Awarding partial credit in economics
A three-mark answer identifies the relevant policy but stops before the full causal chain.
The question
Explain how increased government spending on infrastructure can reduce cyclical unemployment. (3 marks)
The marking guide
- Award 1 mark for identifying increased aggregate demand from government spending.
- Award 1 mark for linking higher demand to increased output by firms.
- Award 1 mark for linking greater output to increased demand for labour and lower cyclical unemployment. Accept a coherent equivalent chain.
The sample response
Government spending is part of aggregate demand, so more infrastructure spending increases aggregate demand. This should reduce unemployment.
Axtant’s mark and feedback
You identify that increased infrastructure spending raises aggregate demand, earning 1 mark. You do not explain how this leads firms to increase output and demand more labour, reducing cyclical unemployment.
Why the guide matters here
The first causal link is present. The answer jumps to unemployment without explaining the output and labour-demand steps required by this guide.
A useful teaching follow-up
Ask the student what firms need to do when demand rises. That prompt targets the missing reasoning rather than asking for more detail without direction.
Try it with your material
This practice question, guide and sample response were written for Axtant. The mark and feedback shown are Axtant’s own for that response.