Edexcel
July 2024 Business update
Welcome to this July 2024 update.
In this last update of the year there is a reminder of what you might do to prepare for results day, especially with regard to the permissions in your Edexcel Online user profile.
There are also some event dates for the autumn term which you may wish to add to your calendar for next year.
When the end of term finally comes, I hope that you are able to enjoy a restful summer break.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 2 July | Question papers released (uploaded) |
| 16 July | Mark schemes released (uploaded) |
| 15 August | Results day for A level and IAL |
| 20 August | Examiners' reports for A level and IAL released (uploaded) |
| 22 August | Results day for GCSE and International GCSE |
| 27 August | Examiners' reports for GCSE and International GCSE released (uploaded) |
Getting ready for results days
After results have been published you may wish to analyse your results using some of the services we have available such as Access To Scripts and Results Plus.
Access To Scripts
Available from results day, our Access to Scripts service allows you to view your candidates’ marked scripts online or download as PDFs, providing transparency of marking and to help you make decisions around requests for reviews of marking and inform future teaching and learning.
Results Plus
ResultsPlus is our online results analysis tool that gives you a detailed breakdown of your students’ performance in their exams.
Once you’ve received your students' results, you can get more insight on their performance on each question at individual student, class or cohort level using ResultsPlus.
Before you go...
The Access to Scripts portal and ResultsPlus can only be accessed by Edexcel Online users who have the Exam Viewer and ResultsPlus permissions ticked in their Edexcel Online profiles.
Only Exams Officers are able to give teachers this access.
Don’t forget to ask your Exams Officer for access before you break for the summer, to be ready for the post-results period.
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 - autumn term 2024
| 25 September | Reflections from Paper 1 |
| 9 October | Reflections from Paper 2 |
| More dates to follow |
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 |
| 37 | Bodyshop | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.1.3 The role of business enterprise 1.4.2 Business location |
2.1.4 Ethics, the environment and business 2.2.1 Product 2.2.4 Place 2.2.5 Using the marketing mix to make business decisions 2.5.1 Organisational structures |
| 38 | Ferrari | 1.2.3 Market segmentation 1.3.2 Business revenues, costs and profits 1.4.3 The marketing mix |
2.1.4 Ethics, the environment and business 2.2.1 Product 2.2.2 Price 2.2. Using the marketing mix to make business decisions 2.3.1 Business operations 2.3.3 Managing quality |
| 39 | Greggs | 1.1.3 The role of business enterprise 1.2.1 Customer needs 1.2.4 The competitive environment 1.3.1 Business aims and objectives 1.4.3 The marketing mix |
2.1.1 Business growth 2.2.1 Product 2.2.2 Price 2.2.3 Promotion 2.2. Using the marketing mix to make business decisions 2.3.1 Business operations |
| 40 | M&S | 2.5.1 Organisational structures 2.5.2 Effective recruitment 2.5.3 Effective training and development |
|
| 41 | Premier Inn | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.1.3 The role of business enterprise 1.2.1 Customer needs 1.5.4 The economy and business |
2.1.1 Business growth 2.5.1 Organisational structures 2.5.3 Effective training and development |
| 42 | Adidas | 1.2.1 Customer needs 1.2.4 The competitive environment 1.4.3 The marketing mix |
2.2.1 Product 2.2.3 Promotion 2.2. Using the marketing mix to make business decisions 2.3.1 Business operations |
May/June 2025 timetable
For help with:
- free support and networking
- free and paid-for resources
For help with:
- the key command verbs
- grade boundaries and statistics
Training
| 1 October | Module 1: teaching the International GCSE qualification |
| 8 October | Module 2: assessing the International GCSE qualification |
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.
November 2024 timetable
May 2025 timetable
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 - autumn term 2024
| 30 September | Reflections from Paper 1 |
| 14 October | Reflections from Paper 2 |
| 11 November | Reflections from Paper 3 |
| 02 December | The Skill of Application |
Key terms for each theme
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 |
|||
| 39 | Biscoff | 1.2.1 Demand 1.3.2 Branding and promotion 1.5.4 Forms of business |
3.2.1 Growth | 4.3.1 Marketing | |
| 40 | The high street | 1.1.3 Market positioning 1.3.1 Product/service design 1.3.2 Branding and promotion 1.3.4 Distribution |
2.5.1 Economic influences |
3.1.2 Theories of corporate strategy 3.1.3 SWOT analysis |
4.4.2 Ethics |
May/June 2025 timetable
For help with:
- free support and networking
- free resources
- paid-for resources
For help with:
- the key command verbs
- grade boundaries and statistics
Training
| 15 October | Module 1: teaching the IAL Business qualification |
| 22 October | Module 2: assessing the IAL Business qualification |
October 2024 exam series
January 2025 exam series - timetable
May/June 2025 timetable
January 2026 provisional timetable
The feedback window is open from Monday 24 June to Friday 19 July. Please send any feedback into us at Timetables@Pearson.com
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.
Now that the exam series has come to an end, we would like you to share your feedback on this year's exam papers.
We wish to provide students with the best possible exam experience, and your insights are crucial in helping us achieve this goal. If you're a teacher whose students have taken any of our exams in the May/June 2024 series, we are eager to hear your thoughts.
Your input will be shared with our senior examiners and across our subject teams to help us continuously improve future assessments and enhance the exam experience for students.
This letter from the Chief Regulator includes a section on grading arrangements for this summer.
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.
App-based multi-factor authentication for all users of Edexcel Online was introduced in December, to protect your data and maintain the integrity of our assessments.
This replaced the existing web based multi-factor authentication, and became mandatory on 5 December. All users require access to a smart phone device to receive a verification code to access Edexcel Online.
Based on feedback received this graphic was created to answer some common questions.
Additional guidance on using app based MFA to access the Pearson Portal can be found in the Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
If you teach any of our Economics or BTEC qualifications, you may wish to check out the monthly updates.
Subject advisor
Colin Leith
Business
