On the UNISA website, under Announcements, the following notification was posted during the second semester of 2020: “As you are aware, the university has resolved that following the May/June (2020) online examinations, all future examinations of Unisa will be held online.”
This website provides links to a practice exam (50 questions) and online tests covering the relevant content as prescribed in the Study Guide for ECS1501. The student is able to work through the practice exam and online questions from six past papers (May/June and October/November of 2014-2018) on a chapter-by-chapter basis to gauge their level of understanding and preparedness for the exams. Every single question in the practice exam and in each test provides detailed feedback on correct as well as incorrect responses. In this way, the student is able to learn by practicing questions from past papers with immediate diagnostic feedback. The content of the ECS1501 syllabus is originally based on the textbook mentioned below, and feedback explanations in the practice exam and the tests refer to this text:
Mohr, P. & associates. 2015. Economics for South African Students. 5th Edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
The textbook can be downloaded free of charge as a PDF from the internet, the title is: epdf.pub_economics-for-south-african-students-5th-edition.pdf
A more recent edition of the above textbook (which focuses only on Microeconomics) can also be used as a reference:
Mohr P, Seymore R, Yu D. 2018. Understanding Microeconomics. 2nd Edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
The online practice exam and the tests have been developed by Craig Fortuin, who has a B.Econ degree and a Higher Diploma in Education (Secondary) Commerce, from Stellenbosch University. During his term of employment at Varsity College Cape Town, he lectured on various UNISA Economics modules (1st, 2nd & 3rd year modules), including ECS1501 over the time-period spanning 2006-2013. In 2012 he was awarded the prestigious Independent Institute of Education (IIE) Dr Charles Freysen Teaching Excellence Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to teaching and learning, as well as consistently excellent pass rates. Since 2014 he has been employed as Subject Leader: Economics at a leading private school in Cape Town, but in his spare time has continued to help UNISA students as a freelance consultant.
Simply reading through summary notes or watching online videos is not an effective way to learn Economics. Students are encouraged to work through past papers and then check answers as provided in the memos or marking guidelines. That is precisely why this resource was developed - to give students the opportunity to work through past exam questions with instant feedback.
The online assessments do not all contain the same number of questions. The reason is that the question stock is based on the allocation of questions in exam papers to each of the learning units, and some learning units have a greater weighting of importance based on their content. To keep things simple, one standard price is charged for any assessment taken. With the aim of providing as many students as possible with the opportunity of assessing their exam-readiness, a price of just $4.95 (USD) (approximately R75) applies to each of the tests and the practice exam. A single test or exam purchase will allow three attempts at the same test/exam.
Today’s USD/ZAR exchange rate (approximate): Link to exchange rate
Payment for access to each test is facilitated through Paypal. The process is simple; the user is able to pay using a credit card which then gives immediate access to the test.
Important: If you are new to Paypal, you will be asked to enter your email address and a password. The password you use must not be the same password for your email address - create a different password (for your Paypal account) and write down your Paypal username (your email address) and password for future use.
Click on the button Summary Notes to download a free copy of the summary notes for microeconomics.
Free tests: The tests for Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 are free - simply click on the links and complete the tests free of charge.
Contact
For any queries, comments or assistance, please send an email to: passeconomicsnow@gmail.com
Click on the tab for tests and exams to see the list of chapters and the links to the tests.
Questions per test:
Chapter 1: 18 questions (free)
Chapter 2: 8 questions (free)
Chapter 3: 7 questions (free)
Chapter 4: 33 questions (free)
Chapter 5: 34 questions
Chapter 6: 25 questions
Chapter 7: 13 questions
Chapter 9 (A): 20 questions
Chapter 9 (B): 23 questions
Chapter 10: 26 questions
Chapter 11: 19 questions
Chapter 12: 19 questions
Practice Exam (all chapters): 50 questions