📚 OCR GCSE Economics: Case Study Practice | OCR GCSE 经济：案例分析实战演练
Case studies are a vital component of the OCR GCSE Economics assessment. They provide a realistic context in which you must demonstrate your understanding of economic principles, from supply and demand to government policy. This revision guide offers practical strategies, key concept applications, and a fully worked example to help you master the case study section of your exam.
案例分析是OCR GCSE经济学考试的核心部分。它提供了一个现实背景，要求你展现对供需关系、政府政策等经济学原理的理解。这份复习指南将提供实用策略、关键概念应用以及一个完整的案例演练，助你攻克考试中的案例分析题型。
1. The Role of Case Studies in GCSE Economics | 案例分析在GCSE经济学中的作用
In OCR GCSE Economics, case studies are designed to test your ability to apply theory rather than simply recall facts. A typical exam question will present a short extract about a firm, a market, or a government decision, followed by a series of questions that require definitions, analysis, and evaluation. You earn marks by linking economic terms to the specific details in the extract.
在OCR GCSE经济学中，案例分析旨在考察你运用理论的能力，而非简单复述事实。一道典型的考题会呈现一段关于企业、市场或政府决策的简短材料，然后提出需要定义、分析和评估的问题。你需要将经济学术语与材料中的具体细节联系起来才能得分。
Understanding the purpose of a case study helps you avoid generic answers. Examiners want to see you use the evidence provided, such as 'the firm expects demand to rise by 10%' or 'the government has introduced a specific tax of 50 pence per unit'. Always anchor your reasoning in the data or statements given.
理解案例分析的目的有助于避免千篇一律的答案。考官希望看到你运用所给证据，比如“该企业预期需求将上升10%”或“政府对每单位产品征收50便士的特定税”。务必将你的推理建立在所给数据或陈述之上。
2. How to Read an Extract Effectively | 如何有效阅读材料
Before you start writing, spend two to three minutes actively reading the extract. Annotate the text by underlining or circling key economic triggers: figures on costs, prices, taxes, subsidies, sales volumes, information about competitors, or references to elasticity. This disciplined approach ensures you do not miss crucial clues that can shape your answers.
在动笔之前，花两三分钟主动阅读材料。通过划线或圈点标注关键经济触发信息：成本、价格、税收、补贴、销售量等数据，以及关于竞争对手或弹性的信息。这种严谨的方法能确保你不遗漏可用于构建答案的重要线索。
Pay close attention to time frames and causal links. For example, 'over the past six months, rising transport costs have pushed up our variable costs' indicates a supply-side shift that can be explained using cost-of-production theory. Similarly, 'the government plans to reduce income tax next year' opens the door to a discussion of fiscal policy and consumer spending.
密切关注时间框架和因果关系。例如，“过去六个月，运输成本上涨推高了我们的可变成本”表明了一个供给侧变化，可以用生产成本理论来解释。同样地，“政府计划明年降低所得税”则为你讨论财政政策和消费者支出打开了大门。
3. Identifying and Applying Key Concepts | 识别并应用关键概念
Every case study will contain keywords that point directly to syllabus topics. When you spot a rise in input prices, think of the supply curve shifting left. If the extract mentions a rival firm leaving the market, consider market structure, barriers to entry, and monopoly power. A mention of a 'skills shortage' should immediately prompt you to discuss labour market failure and occupational immobility.
每一篇案例分析都会包含直指课程大纲主题的关键词。当你发现投入品价格上升时，要想到供给曲线向左移动。如果材料提到竞争对手退出市场，就要考虑市场结构、进入壁垒和垄断势力。提到“技能短缺”应立即引导你讨论劳动力市场失灵和职业流动性不足。
One highly effective technique is to create a mental checklist of the core OCR topics and tick them off as you match them with the extract. Topics such as the basic economic problem, opportunity cost, factors of production, externalities, and protectionism frequently feature in case studies. Always ask yourself: which part of the textbook does this scenario illustrate?
一个非常有效的技巧是在脑海中建立一个OCR核心主题清单，一边匹配材料一边核对。基本经济问题、机会成本、生产要素、外部性和保护主义等主题经常出现在案例分析中。始终问自己：这个情景说明了课本中的哪一部分？
4. Demand and Supply Analysis in Context | 情境中的需求与供给分析
Most case studies require you to draw demand and supply diagrams. Even if not explicitly asked, a well-labelled diagram can strengthen your written analysis. If the extract notes that 'consumer incomes have risen by 4%', you should consider a rightward shift in demand for normal goods, leading to a higher equilibrium price and quantity.
