March 2024 Business update
Welcome to this March 2024 update.
This update features a new Business competition called BOSS which might be of interest to your Year 10 and 12 students in the next couple of months.
The March network events focus on writing conclusions (A level) and marking mocks (GCSE). I hope you will be able to join us and that you will also have a look at our new GCSE and A level FT case studies.
I hope that you are able to enjoy the Easter break when it comes.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 March | A level Business network event on conclusions |
| 7 March | Results day for IAL January series |
| 20 March | GCSE Business network event on marking |
| 21 March | International GCSE entry deadline for UK centres |
| 21 March | GCSE, International GCSE, A level and IAL entry deadline for international centres |
BOSS is a gamified business competition for schools in England which is free to enter and with prizes for the winners. It is suitable for Key Stages 4 and 5.
In BOSS, your students run their own virtual travel agency, competing in an exciting virtual market against students from other schools. It's a unique chance to apply business concepts in a fun, competitive scenario.
All participants receive e-certificates and the top 3 teams win Amazon vouchers worth £1200
The registration deadline is 24 March.
The BOSS competition is run by Revas who offer business simulation games for students of different ages. A range of different contexts can be chosen from beauty salons to vet clinics.
For help with:
- free support and networking
- free resources
- paid-for resources from Pearson
- paid-for resources from Hodder
- other paid-for resources
For help with:
- recorded feedback training
- building your own question papers (examWizard)
- the key command verbs
- grade boundaries and statistics
GCSE Business network events
The dates and links to sign up for the 2023-2024 GCSE network events are below.
| 20 March | Paper 2 Mock Marking Live! As teaching of Theme 2 nears completion, we will live mark a Theme 2 paper, so that you can see how to accurately apply the mark scheme. The session will provide you with material to use with your students in order to help best prepare them for their summer examination. |
| 24 April | Top tips for reaching grade 9 and raising attinment in lower attainers. This final session of the year will focus on those light minute tips and hints that can be passed onto your students to help them attain the higher grades. There will be three distinct sections. The first will focus on how we can best help lower attainers improve their exam performance. Then we will consider how students can access Grade 9 before considering how we can differentiate for EAL students, by involving the expertise of staff that work solely with these students. |
FT case studies for GCSE Business
This year the case studies have a slightly different format which includes suggested answers.
| Case study | Topic areas - Theme 1 | Topic areas - Theme 2 | |
| 29 | Mars | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.5.1 Business stakeholders |
2.1.4 Ethics, the environment and business 2.3.2 Working with suppliers 2.4.2 Understanding business performance |
| 30 | Deliveroo | 1.2.4 The competitive environment 1.4.2 Business location |
2.1.1 Business growth 2.1.3 Business and globalisation |
| 31 | Legoland | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.1.3 The role of business enterprise 1.2.1 Customer needs 1.2.3 Market segmentation 1.4.4 Business plans 1.5.2 Technology and business |
|
| 32 | IKEA | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.5.4 The economy and business 1.5.5 External influences |
2.1.1 Business growth 2.1.3 Business and globalisation 2.2.2 Price 2.2.4 Place |
| 33 | McDonald’s | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.3.2 Business revenues, costs and profits 1.4.3 The marketing mix 1.5.4 The economy and business |
2.2.1 Product 2.2.2 Price 2.2.5 Using the marketing mix to make business decisions. 2.4.1 Business calculations |
| 34 | Shein | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.1.3 The role of business enterprise 1.2.1 Customer needs 1.2.3 Market segmentation 1.2.4 The competitive environment |
2.1.1 Business growth |
| 35 | Mortgages | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.2.4 The competitive environment 1.5.4 The economy and business 1.5.5 External influences |
|
| 36 | Sainsbury's | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.1.3 The role of business enterprise 1.3.2 Business revenues, costs and profits 1.4.3 The marketing mix |
2.2.1 Product 2.2.2 Price 2.2.3 Promotion 2.2.4 Place 2.2.5 Using the marketing mix to make business decisions |
Examiner recruitment
We are seeking to employ examiners for GCSE Business.
Free teacher access to Pearson’s online GCSE revision
Pearson Revise Online gives every student the same access to all their revision guides for Pearson Edexcel and AQA subjects. All in one place online, with quick quizzes and knowledge checks to help them prioritise their learning.
