’s income.
Money doesn’t stop at the till. Follow one payment and see the connections hiding in an everyday choice.
A simplified example, not real café accounts.THE JOURNEY OF ₹100YOUR CHOICE STARTS IT
—
Someone’s wages
Income for the people making your coffee.
—
Someone’s business
Payment to the café’s suppliers.
—
The café’s balance
Available for other costs and profit.
Press Spend an illustrative ₹100 to follow the payment.
ONE PAYMENT. MANY CONNECTIONS.
FOUR SCALES. ONE CONNECTED SUBJECT.Change your
Change your
point of view.
From the choice in your pocket
to the forces shaping the world.
SELECT A SCALE TO EXPLORE
02 / MICROECONOMICS
Who really pays?
Prices carry signals. Policies change incentives. Trace what happens to consumers, producers and society.
DEMAND · SUPPLY · INTERVENTIONREAL DATA. REAL QUESTIONS.
India, by the numbers.
World Bank WDI · automatically refreshed annual series
A LITTLE LESS LAST-MINUTEYour next
YEAR 12 / 2026–27
Your next
big thing.
YEAR 12 / 2026–27Loading your class calendar…
THE LEARNING MAP
Official HL subject briefFour units. A world of connections.
Your HL route through the IB Economics course. Start with a question, build a model, then test its limits.
240 recommended teaching hours · including 20 hours for internal assessment. First assessment 2022; current public brief runs through 2029.
UNIT 0110 HOURS · HLIntroduction to economics
The economic way of thinking
How do we make choices in a world of scarcity?
- Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost
- Factors of production and economic systems
- Production possibilities curves
- Positive and normative statements
- Economic methodology and schools of thought
PUT IT TO WORK
Open class materialsA city can fund a new hospital or a rail line. Identify the opportunity cost of each choice, then consider whose priorities shape the decision.
UNIT 0270 HOURS · HLMicroeconomics
Choices. Markets. Consequences.
When do markets work — and when do they fail?
- Demand, supply and competitive equilibrium
- Price and income elasticity of demand
- Price elasticity of supply
- Government intervention in markets
- Externalities and common access resources
- Public goods and the limits of rational choice
HL EXTENSION
- Asymmetric information
- Market power
- Further behavioural economics
PUT IT TO WORK
Open class materialsA government taxes sugary drinks. Explain the price mechanism, identify the external cost, and evaluate whether taxation alone is sufficient.
UNIT 0375 HOURS · HLMacroeconomics
The economy in the big picture
How can policy improve economic well-being?
- GDP, GNI and measures of economic activity
- Aggregate demand and aggregate supply
- Growth, unemployment and inflation
- Inequality, poverty, Lorenz curves and the Gini coefficient
- Monetary and fiscal policy
- Supply-side policies
HL EXTENSION
- The Keynesian multiplier
- Sustainable government debt
PUT IT TO WORK
Open class materialsInflation falls while output slows. Distinguish disinflation from deflation, then evaluate the central bank’s policy choices.
UNIT 0465 HOURS · HLThe global economy
A world of interdependence
Who gains from a more connected world?
- Benefits of trade and protectionism
- Economic integration and the WTO
- Exchange rates and the balance of payments
- Measuring development: HDI and multidimensional poverty
- Barriers to growth and development
- Strategies for sustainable development
HL EXTENSION
- Comparative advantage calculations
- Marshall–Lerner condition and the J-curve
PUT IT TO WORK
Open class materialsA currency depreciates. Trace the effects on export revenue, import costs and living standards. What determines whether the trade balance improves?
Development economics sits within Unit 4. These topic summaries orient your learning; use the official guide and class materials for the full course specification.
Nine lenses. Deeper understanding.
Use a concept to shape your analysis, not just decorate it.
01
Scarcity
Our wants exceed the resources available to meet them. Every allocation leaves an alternative use unmet.
Which resource is limited, and what does that force people to give up?THE WORLD IN DATA
Evidence before opinion.
Read the number. Understand the measure. Ask what it leaves out.
