GCE Business: assessment support

An introduction for teachers new to this qualification.

Past question papers, mark schemes and examiners' reports are available on the qualification page.

These are kept locked for the first 9 months after an examination series and you will require an Edexcel Online username and password to be able to gain access.

From 2023, the question papers will have a new 'look'.

The case studies will be provided in a separate source booklet to allow candidates to have each case study open in front of them while answering each question and to remove the need to keep flipping back and forth through the paper.

Examples of these reformatted question papers and source booklets have been provided so that they can be used for mocks.

AS question papers will now have separate source booklets to bring them in line with A level question papers.

From 2023 onwards, the wording of the level-based descriptors for the 8, 10 and 12 mark questions will change to provide transparency in examiners’ marking approach and greater clarity for teachers and students.

These exemplars have been produced, following teacher feedback, to ensure the approach to marking is accessible to both teachers and students in preparation for final course assessment.

The senior team for GCE Business is made up of practising teachers, so we understand how important it can be to share our knowledge, understanding and the practice of marking, especially with respect to answers relating to Levels of Response questions.

Contained in this booklet is a selection of student responses taken from the summer of 2022 series, complete with the level and appropriate marks awarded. After each response is a commentary which should help to explain the level and raw mark awarded.

These selected responses aim to illustrate to teachers and learners the difference between Level 3 and level 4 responses, to clarify examiners’ approach to marking and to help students access the higher mark bands.

There are a number of pre-reccorded training sessions available for you to listen to:

• Writing your own case studies like an exam writer
• How level descriptors actually work
• Feedback on Summer 2019 Papers 1 and 2
• Feedback on Summer 2019 Paper 3
  
  

There are two options:

1. You could use examWizard to build your own paper from a mix of past questions (please see below).

2. You could adapt IAL Business papers. The content of the IAL Businesss qualification is very close to the GCE specification so the questions are likely to be relevant. The assessment design is slightly different but you could adapt the questions to make them consistent with the command verbs used at GCE.

A third option might be to adapt a newspaper article and write your own.  This pre-recorded event explains how:

• Writing your own case studies like an exam writer
  

The examiners' reports emphasize the need to contextualize answers:

•  'Explain' questions require good use of the extract to provide examples.
• There are 2 AO2 marks available for application/contextualization. Thus, accurate generic answers will fail to score above 2 marks due to the lack of appropriate application. Therefore, the 'explain' questions must include two different distinct elements of application to allow 4 marks to be scored. The application must be applied to the candidate's response and not merely lifted from the case study material as a standalone statement.
• 4 mark ‘explain’ questions contain 2 application marks which can be gained by using 2 relevant examples from the context.
• Use the context effectively to support your points, so make sure there is evidence from the extract, or your own understanding, that can support your answer and make it relevant to that business.
• If the question asks for one factor (e.g. a limitation), only spend time explaining one. While you will not lose marks for explaining more than one, you will not gain reward for the second factor, and this uses valuable time. Where there is reference to an extract in the question, make sure you support your answer with examples from this.

You will find examples of answers awarded full marks for 'Explain’ questions in the following examiners’ reports:

• 2017 Paper 2 Question 1a
• 2018 Paper 2 Questions 1a and 2a
• 2019 Paper 1 Question 1b and Paper 2 Question 1a
• 2024 Paper 1 Question 1b and Paper 2 Questions 1a and 2b

The examiners' reports state:

• candidates should show accurate and thorough knowledge and understanding. Succinct appropriate definitions at the start of an answer can be useful but they are not always necessary. Knowledge can be demonstrated by defining the key term at the beginning of a response or can be achieved by showing understanding in the response as a whole.
  
• candidates should support their answers throughout by relevant and effective use of the business behaviour/context to show application
• candidates should provide logical chains of reasoning showing cause(s) and/or effect(s) to show analysis
• candidates need to provide balance for both options. Both points should be balanced. Evaluation may be attempted by suggesting the opposite of a factor as this shows an awareness of competing arguments/factors including supported judgement.

The stumbling blocks tend to be lack of evaluation and lack of context which means many answers find themselves in Level 2.

Candidates do not need a final judgement, rather, they should aim to include counter balance to both arguments. These can be fairly short, but they need to demonstrate evaluation through balance.

Since students are essentially evaluating TWO aspects of a business/concept, then it would be sufficient for students to provide chains of reasoning for and against each option.  The judgment is not a final decision, usually contained in a conclusion - as it is with 10, 12 and 20 mark tariff questions.

