IB Diploma · Economics
IB Economics, taught as the writing exam it is.
Economics SL and HL for IB Diploma students in Singapore and overseas. Most marks are lost on command terms, unused diagrams and thin evaluation, and all three can be taught.
In short. Arche Academy International teaches IB Economics SL and HL in Singapore, five students to a class near Kovan MRT, from S$155 per 2-hour lesson. Students overseas, including in Hong Kong and the UAE, take it one to one on Zoom from US$200.
Every lesson is taught by the founder, Glen Teo, who scored an A in H2 Economics at Eunoia Junior College. The course covers both papers, Paper 3 at HL and all three Internal Assessment commentaries. The first step is a free 30-minute diagnostic.
Levels
Both levels, SL and HL.
Economics SL
| Content | Introduction to economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, the global economy |
| Papers | Paper 1 (extended response) and Paper 2 (data response) |
| Internal Assessment | A portfolio of three commentaries on published news articles — 30% of the grade at SL |
| Where marks go | Command terms and evaluation, not content knowledge |
Economics HL
| Additional content | HL extension topics and quantitative content across micro, macro and the global economy |
| Papers | Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 — the quantitative policy paper, sat by HL students only |
| Internal Assessment | The same three-commentary portfolio — 20% of the grade at HL |
| Where marks go | Paper 3. Quantitative, time-pressured and routinely under-practised |
The subject
IB Economics is a writing exam. Most students treat it as a content exam.
Students rarely lose marks because they do not know what a price ceiling is. They lose them for five specific, teachable reasons — and this is what the programme is built around.
- Command terms. “Explain”, “analyse”, “discuss” and “evaluate” are four different tasks with four different mark ceilings. Most students write the same essay for all four.
- Diagrams drawn but not used. A correctly labelled diagram earns little until the prose refers to it explicitly.
- Evaluation. The highest-value and least-taught skill in the subject — a real judgement, supported, with the assumptions named.
- Real-world examples. A vague gesture at “a country” scores below a named, dated, specific example.
- The commentaries. Three pieces, written over months, against a rubric published in advance. They should be the strongest part of a grade and usually are not, because students pick articles that cannot support the required analysis.
The tutor
Taught by Glen, every lesson.
Glen founded Arche Academy in 2022 and has taught for six years. He scored an A in H2 Economics at Eunoia Junior College, then studied Accounting and Finance (Honours) and a Master of Science in Management at NUS.
The person who marks your child’s diagnostic essay is the person who teaches them after it. No handover, no rotating tutors. More about Glen.
How lessons run
- In Singapore: five students maximum, Kovan, from S$155 per 2-hour lesson
- Overseas: one to one on Zoom, from US$200 per 2-hour lesson. 8pm on school nights in Hong Kong; 4pm to 8pm in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
- Essays marked with written feedback against the command term
- Paper 2 data response and HL Paper 3 practised under time
- IA commentary coaching: article choice, diagram, analysis, evaluation
- Past papers from recent series; full fees and terms
Questions
What parents ask.
What is the difference between IB Economics SL and HL?
How much does IB Economics tuition cost?
Can you help with the Economics IA commentaries?
Do you teach IB Economics online for students in Hong Kong or the UAE?
Who teaches IB Economics at Arche?
Send us a marked Economics essay.
We’ll tell you whether it is the economics or the writing.