Welcome to the 98th edition of our Newsletter EdGenie's 📜 Sunday Scroll...

Every Sunday I send out actionable tips, tricks and real-world application insights from my 15 year experience coaching students to achieve As and A*s in their Economics A Levels via EdGenie.

Hey Genies, 👋

🎯 Want to go from a B/C/D/E to an A or A* in your A-Levels?

64% of EdGenie students who told us their results this year achieved an A or A* - and many of them didn’t start anywhere near that level.

 Here are the 3 game-changing habits they used (and you can too):

1) Learn exam technique from the start
A-Levels aren’t just about knowing the content. You’ve got to know how to answer questions the way examiners want. Too many students leave this until a few weeks before exams. Big mistake.

👉 If you start practising technique in Year 12, you’ll learn content and technique together—and be miles ahead.

2) Practise questions early and often
Don’t wait until mocks to try past paper questions. From the very first topic, start applying what you know—whether it’s 1-markers, 10-markers, or 25-mark essays.

👉 The more you practise, the more natural it feels—and the less stressful exams become.

3) Get feedback (fast)
This is the golden ticket. Submitting work and getting detailed feedback within a few days shows you exactly what examiners reward and how to improve.

👉 The trick? Act on the feedback straight away.

One EdGenie student submitted over 150 pieces of work in 2 years - and finished with an A*.

The truth?

A/A* students aren’t just “naturally smart.” They follow systems that build results week by week.

Your choice: wait until it’s too late, or start now and build habits that guarantee progress.

Ready to put these 3 habits into practice?

👉 JoinEdGenie this summer and let’s get you on track for that A*.

BTW - we've exclusively launched EdGenie Maths aswell. Get your free trial now.​

Best Regards

Emre

🌱 Chocolate in High Demand​
Global appetite for cocoa keeps rising, but supply cannot keep up due to disease, climate change, and poor farming practices.

📈 Record Cocoa Prices​
Cocoa prices hit a historic $12,000 per tonne in December before easing to $8,000, still more than triple the price three years ago.

🍬 Sweetmakers Adapt​
Chocolate firms raise prices and promote alternatives like gummies, while experimenting with substitutes such as sunflower-seed chocolate.

🧪 Lab-Grown Cocoa Innovation​
Startups and big firms are investing in cell-culture technology to grow cocoa butter and solids in laboratories, reducing reliance on farms.

🤝 Big Players Join In​
Companies like Mondelez, Lindt, Barry Callebaut, and Meiji are partnering with or investing in startups to secure future cocoa supply.

🚧 Risks and Challenges​
Cultivated cocoa faces regulatory approval delays, uncertain consumer acceptance, and risks of repeating lab-grown meat’s struggles.

💸 Investment Trends​
Lab-grown meat funding collapsed, but growing plant cells like cocoa is cheaper and may face less cultural or political opposition.

🌍 Global Implications​
Lab-grown cocoa is expected to supplement rather than replace traditional cocoa, with potential to expand into coffee and other crops.

Q. Explain why the demand for cocoa is likely to be price inelastic
A. Cocoa demand is relatively price inelastic because it is a key ingredient in chocolate, a good with few close substitutes and high consumer loyalty. Even when prices rise, demand falls only slightly, as chocolate is habit-forming and viewed as a small proportion of income (low income elasticity). Moreover, firms absorb higher costs or pass them on with little effect, since consumers perceive chocolate as a necessity in their consumption bundle. Inelastic demand explains why the tripling of cocoa prices still sustains strong sales. However, in the long run, substitutes like gummies or sunflower-seed chocolate may reduce this inelasticity.

Q. Discuss the extent to which lab-grown cocoa could solve the market failure caused by volatile cocoa supply.
A. Lab-grown cocoa could address market failure by stabilising supply, reducing reliance on volatile harvests affected by climate change and disease. This lowers price fluctuations, benefiting both firms and consumers. Investment by large companies demonstrates dynamic efficiency, as technological innovation creates more sustainable production methods. However, regulatory approval delays and high fixed costs mean widespread use may take years. Furthermore, traditional cocoa farmers in developing economies could lose income, worsening inequality. Overall, lab-grown cocoa mitigates volatility but cannot fully replace natural production in the short to medium term.

Q. Evaluate whether dependence on primary commodity exports is a barrier to long-term economic development
A. Dependence on commodities like cocoa exposes economies to price volatility, worsening terms of trade and causing unstable export revenues. This undermines investment in health, education, and infrastructure, slowing development. The Prebisch-Singer hypothesis suggests that over time, primary product exporters face declining relative incomes compared to manufacturers. However, commodity dependence can attract foreign investment and provide government revenue if managed well. Diversification policies, such as processing cocoa domestically, could capture more value. In the long run, dependence constrains sustainable growth unless economies diversify and reduce vulnerability to external shocks.

Q. Explain how cocoa shortages may affect the economies of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
A. As 70% of the world’s cocoa is produced in these two countries, shortages reduce export volumes, cutting foreign exchange earnings. This worsens the current account balance and constrains the import of capital goods. Lower farm output also reduces rural incomes and employment, raising poverty and inequality. Reduced tax revenues limit government spending on infrastructure and development. However, higher world prices may offset some losses if demand remains strong, though long-run reliance on volatile commodity markets creates instability.

If you or your child are looking to Boost your A level Economics Grades in under 30 days, I'd recommend starting with an all-in-one support network where you get 24/7 access to a SuperTutor:

→ Join EdGenie 🧞‍♂️: Transform your A-Level Economics essays and exam marks (genuinely) with our comprehensive on-demand learning platform. This carefully curated course blends engaging content with effective exam techniques, the same ones that have empowered over 1,000 of my students to achieve an A or A* over the last 13 years.