Generic examples are one of the quietest ways capable Economics students lose marks. The theory is correct. The language sounds right. The answer feels safe. And yet, the marks do not follow.
This pattern appears repeatedly in examiner feedback. Students rely on examples that are broadly relevant but poorly anchored. As a result, their responses sit comfortably in the middle band and rarely move beyond it.
What a generic example looks like in Economics
A generic example names a policy, objective or concept without grounding it in a specific context.
Students write about fiscal policy increasing aggregate demand, monetary policy reducing inflation, or government intervention correcting market failure. None of this is wrong. Much of it is expected knowledge.
The problem is that these examples could be used in almost any Economics question. They are not doing enough work for the task at hand.
In Economics, relevance is the starting point, not the finish line.
Why generic examples feel safe under pressure
Generic examples are attractive because they are familiar and flexible. Students know them well. They appear in notes, revision summaries and practice answers. Under time pressure, they are easy to reach for.
Students often assume that if an example is correct and relevant, it will attract marks automatically. The examiner reports suggest otherwise.
Marks are awarded for how an example is used, not simply for including one.
The difference between naming and applying a policy
Consider a response that states that expansionary fiscal policy can be used to stimulate economic growth.
That statement is accurate. It is also incomplete.
To score well, the student must explain how government spending or taxation changes affect aggregate demand, how this influences real GDP, and why this matters in the context described in the question. Without that chain of reasoning, the example remains generic.
Application requires movement from policy to mechanism to outcome.
Why generic examples fail in evaluation questions
Evaluation questions expose this weakness very quickly.
When students are asked to assess the effectiveness of a policy, naming a generic benefit or drawback does not advance a judgement. Listing that a policy may increase growth but also increase inflation is not evaluation. It is description.
Evaluation requires students to decide which effect matters more in the given context and justify that decision using economic reasoning.
Generic examples make this difficult because they are not anchored to a specific economic condition, objective or timeframe.
How generic examples weaken diagram use
Generic examples also undermine the use of diagrams.
Students often draw or describe an aggregate demand and aggregate supply diagram correctly, but fail to link the shift to the scenario in the question. The diagram becomes a textbook illustration rather than evidence.
Examiners consistently reward diagrams that are integrated into reasoning. A diagram must show something about this economy, at this time, under these conditions.
If the diagram could appear in any Economics exam, it is probably too generic to score highly.
What high-performing students do differently
Strong Economics students still use familiar examples, but they narrow them immediately.
They specify the type of policy, the economic condition, the objective being targeted, and the likely outcome. They explain why this example is relevant here, not just in theory.
They do not stack multiple examples. They develop one properly and move on.
Their answers feel intentional rather than padded.
A useful test for Economics responses
After writing an example, high-performing students implicitly test it by asking whether it could apply unchanged to a different question.
If the answer is yes, the example is probably too generic to score well.
Marks are earned where specificity begins.
What this means for Economics preparation
Students should stop asking whether an example is relevant and start asking whether it is specific enough.
Preparation should involve practising how to turn common examples into targeted reasoning. This means rehearsing pathways, outcomes and evaluative language, not memorising more examples.
Generic examples are not useless. Unfinished ones are.
Working with ATAR STAR
ATAR STAR Economics tutoring focuses on teaching students how to convert familiar content into high-scoring application.
We train students to select examples deliberately, anchor them to the question, and carry their reasoning through to a clear outcome or judgement. This approach helps students break out of the mid-range and produce responses that align with how Economics is actually assessed.
In VCE Economics, marks are not lost because students choose the wrong examples. They are lost because students stop too early.