Exam Toolkit · Chain Bank

Chains of analysis, link by link

High marks go to analysis that’s developed step by step, not to a list of points. The Chain Bank gives you the standard chains for every major topic, each with the assumption behind every link and a full evaluation chain. Every chain is free to read. With the Exam Toolkit you can also test yourself on them and track which ones you’ve really got.

Read the chains, free See plans and prices

Free to read. Test yourself comes with the Exam Toolkit, from £7.99 a month.

211 chains across 13 topic areas
From a starting change to the words of the question
The assumption behind every link, ready to challenge
A full evaluation chain with each one, not a one-liner
Toolkit members: test yourself and track your progress

What a chain looks like

Every chain runs from a starting change to the outcome the question asks about. Each link is numbered, and each one names the assumption it relies on. That assumption is the place to start your evaluation.

Example · Monetary policy

Bank Rate rise → Inflation

The Bank of England raises Bank Rate, so commercial banks raise the rates they charge on loans and mortgages. Assumes banks pass the rise on.
Borrowing costs more and saving pays more, so households cut spending and firms delay investment. Assumes consumers and firms respond to interest rates.
Consumption and investment fall, so aggregate demand shifts left. Assumes nothing else is boosting demand at the same time.
With less demand pressure, firms raise prices more slowly, so inflation falls towards the 2% target.

Evaluation: the effect takes time, often well over a year, and it works best on demand-pull inflation. If inflation comes from energy or import prices, a rate rise reduces it more slowly and costs more lost output.

Topics in the bank

Macro policy

Monetary policy, fiscal policy, supply-side policy, exchange rates, the financial sector.

Markets and failure

Market failure, government intervention, labour markets, market structures and competition.

The global economy

Trade and protectionism, globalisation and development, economic shocks, poverty and inequality.

How to use it

Learn the standard chainRead the chain for your topic and say each link out loud in your own words.
Attack the assumptionsFor each link, ask what would happen if its assumption didn’t hold. That’s your evaluation.
Test yourselfToolkit members can rebuild each chain from memory and rate it: got it, shaky or couldn’t do it. Your progress shows which chains need more work.

Questions

What can I see for free?

All 211 chains, with every assumption and evaluation chain, free for everyone. The Exam Toolkit adds Test yourself: practise each chain from memory, rate how well you know it, and keep track of your progress across topics.

Which exam boards is it for?

Chains of analysis work the same way across boards. The bank is written for A Level, and much of it suits GCSE too.

Will new chains be added?

Yes. The bank grows over time, and members get every new chain at no extra cost.

Turn reading into remembering

Test yourself on the Chain Bank comes with the Exam Toolkit, together with the interactive Diagram Bank and the Worksheet Library.

See plans and prices Explore the Exam Toolkit