What Inflation Is — Inflation: Causes & Effects | IGCSE Economics

Exam Frequency Analysis

Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)

This topic accounts for approximately 17% of your exam marks.

increasing

Very High

Increasing17%

Inflation causes (demand-pull vs cost-push), effects on different groups, and measurement appear in almost every series; 8 to 15 marks per paper.

Inflation is a sustained rise in the general level of prices in the economy over time. The rate measures how fast prices are rising as a percentage of the previous period.

Three pieces of the definition that earn marks:

Sustained. A one-off price rise (e.g. a sudden tax increase one quarter) is not inflation. Inflation is ongoing.
General price level. Inflation is about all prices on average, not the price of one good. A rise in the price of bananas alone is not inflation; a rise in the average of food, rent, energy, transport, clothing and so on is.
Real-world reality. Some inflation is normal in any growing economy. The aim (topic 12) is low and stable inflation, not zero.

A related concept worth naming:

Deflation is a sustained fall in the general price level, which shows up as a negative inflation rate. It is rare but dangerous: consumers delay purchases while they wait for prices to fall further, so firms cut output and unemployment rises.

A more extreme concept:

Hyperinflation is an extremely high and accelerating inflation rate, typically more than 50% per month. It destroys confidence in the currency; people switch to barter or foreign currencies. Famous historical examples include Weimar Germany in the 1920s and Zimbabwe in 2008.

Exam tip

Defining inflation

What comes up: A 2-mark question asking you to define inflation (e.g. "What is meant by inflation?").

Write (two marks): (1) A sustained (ongoing) rise in prices — not a one-off increase. (2) In the general (average) price level across the economy — not just the price of a single good.

Watch out: Saying "a rise in the price of goods" is too vague and risks scoring zero. Make sure both parts are present: the rise must be persistent, and it must be across all prices on average, not one item.