Connecting to World Bank…ANNUAL SERIES
Real GDP growth
—
Connecting to World Bank…
Consumer-price inflation
—
Connecting to World Bank…
Unemployment
—
Connecting to World Bank…
Trade openness
—
Connecting to World Bank…
Fetching the latest available annual observations directly from World Bank WDI.
World Bank and original providers · CC BY 4.0, subject to dataset termsReal GDP growth
Annual growth in GDP at market prices, based on constant local currency. Not a quarterly growth rate.
No observations available. The original source remains accessible.
Source & methodologyConsumer-price inflation
Annual consumer-price inflation. This is an annual series, not the latest monthly CPI release. IMF International Financial Statistics, via World Bank WDI.
No observations available. The original source remains accessible.
Source & methodologyUnemployment
Modelled ILO estimate of unemployment as a share of the labour force. It may differ from national survey estimates.
No observations available. The original source remains accessible.
Source & methodologyTrade openness
Exports plus imports of goods and services as a share of GDP. A larger ratio does not by itself establish greater welfare.
No observations available. The original source remains accessible.
Source & methodologyTHE WORLD, BETWEEN LESSONS
Today’s questions. Tomorrow’s economists.
Recent reporting and policy releases, connected to what you are learning.
Connecting to the reading desk…DAILY CHECK
Publisher dates are shown on every story. · Scheduled for 6 a.m. IST each day.
Suggestions are based on feed headlines and descriptions. Read the full source before selecting an IA article; these stories have not been reviewed by your teacher.
Checking recent publisher feeds…
From the class reading list
Case studies retained from the original site · September 2026 collection
This is a dated class archive, not a live news feed. Check the original article’s date, availability and suitability before using it for an IA. Some publishers require a subscription.
RBI holds the repo rate at 5.25% for a fourth straight meeting
Identify the shock. Trace its effect on objectives. Evaluate the policy response.
Retail inflation climbs to 4.45% in July — a 19-month high
Identify the shock. Trace its effect on objectives. Evaluate the policy response.
Europe's carbon border tax and what it costs Indian exporters
Identify the incentives. Draw the market model. Evaluate the intervention.
OPEC+ completes its output rollback — a cartel managing supply in public
Identify the incentives. Draw the market model. Evaluate the intervention.
WTO cuts its outlook as conflict and tariffs weigh on world trade
Identify the international link. Compare stakeholder effects over time.
The India–EU trade deal: which tariffs fall, and who gains
Identify the international link. Compare stakeholder effects over time.
Rupee recovers to a two-month high after RBI intervention
Identify the international link. Compare stakeholder effects over time.
Extreme poverty: hard-won gains, and the new risks to them
Identify the international link. Compare stakeholder effects over time.
A low-hire, low-fire jobs market — and the AI question underneath it
Identify the shock. Trace its effect on objectives. Evaluate the policy response.
LEARN BY DOING · UNIT 2
Small changes. Visible consequences.
Explore a competitive market. Move one variable at a time and explain what happens.
DEMAND, SUPPLY & AN INDIRECT TAXILLUSTRATIVE MODEL
DemandSupply
Quantity40.0
Buyer pays60.0
Seller receives60.0
You change the conditions.
Prices are in hypothetical currency units; quantity is per period.
DecreaseIncrease
No tax30 per unit
The market is in equilibrium.
With the other curve unchanged, the price mechanism moves the market to the intersection of demand and supply.
Model assumptions & equations
Demand: P = 100 + demand shift − Q. Supply: P = 20 + Q. A per-unit tax shifts the supply curve faced by buyers vertically upward. Equilibrium: Q = (80 + shift − tax) / 2. This model assumes competition, constant linear slopes and no externalities; all other determinants are held constant. Deadweight loss compares the taxed market with its no-tax equilibrium at the same demand shift. It is not a simulation of a specific real market.
THE IA STUDIO
Open MS TeamsAn article. A lens. Your argument.
Use real-world evidence to construct your own economic analysis. This workspace helps you plan; it does not write your commentary.
3commentaries
Units 2, 3 and 4
Units 2, 3 and 4
800words maximum
per commentary
per commentary
45portfolio marks
14 × 3 + 3
14 × 3 + 3
30/20%of the final grade
SL / HL
SL / HL
Your planning desk
Held in this open page only. Download your notes before leaving or reloading.
