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I need help on my commentary.


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Have a look at the Economics Teacher Support Material, you can find it on this site under "Files". (VIP Only) It has several examples of commentaries and also conveniently shows how the commentary should be formatted. Start by mentioning what article it is and why it is worthy of a commentary (briefly). Include a few diagrams and lots of evaluation - without forgetting the theory behind the evaluation.

For a more in-depth answer ask more specific questions :).

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  • 9 months later...

The kind of structure I usually use starts by saying what the article is about ("This article is on the milk price rise in XX due to XX"). Then you define the terms needed (e.g. demand and supply) and start, using graphs and with reference to your article, introducing the economic theory behind this (eg. interactions of supply and demand and their determinants). The last few paragraphs should be evaluation; long and short term effects, effects on different groups (eg. consumers, milk producers), advantages and disadvantages. I usually conclude with one or two sentences in general (eg. In my last commentary on exchange rates: "Thus there is little that the governments can do to affect the price of euro in terms of US dollar". In a 750 word commentary I tend to have about 200-300 words of evaluation, 300 words on economic theory and the rest is defining my terms :)

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Personally, I didn't start my commentaries with "This article is about ___" because the word count is far too tiny and just by reading the title (which should be on a separate cover page, more on that later), the examiner should know what your commentary is about. My personal advice to you is to start with a definition. Another tip is to quote the article as much as you can within reason, and this is especially true in the evaluation. If your article is about the price of milk rising, on the axis of your diagrams put "Price (Milk)" and "Quantity (Milk)". If the article says the average price of a carton has risen from 2$ to 2.50$, put that on the price axis instead of the standard (P -> P1). When you're explaining your theory, include the elements of your article in it as much as possible. For example, don't just say "When a factor of production increases, the price of the good also increases". Instead, put, "When the price of labour for farming increases, the price of milk will increase". (or whatever the reason for the price of milk rising). Integrate your article/example (which in this case is milk) into your theories as much as possible, because examiners are specifically looking for how you can explain and evaluate a real-life situation from what you learned in the textbook/classroom. In the evaluation, back up your points with the article. Finally, make sure your commentary isn't a letter over 750 words, because examiners can and will count each of your commentaries to make sure they're between 650 and 750 words. (If you put a title on the same page as the commentary it also counts, so put it on a separate cover page).

Best of luck to you! Hope this helped.

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