Since the emergence of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) there have been calls for improved methods of assessing economics. Oral assessment has been suggested as a possible technique and this study investigated whether it might be used to allow students to demonstrate achievement in GCSE economics. The empirical study compared students' performances on a GCSE specimen question given in both written and oral form. The results show that orals of this type would probably not play a useful role in GCSE economics. There were, however, indications of the types of oral questions which could be used. This might be informal, using a variety of stimulus materials with follow-up questions playing an important role. Examples of the oral and written questions and the context in which they were given are provided, as well as 15 tables and graphs of test data and a 16-item reference list. (Author/PPB)