CIVICS-PUBLIC-POLITI · Common Test for University Admissions (大学入学共通テスト)
CIVICS-PUBLIC-POLITI/11
Public, Politics and Economy
Civics: Public & Politics and Economics · 2022 · Variant 1
Relative difficulty
Analysis source: National Center for University Entrance Examinations (DNC)
Analysis aligned to the official syllabus and assessment design.
4.0 / 5
100
60 min
Policy and data reasoning: fiscal policy, monetary policy, social security, elections, constitutional principles and international economic interdependence.
Cohort performance
Session statistics from official examination reports
Total marks
100
Duration
60 min
Session difficulty
4.0 / 5
Calculator policy
Scientific calculators permitted only where specified in the DNC implementation guidelines; programming functions and CAS are prohibited. En
Key examiner messages
Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise
公共・政治経済 covers public life, constitutional democracy, law, political institutions, international relations, markets, finance, labor, welfare and global economic issues. R7 Common Test questions require students to apply political and economic concepts to data, institutions and…
Political-economy questions often combine institution knowledge with a graph or policy note; both must be consistent with the selected answer.
In a 60-minute social paper, quantitative items are usually simple but punishing if formulas are not written down.
Demand-supply questions require checking whether the curve shifts or movement occurs along the curve. A price change alone is not always a shift.
The DNC Problem Evaluation Committee publishes per-subject reports after each January session, rating alignment with the Course of Study (学習指導要領), item difficulty balance, and whether items discriminate without exceeding syllabus scope.
Question difficulty map
How candidates performed on each question in this series
No data available in official reports
Assessment objectives
Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary
Skill weighting
Cognitive skills emphasised in official test design.
Economic reasoning and calculation
Weight: 30100%Data interpretation
Weight: 2687%Institutional understanding
Weight: 2480%Policy evaluation
Weight: 2067%
Method marks watchlist
Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost
No data available in official reports
Recurring mistakes across years
Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject
Economic policy: Confusing fiscal stimulus with monetary easing. — Ask whether the actor is government budget/tax authority or central ba…
Exchange rates: Reversing yen appreciation and depreciation effects. — If the yen appreciates, imports become cheaper in yen and exports …
Constitution: Treating political custom as if it were a constitutional rule. — Separate written constitutional principles, statute law, c…
Data: Comparing absolute budgets across years without adjusting for GDP or population. — Use the denominator supplied and compare rates o…
International relations: Memorizing organization names without knowing purpose or membership logic. — Attach each institution to security…
Question choice intelligence
Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)
No data available in official reports
Level exemplars
What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like
No data available in official reports
Grade & admission context
How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards
Official body
National Center for University Entrance Examinations (DNC)
Grading system
Per-subject raw scores (素点); universities convert to deviation values (偏差値, mean 50) — no national pass/fail grade
Scale band
0–100 raw
Scale band
Deviation 50 = mean
Scale band
University cut-off
Deep insights
What top candidates did
Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series
Draw the institution chain
For politics, map who chooses whom, who checks whom and who can make which decision. Constitutional, parliamentary, cabinet, court and local-government questions become easier as authority chains.
Master graph mechanics
For demand-supply, exchange rates, inflation and unemployment, label axes and direction before reading the scenario. Many errors come from reversing appreciation/depreciation or surplus/shortage.
Know fiscal versus monetary policy
Fiscal policy changes taxes and government spending; monetary policy changes money supply, interest rates and credit conditions. Tie each to inflation, employment, debt and exchange-rate effects.
Read percentages carefully
Economic tables often require percentage change, share of GDP or dependency ratio. Write the formula: change rate = (new - old) / old x 100.
Evaluate policy trade-offs
For welfare, labor and environment, list beneficiaries, payers, short-term effects and long-term incentives. The best option usually balances multiple constraints.
Connect Japan and the world
Trade, exchange rates, security, development and global institutions frequently appear through data. Learn how domestic policy is constrained by international interdependence.
