Year 12 Early Starter
A year of preparation for a competitive economics application: reading they can talk about, the maths behind the TMUA, interview practice and an essay of their own, in about two hours a week.
- Designed by a Cambridge economist
- For Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and UCL applicants
- About two hours a week
What the year covers
- Guided reading38 teaching modules in eight stages, each stage paired with a real bookIncluded
- TMUA foundations57 original questions with worked solutionsIncluded
- Interview foundationsThe method tutors reward, and 40 practice questionsIncluded
- Essay Competition Pack 2027John Locke, RES Young Economist and Marshall SocietyIncluded
- A term-by-term planFour termly checkpoints, with self-checks and model answersIncluded
By the end, your child will be able to…
The year is planned backwards from these outcomes. Each has a target level (recall, explain, apply, evaluate and defend), with a checkpoint at the end of each term.
- Explain and apply the ideas economists use beyond A-level (game theory, hidden information, externalities) to cases they have not met.
- Tell the story of the 1929 crash and Depression, the 1970s inflation and 2008, with the evidence on each side.
- Defend a position in a live debate, such as Keynesians against monetarists on the 1970s, applied to inflation in 2022.
- Discuss an idea aloud, hold it under questioning, and change their mind when the evidence calls for it.
- Sustain a 10-minute discussion of an unseen interview-style question using a simple model.
- Score 70% or more on each block of TMUA foundations, from GCSE number to first calculus.
- Show their own curiosity: one research question followed beyond the set reading, a news-to-theory journal, and one finished essay competition entry.
- Draft notes for each of the three UCAS personal statement questions from their own reading log.
See a full sample stage (Stage 3: the Great Depression and Keynes) · Download it as a PDF · See a sample module
Reading they can talk about
A guided path through 38 modules, from game theory and market failure to Keynes, Friedman, the 2008 crisis and the arguments still running today. The modules are written teaching explainers, not a book list: each sets out the concept, the evidence on each side and where the debate stands. Each ends with a reflection prompt, so the student builds a reading log to draw on for the personal statement and at interview.
The maths behind the TMUA
57 original questions with worked solutions, from GCSE-level number and probability up to first A-level calculus, paced to what is taught at school during Year 12.
Thinking aloud under pressure
The method interviewers reward (thinking aloud, taking hints, catching mistakes, turning a situation into a simple model) and 40 practice questions with model reasoning.
A real book for each stage
Eight books admissions tutors know, with the chapters to read and a shorter option for each, so the personal statement can name reading the student has actually done. A stage reflection links each book to the modules.
- The Art of Strategy, Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff (games and strategy)
- The Undercover Economist, Tim Harford (market failure)
- The Great Crash 1929, J. K. Galbraith (the Depression)
- Free to Choose, Milton and Rose Friedman, chapter 9 (inflation)
- Fault Lines, Raghuram Rajan (2008)
- The End of Alchemy, Mervyn King (money after 2008)
- Why Nations Fail, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (growth)
- Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea, Mark Blyth (big debates)
Chapters, not whole books, where a book is long. The books are not supplied; most are in school and public libraries.
How each option gets there
Year 12 Early Starter (self-guided): the plan, the teaching modules and books, the practice questions, and a self-check at each termly checkpoint, with model answers to compare against.
A package built around your goals: tutor-led sessions or a different focus, such as interview practice, quoted per family. Get in touch
What it doesn’t include
The Early Starter is a self-study plan the student works through on their own. It does not include tutor review of the reading log, and there are no live sessions or discussions. The essay pack teaches planning and self-review; competition essays must be the student’s own work, so we never read or edit them.
Would you like a tutor to discuss the reading with your son or daughter? Ask about a supported package
Why start in Year 12
Oxford and Cambridge applications close in mid-October of Year 13, and the TMUA can be sat that October. The summer after Year 12 is the last long stretch to prepare, so students who start now arrive at Year 13 with the reading, the maths and the practice already done.
Season two
The Early Starter is the first of two seasons. From July 2027 the Year 13 passes, such as the Applicant Pass with the AI Interviewer, will be offered with all progress carried over. Nothing renews or charges automatically.
Choose your preparation
The Early Starter includes the Essay Competition Pack. Only entering an essay competition? The pack is also sold on its own.
Year 12 Early Starter
Reading, TMUA foundations, interview foundations and the essay competitions.
- Guided reading path with a reading log
- A real book for each of the eight stages
- TMUA foundations: 57 questions, worked solutions
- Interview foundations: 40 practice questions
- The Essay Competition Pack 2027
- A term-by-term plan with four checkpoints
Essay Competition Pack 2027
Preparation for the John Locke, RES and Marshall Society competitions.
- A guide to each competition and its rules
- A question-choice framework and ten practice questions
- Worked planning examples
- A structured self-review
One payment; nothing renews. The pack opens straight after payment, on the account of the email address used to pay, so pay with the address the student will sign in with. Under 18? You need a parent or guardian’s permission to buy, and we recommend they make the purchase. Already bought? Sign in.
Who we are. Econ Coaching was founded by a first-class Cambridge Economics graduate who has prepared applicants for six years. About us
Questions
Is Year 12 too early?
For Oxford and Cambridge, applications close in mid-October of Year 13, and the TMUA can be sat that October. That leaves the summer after Year 12 as the last long stretch to prepare.
How much time does it take?
About two hours a week, in blocks that fit around school.
Which universities is it for?
Any competitive economics course, with particular attention to Cambridge, Oxford (Economics and Management, PPE, History and Economics), LSE and UCL, where admissions tests, interviews or both are part of the process.
Does it include TMUA mocks?
Not yet. Timed mocks come in season two, once the full A-level maths syllabus has been covered. Year 12 builds the foundations they rely on.
Are the modules teaching material or a reading list?
Teaching material. Each module is a written explainer: the concept, the evidence on each side and where the debate stands now, ending with a reflection prompt. Alongside them, each stage pairs with one real book. See a sample stage.
Does a tutor review my child’s work?
Not in the Early Starter, which is self-study: at each termly checkpoint the student rates themselves against the outcomes and compares their answers with model answers. For tutor support built around your goals, get in touch.
Is there any live discussion?
No live sessions are included in the Early Starter. Ask us about a supported package if live discussion matters to you.
Who buys it?
Parents and guardians usually buy it for a student in Year 12. Under 18? You need a parent or guardian’s permission to buy, and we recommend they make the purchase. Pay with the email address the student will sign in with: the pass, the sign-in link and the confirmation go to that address.
Applying this year? See interview preparation and TMUA and TARA preparation.