This year, teachers can get free access to the platform to use in front-of-class revision lessons in the run-up to mocks.
May/June 2024 exam series
The entry deadline for UK centres is 21 February 2024.
The entry deadline for international centres is 21 March 2024.
May/June 2025 provisional timetables
For help with:
- free support and networking
- free and paid-for resources
For help with:
- the key command verbs
- grade boundaries and statistics
Onscreen mocks
Onscreen mocks are now available for International GCSE Business
Onscreen exams rollout
International GCSE Business will have the first onscreen assessment available from 2024.
Make sure you’re signed up for the latest onscreen assessment news to find out how to register your school.
The Pearson onscreen sandbox (test environment) gives students all the practice they need to explore the platform’s functionality and build their confidence before they sit their exams onscreen.
It’s easy to register for an account: just click on Register for an account and enter your email address as your user ID.
The materials are digitised in the same platform as the mock and high-stakes onscreen exams and are a good opportunity for teachers and students to get to know the platform and functionality available.
Whilst the user experience mirrors what can be expected from the mocks and high-stakes assessments, please note that any solutions submitted through the sandbox environment by candidates will not be saved.
Modular International GCSE
International GCSE Business is in the last group of subjects to make a modular route available to learners from September 2025.
This means that we will have both a modular and a linear route to achieve this qualification for centres outside the UK.
If you are happy with the linear approach, there is no need to move to the modular route; our linear International GCSEs will continue to be offered and taken widely by learners around the world.
However, if you believe the modular route will be of benefit to your learners, this will be available from September 2025 with the first exams in May/June 2026.
Examiner recruitment
We are seeking to employ examiners for International GCSE Business and Commerce.
November 2023 exam series
May/June 2024 exam series
The entry deadline for UK centres is 21 February 2024.
The entry deadline for international centres is 21 March 2024.
November 2024 provisional timetable
May 2025 provisional timetable
Exam entry codes.
4BS1A = the traditionally assessed linear papers
R - Regional papers - Pearson requires the following countries to use the alternative R option codes: Australia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
C = Onscreen assessment
CR = Regional and onscreen papers
| Entry | Option | Title |
| 4BS1 | A | Business (Papers 1 & 2) |
| 4BS1 | R | Business (Papers 1R & 2R) |
| 4BS1 | ZA | Business (Papers 1C & 2C) |
| 4BS1 | ZB | Business (Papers 1C & 2) |
| 4BS1 | ZC | Business (Papers 1 & 2C) |
| 4BS1 | ZD | Business (Papers 1CR & 2CR) |
| 4BS1 | ZE | Business (Papers 1CR & 2R) |
| 4BS1 | ZF | Business (Papers 1R & 2CR) |
For help with:
- free FT case studies
- free resources
- paid-for resources from Pearson
- paid-for resources from Hodder
- other paid-for resources
For help with:
- introduction to assessment
- building your own question papers (examWizard)
- the key command verbs
- grade boundaries and statistics
A level Business network events
The dates for the 2024 A level network events are below with the links to sign up.
| Tuesday 5 March | Developing effective conclusions This session will look at the different ways to approach a conclusion on a 10,12 and 20 mark question. It will look at common errors that students make when attempting a conclusion and good examples of when they have reached top marks. |
| Tuesday 30 April | Revision (learn to learn) strategies This session will be focussed on learning strategies for A Level Business, in particular topics that students often confuse or get wrong. There will be opportunities to network with other teachers and share best practice in the classroom to support the students with their revision |
FT case studies for A level Business
This year the case studies have a slightly different format which includes suggested answers.