To gain a top Level 3 mark in the range 6-8 marks, students are required to:

• (show) accurate and thorough knowledge and understanding
• (provide) logical chains of reasoning, showing cause(s) and/or effect(s)
• (write answers where) assessment is balanced, well contextualised, using quantitative and/or qualitative information
• (and is) supported throughout by relevant and effective use of the business behaviour/context, and shows an awareness of competing arguments/factors including supported judgement.

Examples of high scoring answers in the following examiners’ reports:

• 7/8 - 2019 Paper 3; Oct 2020 Paper 3; 2024 Paper 3
• 8/8 - 2018 Paper 3; Oct 2020 Paper 3; 2022 Paper 3

'Assess' questions always require candidates to provide a balanced response with arguments both for and against.

The examiners' reports include the following advice:

• The question's command word is "assess", which invites candidates to present a balanced argument. A simple judgement would be expected in order to secure the higher marks.
  Candidates are encouraged to use the relevant evidence from the Extracts to score beyond Level 2.
• Use the evidence as much as possible. There is no expectation that you will know about the business beyond the information you are presented with, but you may find that you have your own background knowledge to bring and add to your answer. Remember that the higher mark questions demand balance and you need to be framing answers to provide this.
  When there is some attempt at analysis but incomplete chains of reasoning, candidates will score at best the lower end of level 3
• If a question requires students to ‘assess the benefits’, the command word requires balance to achieve the top marks. In other words, are the benefits always benefits? Are there limitations? What does the benefits depend on?
• When the command word is ‘Assess’ aim to include a fully balanced argument. If the question requires students to 'assess the benefits', assessing the benefits means to decide whether the benefits are outweighed by the costs or problems
• Overall judgement is required to access Level 4, 9-10 marks.
• Judgements are required for 10 mark and 12 mark assess questions. These judgements should not simply be a repeat summary of the preceding arguments for and against. They should bring in an overall decision which relates to the specific business situation, objectives, market or the nature of its products/service (MOPS)
  Avoid repeating arguments in an attempt to make a judgement.
• To reach the higher marks in Level 4, candidates could make use of'MOPS' to justify the overall recommendation.

Examples of high scoring answers in the following examiners’ reports:

The additional marks awarded for 12 mark questions compared to 10 mark questions are for analysis and evaluation.  To gain the higher level marks, arguments need to be well developed, leading to supported conclusions.

Candidates should pay careful attention to what they are being asked to assess:

• If it is 'importance' then the chains of reasoning need to support why this factor is or is not important. This is most effectively achieved through comparison to another factor or feature.
• If it is 'usefulness' then the chains of reasoning need to support an assessment of whether the factor is useful or not.

The following advice is taken from examiners' reports:

• With 12 marks available, we would expect analysis and evaluation to be slightly more wide-ranging than the 10 mark question.
• Try to match the concept in the question to what is presented in the evidence. It is good practice to define the key term in the question as this shows you are confident in the subject material.
• Candidates are advised to start their responses to assessment questions by identifying the issues/factors first, then assessing each one in turn before providing a judgement.
• For application (AO2), chains of reasoning should be consistently supported by context from the extracts provided. Check all extracts to ensure you are including as much relevant context as possible. When thinking about likely impacts, consider who these impacts might be on? Workers? Owners? Local community? This can help to provide a structure to your answer, and give you a framework for writing analytical and evaluative answers.
• Look at the examples of judgement in the mark scheme. Something new rather than a summary repeat of previous arguments is what is required.
• Candidates are advised to make their overall judgements clear (see published mark scheme examples) and in doing so do not simply summarise preceding arguments.
• Chains of reasoning need to be fully developed, especially with 12 mark questions where more depth or breadth is expected than with 10 mark questions.
• Make use of connectives to enhance your analytical writing. For example: 'one implication might be... this could mean that...however, it should also be considered...' However, make sure there is sufficient business content and application to fully show your analytical and evaluative skills.
• Complete chains of reasoning for both sides of an argument, select relevant evidence from the extract and use appropriate business terminology.
• Use paragraphs in responses to make it clear that you are making a new point, especially if it is a contrasting argument. Using separate paragraphs can help support the clarity of arguments.
• To reach the higher marks in Level 4, candidates could use 'MOPS' to justify the overall recommendation.
• A conclusion which is merely a repeat of points already made and brings nothing new to the response does not present the supported judgement required to achieve the higher marks in Level 4.
• When writing judgements, candidates should aim to refer back to the question and address it directly. A good conclusion will give one or two overall reasons for the judgement which may, for example, relate to the type of business. It is not eff ective to repeat previous arguments in the overall conclusion, unless these are further developed.