Command word playbook
How to match each command word to the expected response style
No data available in official reports
Time traps
Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks
No data available in official reports
Syllabus traceability
Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session
Constitution, rights, law and political institutions
Official topic weighting
Market economy, firms, labor and household activity
Official topic weighting
Public finance, social security and monetary policy
Official topic weighting
International politics, trade and global issues
Official topic weighting
MCQ trap analytics
Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary
No data available in official reports
Topic heatmap across years
Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject
Mark intensity
Constitution, rights, law and political institutions
Market economy, firms, labor and household activity
Public finance, social security and monetary policy
International politics, trade and global issues
Difficulty trend
How session difficulty has shifted across recent years
Paper comparison
Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session
Public, Politics and Economy: for one subject / when taking two subjects Multiple-choice with legal/political sources, economic graphs, tables and policy cases
Marks you can still earn
Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit
No data available in official reports
Practise what examiners flagged
Target weak topics from this report inside the Revui app
Constitution, rights, law and political institutions
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiMarket economy, firms, labor and household activity
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiPublic finance, social security and monetary policy
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiInternational politics, trade and global issues
Official topic weighting
Practise in RevuiSelf-diagnostic checklist
Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise
- 1Message
公共・政治経済 covers public life, constitutional democracy, law, political institutions, international relations, markets, finance, labor, welfare and global economic issues. R7 Common Test questions require students to apply political and economic concepts to data, institutions and…
- 2Message
Political-economy questions often combine institution knowledge with a graph or policy note; both must be consistent with the selected answer.
- 3Message
In a 60-minute social paper, quantitative items are usually simple but punishing if formulas are not written down.
- 4Message
Demand-supply questions require checking whether the curve shifts or movement occurs along the curve. A price change alone is not always a shift.
- 5Message
The DNC Problem Evaluation Committee publishes per-subject reports after each January session, rating alignment with the Course of Study (学習指導要領), item difficulty balance, and whether items discriminate without exceeding syllabus scope.
- 6Pitfall
Economic policy: Confusing fiscal stimulus with monetary easing. — Ask whether the actor is government budget/tax authority or central ba…
- 7Pitfall
Exchange rates: Reversing yen appreciation and depreciation effects. — If the yen appreciates, imports become cheaper in yen and exports …
- 8Pitfall
Constitution: Treating political custom as if it were a constitutional rule. — Separate written constitutional principles, statute law, c…
- 9Pitfall
Data: Comparing absolute budgets across years without adjusting for GDP or population. — Use the denominator supplied and compare rates o…
- 10Pitfall
International relations: Memorizing organization names without knowing purpose or membership logic. — Attach each institution to security…
- 11Strength
Draw the institution chain: For politics, map who chooses whom, who checks whom and who can make which decision. Constitutional,
- 12Strength
Master graph mechanics: For demand-supply, exchange rates, inflation and unemployment, label axes and direction before readi
- 13Strength
Know fiscal versus monetary policy: Fiscal policy changes taxes and government spending; monetary policy changes money supply, interest
Teacher briefing pack
One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review
2022 2022
Civics: Public & Politics and Economics
公共・政治経済 covers public life, constitutional democracy, law, political institutions, international relations, markets, finance, labor, welfare and global economic issues. R7 Common Test questions require students to apply political and economic concepts to data, institutions and co
公共・政治経済 covers public life, constitutional democracy, law, political institutions, international relations, markets, finance, labor, welfare and global economic issues. R7 Common Test questions require students to apply political and economic concepts to data, institutions and…
Political-economy questions often combine institution knowledge with a graph or policy note; both must be consistent with the selected answer.
In a 60-minute social paper, quantitative items are usually simple but punishing if formulas are not written down.
Economic policy: Confusing fiscal stimulus with monetary easing. — Ask whether the actor is government budget/tax authority or central ba…
Exchange rates: Reversing yen appreciation and depreciation effects. — If the yen appreciates, imports become cheaper in yen and exports …
- Total marks
- 100
- Duration
- 60 min
- Session difficulty
- 4.0 / 5
- Calculator policy
- Scientific calculators permitted only where specified in the DNC implementation guidelines; programming functions and CAS are prohibited. En
Session analysis
公共・政治経済 covers public life, constitutional democracy, law, political institutions, international relations, markets, finance, labor, welfare and global economic issues. R7 Common Test questions require students to apply political and economic concepts to data, institutions and contemporary policy choices. National Center for University Entrance Examinations (DNC) emphasises policy and data reasoning: fiscal policy, monetary policy, social security, elections, constitutional principles and international economic interdependence.. Priority revision: Constitution, rights, law and political institutions, Market economy, firms, labor and household activity, Public finance, social security and monetary policy, International politics, trade and global issues. For politics, map who chooses whom, who checks whom and who can make which decision. Constitutional, parliamentary, cabinet, court and local-government questions become easier as authority chains.