大多数案例分析需要你画出需求与供给图。即使题目没有明确要求，一个标注清晰的图表也能强化你的书面分析。如果材料指出“消费者收入增长了4%”，你就应该考虑正常商品的需求向右移动，从而导致均衡价格和数量上升。
| Scenario in Extract | Demand-Side Effect | Supply-Side Effect |
| Rising popularity of vegan food | Demand shifts right (change in tastes) | No direct effect |
| Increase in corporation tax | No direct impact on consumer demand | Supply may shift left (higher costs of production) |
| Introduction of a subsidy for solar panels | Demand shifts right (lower price to consumers) or supply shifts right | Supply shifts right (lower cost for producers) |
材料中的情境 | 需求侧影响 | 供给侧影响。上表归纳了常见案例线索与供需曲线移动的对应关系，务必在练习时熟练判断。
When evaluating a price change, distinguish clearly between a movement along the curve (caused by a change in price) and a shift of the curve (caused by other factors). A common error is to draw a shift when the event only changes the good's own price. Always verify your reasoning with the extract's wording.
在评估价格变化时，要明确区分沿着曲线的移动（由价格变化引起）和曲线本身的移动（由其他因素引起）。一个常见错误是，当事件只改变商品自身价格时却画出了曲线移动。务必依据材料措辞验证你的推理。
5. Elasticity and Business Decisions | 弹性与企业决策
Price elasticity of demand (PED) is a favourite topic for OCR case studies. If the extract gives information about consumer response to a price increase, you can calculate PED and advise the firm on its pricing strategy. For instance, if PED is -0.5, demand is inelastic, and raising prices will increase total revenue, assuming costs remain stable.
需求价格弹性（PED）是OCR案例分析中的热门话题。如果材料提供了消费者对价格上涨反应的信息，你可以计算PED并为企业提供定价策略的建议。例如，如果PED为-0.5，需求缺乏弹性，那么在成本不变的情况下提价将增加总收入。
Income elasticity (YED) also appears when the extract discusses changes in consumer income or the state of the economy. A positive YED greater than 1 indicates a luxury good, which will see a more than proportionate rise in demand when incomes grow. Use such insights to explain why a firm might be more exposed during a recession or benefit from a boom.
收入弹性（YED）也会在材料讨论消费者收入或经济状况变化时出现。YED大于1的正值表明是奢侈品，当收入增长时，其需求会以更大比例上升。利用这些见解来解释，为什么一家企业在衰退期可能更易受影响，或者能从繁荣中获益。
6. Costs, Revenue and Profit | 成本、收益与利润
A firm's cost structure is often at the heart of a case study. Draw a distinction between fixed costs, such as rent and management salaries, and variable costs, such as raw materials and piece-rate wages. Use the extract to calculate total cost if figures are provided, and even average cost per unit, which is particularly relevant for economies of scale arguments.
企业的成本结构通常是案例分析的核心。要区分固定成本（如租金和管理人员工资）和可变成本（如原材料和计件工资）。如果材料提供了数据，计算总成本，甚至单位平均成本，这对关于规模经济的论证尤为重要。
Profit can be analysed not just as a financial reward, but as a signal and incentive in a market economy. If a case study mentions 'supernormal profits', link it to the entry of new firms in a contestable market. Conversely, 'losses' and 'firms leaving the industry' illustrate the dynamics of market exit and the role of profit in allocating scarce resources.
利润不仅可以作为财务回报来分析，还可以作为市场经济中的信号和激励。如果案例分析提到“超额利润”，将其与可竞争市场中新企业的进入联系起来。反之，“亏损”和“企业退出该行业”则说明了市场退出的动态以及利润在配置稀缺资源中的作用。
7. Government Intervention and Taxation | 政府干预与税收
Government policies are a staple of OCR case studies. The extract might describe a new indirect tax on sugary drinks, a subsidy for electric car manufacturers, or a regulation limiting pollution. Your task is to identify the type of intervention, illustrate its impact with a diagram, and evaluate its effectiveness by considering advantages, disadvantages, and unintended consequences.
政府政策是OCR案例分析的基本内容。材料可能描述对含糖饮料征收新的间接税，为电动汽车制造商提供补贴，或实施限制污染的法规。你的任务是识别干预类型，用图表说明其影响，并通过考虑利弊及意外后果来评估其有效性。
When discussing a specific tax, do not forget to address the burden borne by consumers versus producers, which depends on relative elasticities. If demand is inelastic, consumers pay a larger share. Relate this to the government's aim of reducing consumption: a tax might fail to change behaviour significantly if demand is highly inelastic, yet it can still raise substantial government revenue.
