December 2025 Business update
28 November 2025
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Welcome to the December 2025 update!
As we conclude the year, please remember that free access to exam scripts via Script Viewer for last summer's exams will end this month. We also have the upload dates for the autumn series exam materials, along with new timetables for the autumn 2026 exams (international).
You'll find links to the Curriculum and Assessment Review report, as well as two new FT case studies. If you're seeking an engaging activity for your tutor group at the start of next term, you may consider participating in the January Challenge.
Wishing you a wonderful festive break when it arrives!
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 2 December | International GCSE question papers (November series) uploaded |
| 9 December * | A level Business 2025 exam Insights - Paper 3 [* please note that this date has changed from the original date which was 3 December] |
| 10 Decenber | GCSE Business event: mock marking live |
| 12 December | Last date to use the Access To Scripts service via Script Viewer. |
| 16 December | IAL (October series) and International GCSE (November series) mark schemes uploaded |
| 22 January | Results day for IAL October 2025 series |
| 22 January | Results day for International GCSE November 2025 series |
| 27 January | IAL (October series) and International GCSE (November series) examiners' reports uploaded |
| 21 February | Entry deadline for International GCSE and AS/A level for UK centres |
| 5 March | Results day for IAL January 2026 series |
| 21 March | Entry deadline for International GCSE and IAL for international centres |
Now that the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the timelines have been published, we are now considering the implications for GCSE and A level Business. We will keep you informed of any further developments.
See the timeline (on page 52)
| GCSE Business |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Delivery support focuses on free support materials, networking and both free and paid-for resources. There are links to Pearson, Hodder and other publishers.
| International GCSE Business |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Assessment support focuses on assessment news and tools, support in understanding the command verbs, and information about grade boundaries and statistics.
GCSE Business
After each event, a zipped file is uploaded to the qualification page. The zipped file includes the materials used in the event and a link to the recording.
| GCSE Business | |
|---|---|
| 10 December 16.00-17.00 | Mock Marking Live |
| 14 January 16.00-17.00 | Support with Theme 1 Topics |
| 11 February 16.00-17.00 | Support with Theme 2 Topics |
| 11 March 16.00-17.00 | Tackling 2- and 3-Mark Questions |
| 22 April 16.00-17.00 | Tackling 6-Mark Questions |
The GCSE Business You Tube Channel includes recordings of events from previous years.
There are two Facebook groups, one for each qualification. They are private groups and applicants are checked to confirm that they have an Edexcel Online account.
The GCSE group has over 3,000 members. The International GCSE group is much smaller.
There is also a Pearson Edexcel Facebook page designed to help and support you with the teaching and delivery of our UK qualifications. You can find the latest news, updates and information about our support services across subjects. From our own news to updates from Ofqual and JCQ, follow us on @PearsonEdexcel on Facebook to stay up to date.
Now that the exams are over, we’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts on our IAL and International GCSE Business exams this term.
Your feedback helps us improve. It’s shared directly with our senior examiners and subject teams, and it plays a key role in shaping future assessments and making the exam experience even better for students. It only takes a few minutes, and your insights make a real difference.
GCSE Business Summer 2026 timetable
International GCSE Business Summer 2026 timetable
International GCSE Business November 2026 provisional timetable
| A level Business |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Delivery support focuses on free support materials, networking and both free and paid-for resources. There are links to Pearson, Hodder and other publishers.
| IAL Business |
|---|
| Delivery support |
| Assessment support |
Assessment support focuses on assessment news and tools, support in understanding the command verbs, and information about grade boundaries and statistics.
The pre-release material for the June 2026 Paper 3 is now available.