Enter both dates to check the publication window.
0 words in these notes · not an official IA word count
Before you call it finished
0 of 8 self-checks completed · for your reference, not a predicted grade
THE EXAM ROOM
Practise the thinking. Then the timing.
Your HL assessment at a glance, with a quiet space for focused practice.
The argument
1h 15m25 marks20%
One extended-response question from a choice of three. Part (a): 10 marks. Part (b): 15 marks.
How to approach it
Define the key terms, build a causal explanation, integrate a diagram and use a relevant real-world example. For evaluation, make a supported judgment.
The evidence
1h 45m40 marks30%
One data-response question from a choice of two. Use the extracts and data throughout your answers.
How to approach it
Quote relevant evidence precisely, show your calculations and units, and connect the context to the theory. Avoid an evaluation that could apply to any country.
The policy
1h 45m60 marks30%
HL only. Two compulsory questions, 30 marks each. Quantitative analysis and policy recommendations.
How to approach it
Show your working and recommend a policy suited to the case. Explain trade-offs, constraints and the conditions for success.
External assessment: 80%. Internal assessment: 20%. Use class papers and the official IB materials to confirm instructions for your examination session.
Give your practice a beginning and an end.
75:00
Use a question from the class Resource Bank. This timer is a practice aid.
The command changes the answer.
AO3
Student-friendly guidance; consult the IB guide for formal definitions.Evaluate
Weigh strengths and limitations. Make a supported judgment that answers the question.
PLAN YOUR TIME
What’s next, and when.
Year 12 · class assessments and IA deadlines for 2026–27. Switch your year group in the top bar.
Sept17
Test 1 · Market equilibrium
Paper 1 part (a) style: one 10-mark question, covering everything up to and including market equilibrium.
Oct13
Test 2
Format and content will be confirmed closer to the date.
Nov26
Test 3
Format and content will be confirmed closer to the date.
Feb24
Microeconomics · First draft
Submit your Unit 2 commentary through MS Teams. Your teacher may advise on one draft per commentary.
May18
Microeconomics · Final
Submit your final Unit 2 commentary through MS Teams. Check the 800-word limit and respond to draft feedback.
READ. QUESTION. CONNECT.
Good economics starts with good sources.
Your class materials and a carefully organised doorway to the wider subject.
R
Classroom
Resource Bank
Class notes, diagrams, papers, IA materials and reading. School Microsoft sign-in may be required.
T
Classroom
MS Teams
Class messages, tasks and all IA submissions.
I
Course & revision
IB Organisation
Official programme information and updates.
E
Course & revision
EconplusDal
Economics explanations and revision videos.
I
Course & revision
IB Economist
Diagrams and exam technique videos.
W
Data & institutions
World Bank Open Data
Country indicators and downloadable time series. Connected to the data desk.
R
Data & institutions
Reserve Bank of India
India’s monetary policy, official releases and reports. Press releases connected to the daily reading desk.
W
Data & institutions
World Bank
Development research, country reports and policy.
I
Data & institutions
IMF
World Economic Outlook, economic data and analysis.
U
Data & institutions
UNDP · Human Development
Human Development Reports and the HDI.
W
Data & institutions
WTO
International trade data, policy and disputes.
M
Data & institutions
MoSPI
Official Indian GDP, CPI and statistical releases.
T
News & analysis
The Economist
International economics and public policy. Subscription may be required.
F
News & analysis
Financial Times
Markets, business and global policy. Subscription may be required.
E
News & analysis
Economic Times
Indian business, economic news and policy.
M
News & analysis
Mint
India’s economy, finance and public policy.
T
News & analysis
The Hindu · Business
Indian economic and business reporting.
World Bank indicators are connected automatically. Other resources open at their original websites. Access to subscription articles and school materials depends on your existing accounts.
A QUESTION WORTH ASKING?
Let’s work through it.
Ms Meesha Arora · Human Sciences
MFL Workroom, 3rd Floor
MEETING SLOTS
Week AFriday · Lesson 8
Week BWednesday · Lesson 1
Please message on Teams before visiting.
Open Teams