讨论从量税时，不要忘记说明消费者与生产者各自承担的税负，这取决于相对弹性。如果需求缺乏弹性，消费者将承担更大份额。将此与政府减少消费的目标联系起来：如果需求高度缺乏弹性，税收可能无法显著改变行为，但仍能筹集可观的政府收入。
8. Labour Market and Wages | 劳动力市场与工资
Case studies involving a firm's workforce will require you to apply labour market theory. An increase in the National Living Wage, as often featured, acts as a price floor in the labour market. You should draw a diagram showing the minimum wage above the equilibrium wage, explain the potential surplus of labour (unemployment), and then evaluate using factors such as the level of the wage relative to productivity.
涉及企业劳动力的案例分析需要你应用劳动力市场理论。经常出现的国民生活工资上涨，在劳动力市场中相当于一个价格下限。你应该画图显示最低工资高于均衡工资，解释可能出现的劳动力剩余（失业），然后结合工资水平与生产率的关系等因素进行评估。
Pay close attention to differences in wage rates mentioned in the extract. If some workers receive higher pay, consider reasons such as differences in skill, training costs, risk, or trade union power. If a firm is finding it difficult to recruit chefs, link this to occupational immobility and market failure in the provision of training, which can justify government intervention or in-house retraining programmes.
密切关注材料中提到的工资差异。如果某些工人获得更高薪酬，要考虑技能差异、培训成本、风险或工会力量等原因。如果一家企业发现难以招聘厨师，将此与职业流动性不足和培训供给中的市场失灵联系起来，这可以证明政府干预或企业内部再培训计划的合理性。
9. International Trade and Globalisation | 国际贸易与全球化
Many OCR case studies are set in a global context, such as a UK manufacturer importing components from Asia or exporting to the European Union. When an extract mentions exchange rate fluctuations, you must explain how a depreciation of the pound makes exports cheaper and imports more expensive, boosting net exports but raising input costs for firms reliant on foreign raw materials.
许多OCR案例分析设定在全球背景下，例如一家英国制造商从亚洲进口零部件或向欧盟出口。当材料提到汇率波动时，你必须解释英镑贬值如何使出口更便宜、进口更昂贵，从而促进净出口，但同时会提高依赖外国原材料企业的投入成本。
Protectionist measures like tariffs and quotas are common scenarios. A tariff on imported steel protects domestic producers by raising the price of foreign steel, which can be shown with a tariff diagram. However, evaluate the disadvantages: higher costs for domestic car manufacturers that use steel, potential retaliation, and a loss of consumer surplus due to higher prices. Always link back to the specific firms or workers named in the case study.
关税和配额等保护主义措施是常见情景。对进口钢铁征收关税通过提高外国钢铁价格来保护国内生产商，这可以用关税图表示。然而，要评估其缺点：使用钢铁的国内汽车制造商成本上升、潜在的报复以及价格上涨导致的消费者剩余损失。务必联系案例中提到的具体企业或工人进行讨论。
10. Longer-Answer Evaluation Skills | 长答题评估技巧
The highest marks in OCR case study questions are reserved for evaluation. This means going beyond one-sided arguments and considering 'it depends on' factors. Use phrases like 'However, the effectiveness of this policy largely depends on the price elasticity of demand', or 'In the short run, the firm may face higher costs, but in the long run it may benefit from dynamic efficiency gains'.
OCR案例分析题的最高分留给评估环节。这意味着要超越单方面论点，考虑“视情况而定”的因素。使用诸如“然而，这项政策的有效性在很大程度上取决于需求价格弹性”或“短期来看，企业可能面临更高成本，但长期来看可能从动态效率提升中获益”等表述。
A strong evaluation often weighs up the impact on different stakeholders: consumers, producers, the government, workers, and the environment. Recognise that there may be trade-offs. For example, a government subsidy for apprenticeships may help young workers and improve long-run labour productivity, but it also involves an opportunity cost in terms of public funds that could have been spent on healthcare or infrastructure.
强有力的评估通常会权衡对不同利益相关者的影响：消费者、生产者、政府、工人和环境。要认识到可能存在权衡取舍。例如，政府对学徒制的补贴可能帮助年轻工人并提高长期劳动生产率，但它也涉及机会成本，即这些公共资金本可以用于医疗保健或基础设施。
11. Worked Example: The Coffee Chain Case | 案例演练：咖啡连锁店
Let us apply these skills to a simulated OCR case study. Read the following extract carefully:
让我们将这些技巧应用到模拟OCR案例中。仔细阅读以下材料：
Brew & Co is a chain of 50 coffee shops in the UK. It imports premium Arabica beans from Colombia. Over the past year, drought in South America has driven up the price of coffee beans by 15%. At the same time, the UK government has raised the National Living Wage for workers aged 23 and over by 9.8%, and introduced a new sugar tax on syrups. Brewer & Co is considering raising the price of its medium latte from £3.20 to £3.50. Market research suggests that the price elasticity of demand for its coffee is -0.7.