Please note that the event which is now on 9 December was originally scheduled for 3 December.
| A Level Business | |
|---|---|
| 9 December 16.00-17.00 | Exam insights Summer 2025 (Paper 3) |
| 20 January 16.30-17.30 | Support with Theme 1 and 2 Topics |
| 25 February 16.00-17.00 | Support with Theme 3 and 4 Topics |
| 18 March 16.00-17.00 | Understanding the 'Assess' Command Word |
| 29 April 16.00-17.00 | Understanding the 'Evaluate' Command Word |
A level Business
After each event, a zipped file is uploaded to the qualification page. The zipped file includes the materials used in the event and a link to the recording.
The A level Business You Tube Channel includes recordings of events from previous years.
Now that the exams are over, we’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts on our IAL and International GCSE Business exams this term.
Your feedback helps us improve. It’s shared directly with our senior examiners and subject teams, and it plays a key role in shaping future assessments and making the exam experience even better for students. It only takes a few minutes, and your insights make a real difference.
Two new case studies were added in November and we now have fifty three case studies mapped to the specification.
| Number | Title | Specification references | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | Apple | 1.2.3 Markets 1.2.4 Price elasticity of demand 1.1.2 Market research 1.3.3 Pricing strategies |
|
| 53 | On the beach | 2.2.1 Sales forecasting 2.2.2 Sales, revenue and costs 2.5.3 The competitive environment 3.1.2 SWOT analysis |
There are two Facebook groups, one for each qualification. They are private groups and applicants are checked to confirm that they have an Edexcel Online account.
The A level group has over 2,000 members. The IAL group is much smaller.
There is also a Pearson Edexcel Facebook page designed to help and support you with the teaching and delivery of our UK qualifications. You can find the latest news, updates and information about our support services across subjects. From our own news to updates from Ofqual and JCQ, follow us on @PearsonEdexcel on Facebook to stay up to date.
An A level Business teacher has created aTikTok account for his students which he has shared here.
A level Business: Summer 2026 Timetable
IAL Business January 2026 timetable
IAL Business Summer 2026 Timetable
IAL Business October 2026 Timetable
Join the final January Challenge!
Pearson is proud to partner with 64 Million Artists for the last-ever January Challenge – a free programme of daily creative prompts throughout January. Perfect for classrooms, staff rooms, and whole-school activities.
This year the theme is ‘Courageous Change’ with each of the prompts designed to help us get a new perspective, build our courage and helpus collaborate so that we can be more prepared for this ever changing world.
At Pearson, we've helped create the schools resource pack again this year and two prompts were written by your Subject Advisors!
To get involved, you can:
- Sign up to receive daily creative prompts in January
- Download the schools pack
- Use the schools pack to help your school get creative and make change
Last year 360,000 people took part and we’re hoping to make the last one the biggest and best. There’s no better time to make change than now, so sign up and take part, and we’ll see you there!
We are recruiting examiners for our Business qualifications and would invite you to join one of our examining teams.
Are you internationally based?
We are currently looking to expand our Examining workforce ahead of our assessment activities. We are seeking applicants to mark our GCSE, GCE, International GCSE and International A Level qualifications in Business
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Financial Education has published a new report.
The report highlights persistent gaps in provision across the UK that need further attention and calls for a Financial Education Youth Guarantee; including financial education at every stage of learning; Financial Education Champions in every school; and a national financial education resource hub.
The report also highlights examples of positive practice and recent developments that could be scaled up, as well as specific recommendations to improve financial education.
You can access the full report, and executive summary, on the APPG’s webpage:
This is a recorded session which focuses on best practice when using ResultsPlus, alongside ExamWizard to analyse your students’ examination results, and improve your in-house approach to teaching the topics your students find challenging.
The Professional Development Academy summarises the training that is available to you.
Multi factor authentication was rolled out to nearly a quarter of a million Pearson Portal users last year. Although it has now become a standard way of accessing our systems, it can sometimes present challenges if a smart device is lost or replaced.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Based on feedback received this graphic was created to answer some common questions.
You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.
Subject advisor
Colin Leith
Business
Email :
Phone :
+44 (0) 344 463 2535
(Teaching Services team | Mon-Fri, 9am - 5pm GMT)
