And how many students talked themselves out of marks
One of the clearest messages in the 2024 VCE Economics examiner’s report is that evaluation remains the most fragile skill for students, even those with strong content knowledge.
The exam did not test unfamiliar theory. It tested whether students could decide, prioritise and justify under specific economic conditions. Many could not.
The result was answers that sounded informed but earned fewer marks than expected.
What the 2024 exam actually meant by “evaluate”
Several questions in the 2024 paper required students to evaluate the effectiveness of policy in achieving an economic objective.
According to the examiner’s report, many students treated evaluation as explanation plus extras. They described how a policy works, listed some potential benefits, mentioned a limitation, and then stopped.
This is not evaluation.
The Study Design is clear that evaluation requires a judgement about how effective a policy is in the context provided. That judgement must be supported by reasoning. It cannot be implied, and it cannot be avoided.
Students who never answered the “how effective” part were capped, regardless of how accurate their explanations were.
Why listing strengths and weaknesses was not enough
A repeated criticism in the 2024 examiner commentary was that students presented balanced discussions without resolution.
Responses often followed a predictable pattern:
- explanation of the policy
- benefit one
- benefit two
- limitation
- move on
What was missing was prioritisation.
The examiners were looking for students to decide whether the benefits outweighed the limitations in the specific economic conditions shown. When that decision was absent, marks were lost.
Balance without judgement is not evaluation in VCE Economics.
Context was where evaluation either worked or failed
The 2024 exam included clear economic contexts through stimulus material, data and scenario descriptions.
The examiner’s report notes that high-scoring evaluation responses constantly returned to that context. They referred to inflation levels, growth performance, unemployment trends or fiscal conditions when justifying effectiveness.
Lower-scoring responses evaluated policy in theory. They could have applied to any economy at any time.
The Study Design does not reward generic evaluation. It rewards context-sensitive judgement.
The problem of hedging language
Another issue highlighted in the 2024 report was the overuse of cautious, non-committal language.
Students wrote that a policy may be effective, could help, or might improve outcomes. While this language sounds careful, it weakens evaluation.
Evaluation requires a position. High-scoring students used conditional language only when it was justified by the context, not as a way to avoid commitment.
Hesitation often cost more marks than being decisive.
Timeframes were frequently ignored
In several evaluation questions, students failed to consider timing.
The examiner’s report notes that students often discussed immediate effects without acknowledging short-term versus long-term outcomes, or policy lags.
Strong responses explicitly considered when effects would occur and how that affected overall effectiveness. Weak responses treated all effects as immediate and equal.
Time matters in evaluation, and ignoring it weakened many answers in 2024.
What strong evaluation looked like in the 2024 exam
The examiner’s report consistently points to the same strengths in high-mark responses.
They:
- identified the economic objective clearly
- applied the policy to the conditions shown
- weighed benefits against limitations
- prioritised the most significant effect
- reached a clear, justified conclusion
These responses were not longer. They were sharper.
Why evaluation remains the biggest separator
Evaluation is where students must stop describing and start thinking economically.
The 2024 exam showed that many students are still uncomfortable doing this. They know the content, but hesitate to use it decisively.
This hesitation is costly, especially in Unit 4, where evaluation is central to the Study Design.
What this means for Economics preparation
Students preparing for VCE Economics need to practise evaluation deliberately.
That means practising how to:
- make judgements based on context
- justify prioritisation
- commit to conclusions
- manage complexity without avoiding decisions
Evaluation is not a writing skill. It is a thinking skill.
Working with ATAR STAR
ATAR STAR Economics tutoring focuses heavily on evaluation because it is where marks are most often lost.
We train students to move beyond explanation, anchor their reasoning in context, and finish responses with confidence and clarity. This approach helps students convert strong understanding into the marks it deserves.
The 2024 exam made one thing clear. In VCE Economics, knowledge opens the door, but evaluation decides how far you go.