Brew & Co是一家在英国拥有50家门店的咖啡连锁店。它从哥伦比亚进口优质阿拉比卡咖啡豆。过去一年，南美干旱导致咖啡豆价格上涨了15%。与此同时，英国政府将23岁及以上工人的国民生活工资上调9.8%，并对糖浆征收新的糖税。Brew & Co正考虑将中杯拿铁的价格从3.20英镑提高至3.50英镑。市场调研显示，其咖啡的需求价格弹性为-0.7。
First, identify the economic issues: a supply shock (rising raw material costs), an increase in a price floor in the labour market (minimum wage), an indirect tax (sugar tax), and a proposed price increase with known PED. You should draw two diagrams: a leftward shift of supply for coffee due to higher bean costs, and a labour market diagram showing the impact of the National Living Wage increase on Brew & Co's café staff.
第一步，识别经济问题：供给冲击（原材料成本上升）、劳动力市场价格下限上调（最低工资）、间接税（糖税），以及在已知PED情况下的提议涨价。你应该画两个图：一个是咖啡供给因豆价上涨而左移，另一个是劳动力市场图，显示国民生活工资上调对Brew & Co门店员工的影响。
the expected impact on total revenue. Since PED is -0.7 (inelastic), a price increase from £3.20 to £3.50 (a 9.4% rise) will cause quantity demanded to fall by 9.4% × 0.7 = 6.6% le; the PED estimate might be inaccurate over the long run as consumers find substitutes like homemade coffee; and rising costs from wages and tax may erode profit gains.
对于定价决策，计算对总收入的预期影响。由于PED为-0.7（缺乏弹性），价格从3.20英镑升至3.50英镑（上涨9.4%）将导致需求量下降9.4% × 0.7 = 6.6%。因此，总收入将增加。然而，你必须评估：如果市场具有可竞争性，该企业可能会流失部分客户给竞争对手；长期来看，随着消费者找到自制咖啡等替代品，PED估计值可能不准确；此外，工资和税收导致的成本上升可能侵蚀利润增长。
Finally, discuss the sugar tax. This is an indirect tax designed to internalise the negative externality of sugar consumption (e.g., health costs). For Brew & Co, it raises the cost of flavoured syrups. The firm could pass this on to consumers (shifting the supply curve further left), absorb the cost, or reformulate its recipes. Evaluate whether the tax is likely to be effective in reducing sugar consumption, given that coffee is often a habitual good with inelastic demand.
最后，讨论糖税。这是一种间接税，旨在内化糖消费的负外部性（如健康成本）。对Brew & Co而言，它提高了调味糖浆的成本。企业可以将此转嫁给消费者（使供给曲线进一步左移）、自行消化成本，或重新调整配方。评估该税在减少糖消费方面是否可能有效，因为咖啡通常是习惯性商品，需求缺乏弹性。
12. Top Exam Tips for Case Studies | 案例分析考试高分技巧
To excel, always structure longer answers using a clear chain of reasoning. Start with a definition, then a diagram with explanation, followed by application to the case study, and finish with evaluation. Never write 'the price will go up' without stating the economic reason, such as 'the rise in the National Living Wage increases firms' variable costs, shifting the supply curve left.'
要想出类拔萃，请始终使用清晰的推理链来组织长答案。以定义开头，然后是图表加解释，接着是案例应用，最后以评估收尾。切勿只写“价格会上涨”而不说明经济原因，例如“国民生活工资上调增加了企业的可变成本，使供给曲线向左移动”。
Use the mark allocation as a guide. A 6-mark question typically expects three distinct points of analysis or an analysis plus evaluation. An 8-mark question almost always requires a justified conclusion or a discussion of multiple perspectives. Time management is crucial: never spend so long on one case study that you run out of time for the next question.
将分值分配作为指引。一道6分题通常要求三个不同的分析点，或者分析加评估。一道8分题几乎总是要求有理由充分的结论，或多角度讨论。时间管理至关重要：切勿在一个案例分析上花费过长时间，导致没有时间做下一题。
Finally, practise with past papers under timed conditions. For each extract, list the five main economic concepts you would use before you begin writing. This habit will make your answers more focused, accurate, and confident on exam day.
最后，在计时条件下使用历年真题进行练习。针对每份材料，在动笔前列出你将使用的五个主要经济学概念。这个习惯将使你在考试当天的答案更加集中、准确且自信。
Published by TutorHao | Economics Revision Series | aleveler.com
更多咨询请联系16621398022（同微信）
或截图后用「扫一扫 → 相册」选择本图