There's no such thing as a free lunch

Review of essay

Rating: 3 star(s)

Response to the question

The essay explores the statement well, making a clear argument that there is no such thing as a free lunch. The right ideas are used, such as cost-benefit analysis and trade-offs however the key one is ignored. Opportunity cost must be explained here to gain the top marks, as this is the higher level concept which is often misunderstood. I liked how this essay took a different angle, applying the principle to getting a free week at a Yoga club. Being able to transpose the situation will show a stronger understanding.

Level of analysis

The analysis is sound in this essay, but it spends too much time talking about the context of yoga. If I was doing this essay, I would define cost-benefit analysis, then show how it can be applied to Yoga and then argue why it shows there isn't such thing as a free lunch. I would've liked to have seen some numerical analysis here, and this would've fit in nicely with the opportunity cost. The common argument is that if you could be working in the hour you eat lunch, it is therefore not free as it has an opportunity cost of one hour working. This must be explored whenever talking about the economic problem of scarcity and opportunity costs. If the essay wanted to go further, it could explore rationality and whether individuals always consider cost-benefit analysis. For example explaining that impulse buys may not take into account the trade-off would be an interesting argument.

Quality of writing

The essay has a clear structure, defining the argument in the introduction and having a strong conclusion. I like the style here, but it doesn't always seem suited for an economic argument. Rhetorical questions don't have any place in a formal essay, and seeing them suggests you're trying to force an emotive response than using analysis to make a strong argument! Spelling, punctuation and grammar are strong.