| Case Study | Theme 1 | Theme 2 | Theme 3 | Theme 4 | |
| 29 | Sony | 1.3.5 Marketing strategy | 2.5.1 Economic influences | 3.1.4 Impact of external influences | |
| 30 | Canada | 2.4.1 Production, productivity and efficiency | 4.2.2 Assessment of a country as a market 4.2.3 Assessment of a country as a production location |
||
| 31 | Directline | 3.4.3 Shareholders versus stakeholders 3.6.1 Causes and effects of change |
|||
| 32 | Aldi | 1.5.3 Business Objectives | 4.3.3 Cultural and social factors | ||
| 33 | Airbus | 1.2.1 Demand 1.2.2 Supply |
|||
| 34 | Spotify | 1.3 Marketing mix and strategy |
2.5.3 The competitive environment | ||
| 35 | Social media | 3.1.4 Impact of external influences | |||
| 36 | Spotify | 1.4.1 Approaches to staffing 1.4.4 Motivation in theory and practice |
2.4.1 Production, productivity and efficiency | ||
| 37 | iPhone production | 4.1.2 International trade and business growth 4.2.3 Assessment of a country as a production location 4.2.4 Reasons for global merger or joint ventures |
|||
| 38 | Shein | 1.3.3 Pricing strategies 1.3.2 Branding and promotion |
Examiner recruitment
We are seeking to employ examiners for A level Business.
May/June 2024 exam series
The entry deadline for UK centres is 21 February 2024.
The entry deadline for international centres is 21 March 2024.
May/June 2025 provisional timetable
For help with:
- free support and networking
- free resources
- paid-for resources
For help with:
- the key command verbs
- grade boundaries and statistics
October 2023 exam series
May/June 2024 exam series
October 2024 exam series
January 2025 exam series - provisonal timetable
May/June 2025 provisional timetable
Onscreen exams rollout
IAL Business will have the first onscreen assessment available from 2026.
Make sure you’re signed up for the latest onscreen assessment news to find out how to register your school.
There is a new support page for you to bookmark – General qualifications assessment support. Here we’ll share news information and updates from Ofqual, the Department for Education (DfE), the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and Pearson, relating to the exams and assessments for our GCSE, AS and A level qualifications.
We’ll be updating it regularly so you know you’ve got all the latest announcements, news, support materials and updates to enable you to teach our qualifications, help your students with their assessments and post-results support, to enable them to progress.
How to submit an appeal from 01 January 2024
From 1 January 2024, we are pleased to confirm that there will be a new web form for centres and private candidates to use when they wish to submit an application to appeal or request a review of an administrative decision. Using this web form will help to guide centres and private candidates in the information that needs to be provided in an application to appeal. This will help us to ensure we can process all applications promptly.
The web form will be available on our main Post-results web page and on our Post-results services web page for T levels, and will be operational by 1 January 2024. From that date onwards we will no longer accept appeal applications that are made directly to our appeals email inbox. Appeals submitted to the inbox prior to 01 January 2024 will be processed. We will return any applications to appeal that are sent to our appeals inbox from 01 January 2024 to you with a request to submit them using the web form.
Centres and private candidates must use the web form to submit appeals related to:
1. the outcome of reviews of marking/moderation (within 30 calendar days of the date of the decision)
2. the decisions made in relation to student or centre malpractice (within 14 calendar days of the date of the decision)
3. the decisions made in relation to access arrangements, special consideration, reasonable adjustments (within 14 calendar days of the date of the decision)
4. the outcome of a preliminary appeal in any of the areas above. An application for an appeal hearing must only be made once a preliminary appeal has been conducted and must be made within 14 calendar days of the date of the preliminary appeal decision.
Centres and private candidates must also use the web form to request the review of an administrative decision in areas such as decisions made in relation to very late arrivals and where we have issued an aegrotat (estimated grade).
Further information on the appeals process can be found in the JCQ Appeals Booklet 2023.
Further information on appeals, including fees, can also be found on our website. Our website will be fully updated by 1 January 2024 to refer centres and private candidates to our webform.
General queries about issues that are not appeals should not be submitted on the appeals webform as we will not be able to process them. If you need help with a matter that is not an appeal, please contact our customer services team for assistance. This will ensure your query can be routed to the appropriate team without delay.
On 15 September 2023 the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) updated its ‘Instructions for the Conduct of Qualifications’ document for the 2023/24 academic year to provide more clarity to candidates, exam officers and teachers given recent changes in technology.
In particular, the use of calculators in exams has been updated in Section 10 ‘Using calculators’. The use of calculators applies to a number of different subjects so please do pass this information to all who need to read it.
Full details can be found in the in the booklet Instructions for conducting examinations 2023-2024 and a set of FAQs about using calculators on the JCQ website.
Subject advisor
Colin Leith
Business