Updated 2026-07-03
Paper breakdown
Public, Politics and Economy: for one subject / when taking two subjects Multiple-choice with legal/political sources, economic graphs, tables and policy cases
Top chapters
Exam structure insights
Marks by syllabus topic
Revision priority from official test-design weighting.
Mark accessibility
Estimated difficulty spread based on official design.
Policy and data reasoning: fiscal policy, monetary policy, social security, elec
Paper structure
Official paper breakdown for this subject.
Public, Politics and Economy
100·10·100%
Official syllabus scope
公共・政治経済 covers public life, constitutional democracy, law, political institutions, international relations, markets, finance, labor, welfare and global economic issues. R7 Common Test questions require students to apply political and economic concepts to data, institutions and contemporary policy choices.
Difficulty verdict
Rated 4/5 for January sessions. Policy and data reasoning: fiscal policy, monetary policy, social security, elections, constitutional principles and international economic interdependence.
What examiners measure
1. Understand constitutional principles, political institutions and democratic participation. 2. Explain market mechanisms, public finance, monetary policy, labor and welfare systems. 3. Interpret economic data, diagrams and policy scenarios. 4. Analyze domestic and international issues using political and economic concepts. 5. Evaluate policy trade-offs with evidence from sources and basic calculations.
Where the marks are
Highest-weight syllabus areas: Constitution, rights, law and political institutions; Market economy, firms, labor and household activity; Public finance, social security and monetary policy; International politics, trade and global issues.
Examiner notes & key calculations
- Political-economy questions often combine institution knowledge with a graph or policy note; both must be consistent with the selected answer.
- In a 60-minute social paper, quantitative items are usually simple but punishing if formulas are not written down.
- Demand-supply questions require checking whether the curve shifts or movement occurs along the curve. A price change alone is not always a shift.
- Social security items often involve aging, dependency ratio and fiscal sustainability. Calculate working-age support pressure when data permits.
- Election and representation questions may test both fairness and governability; understand single-member districts, proportional representation and mixed systems.
- International economy questions often ask about comparative advantage, tariffs, exchange rates or balance of payments through a concrete scenario.
- Official reports value judgment and expression, so prepare to reason from sources rather than hunt for memorized sentences.
- Paper 1: Public, Politics and Economy · 100 marks · 60 min for one subject / 130 min when taking two subjects · Multiple-choice with legal/political sources, economic graphs, tables and policy cases.
Exam tips
Paper format
- Duration
- 60 min for one subject / 130 min when taking two subjects
- Total marks
- 100
- Weighting
- 100%
- Question types
- Multiple-choice with legal/political sources, economic graphs, tables and policy cases
- For politics, map who chooses whom, who checks whom and who can make which decision. Constitutional, parliamentary, cabinet, court and local-government questions become easier as authority chains.
- For demand-supply, exchange rates, inflation and unemployment, label axes and direction before reading the scenario. Many errors come from reversing appreciation/depreciation or surplus/shortage.
- Fiscal policy changes taxes and government spending; monetary policy changes money supply, interest rates and credit conditions. Tie each to inflation, employment, debt and exchange-rate effects.
Common mistakes
Economic policy
Confusing fiscal stimulus with monetary easing.
How to avoid: Ask whether the actor is government budget/tax authority or central bank/credit authority.
Exchange rates
Reversing yen appreciation and depreciation effects.
How to avoid: If the yen appreciates, imports become cheaper in yen and exports become more expensive abroad.
Constitution
Treating political custom as if it were a constitutional rule.
How to avoid: Separate written constitutional principles, statute law, cabinet practice and political convention.
Analysis is paraphrased for study purposes. Always verify against the official examiner report and mark scheme.