How can I improve my "chain of reasoning" when explaining answers so I can achieve full marks for analysis (KAA)?

Producing a "chain of reasoning" in your answers is one of the more difficult requirements of the A level Economics syllabus. It is important when explaining your answers that you make clear and logical steps between the points you are making, so that it is obvious to the examiner that you are comfortable with all the stages of the process you are describing, and so that you can achieve the maximum number of marks for the question.

A good way to approach this is to plan out your reasoning for each paragraph before jumping into the question. It may be helpful to number or label each step within your reasoning (e.g. A --> B --> C--> D ... ) so that you can look back at the previous step and think about the next logical effect that would occur. Therefore, you can look back at your points, and think about whether they clearly explain the effect you are talking about. I would advise you to make a quick plan similar to this before diving into the question because it can be easy skip steps or assume the examiner knows what you are talking about under such time pressured conditions that you will be facing.

A good example of this sort of plan, and the eventual answer is below:

(During the lesson I would create and talk through a model plan like this for a topic that the student wants to go over to make sure they have material that they can base future answers on)

For a question such as "evaluate the economic benefits of foreign direct investment, with reference to specific countries", one chain of reasoning might be:

A. FDI = increase in living standards B. (e.g. Mongolia opened itself up to FDI in 1990 when the Soviet Union fell and has seen increases in living standards since) C. Firms/workers have access to better technology from firms of other nations D. Better technology = increase in productivity of labour due to increase in MPP and MRP of labour E. Increase in productivity (MPP & MRP) = increase in real wages (since wages are based on the output that labour can achieve) F. Real income per capita is an indicator of the HDI, so since it has increased we can say that living standards have increased

In the above chain of reasoning plan, you can see that each step follows on from the previous one. This makes it really clear to the examiner that you understand the point you are making, and it makes it much easier for them to mark,meaning you are much more likely to get full marks for your answer. It will also mean that you don't skip any key steps in the answer and it will save you a lot of time in the exam since you won't have to think as much about what you are writing.

Ultimately the best way to improve your chain of reasoning is to practise past papers and questions from other resources, checking the mark schemes to make sure you have included all the required material in your answers. However, if you still find it difficult, we can make model answers for the topics that you find particularly difficult so that you can learn them and repeat them in the exam if they come up.