Examples of high scoring answers in the following examiners’ reports:

From 2023 onwards, the wording of the level-based descriptors for the 8, 10 and 12 mark questions will change to provide transparency in examiners’ marking approach and greater clarity for teachers and students.

These exemplars have been produced, following teacher feedback, to ensure the approach to marking is accessible to both teachers and students in preparation for final course assessment.

Contained in these booklets is a selection of student responses taken from the summer 2022 series, complete with the level and appropriate marks awarded. After each response is a commentary which should help to explain the level and raw mark awarded.

These selected responses aim to illustrate to teachers and learners the difference between Level 3 and level 4 responses, to clarify examiners’ approach to marking and to help students access the higher mark bands.

The examiners' reports suggest the following:

• The top marks are achieved by those candidates able to make a full recommendation of what is most suitable based on the evidence and their own understanding of the context and specification area. 
• There is not a prescribed expectation in terms of the numbers of points to be made in good answers. The emphasis is very much on applied, thorough and developed, chains of reasoning. 
• The best answers take evidence from multiple extracts, link this to the specification content and the specifics of the question.
• When asked to calculate data values in an 'assess' or 'evaluate' question it is vital that the results are included in the report. They should not stand alone.
• Conclusions really ought to make a new point.
• Theory alone will rarely enable a candidate to access above the middle mark of Level 2.
• Application is key to the best answers. Use of the extracts to support your argument shows a real understanding of the subject material, that has been adjusted and moulded to suit a particular line of argument.
• Candidates are encouraged to develop chains of reasoning before starting a new point.
• To achieve a level 4 mark in an evaluation question, candidates are advised that responses should include accurate and thorough knowledge and understanding. Any opportunity to introduce this in an assessment should be encouraged.
• Candidates should be prepared to plan 20 mark answers and take time to read back through them to ensure that chains of reasoning are complete.

It is not necessary to write lengthy answers to 20 mark questions. The space provided in the answer booklet should be sufficient.In preparing candidates for 20 mark questions, the key lessons centres need to learn are:

• Focus upon the exact wording of the question.
• Quality rather than quantity – selective arguments that are well developed will always be rewarded higher than identifying several arguments with limited explanation.
• Each argument must relate to the context of the business/industry featured, it is important to avoid generic responses.
• Write concisely and avoid extended answers which often contain too much waffle.
• Make a justified recommendation that is based upon prior arguments.
  ensure all options are fully evaluated in the context of the business. Use these longer responses as an opportunity to bring in your knowledge and understanding from other specification areas that are relevant to the question.
• Make sure your points are developed beyond assertions. Explanation is important: after a statement, explain how or why this is the case.

Make a justified recommendation that is based upon prior arguments.

• ensure all options are fully evaluated in the context of the business. Use these longer responses as an opportunity to bring in your knowledge and understanding from other specification areas that are relevant to the question.
• Having discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each option for a business, support your recommendation with something from the wider context of the business that justifies that recommendation.
• There are two aspects of these 20-mark questions – the evaluation of the options and the recommendation. Try to give time and effort to the recommendation in order to access the highest marks. Candidates should aim to provide developed recommendations, that use the evidence to support the overall decision. This should not simply be a repeat of the previous argument, but an explanation of the defining features of the business involved.
• Clear judgements, possibly based on MOPS (Market, Objectives, Product and Situation).and recommendations are required to gain a good Level 4 mark, i.e. 17-20 marks. Judgements or recommendations that make reference to long-term versus short-term can also be an effective approach to achieving higher marks.
• To 'recommend' means to give a definitive judgement of the appropriate option, justified by something that may not have beenfully explained elsewhere in your argument. This may be from thebusiness' Market, Objectives, Products, or Situation.
• The best responses contain extended recommendations. These are more than short conclusions; they justify a course of action the business should take, supported by the context of the business.
• Think of the recommendation in a 20 mark question, as a separatepart of your argument. Of course it will draw on some of the previouspoints you have made, but ideally it will go beyond these and includesome other arguments that support the decision. Avoid either verybrief, generic recommendations, or those that repeat the main pointsyou have already made earlier in your answer. The MOPS frameworkcan help here, although separate knowledge of this acronym is notexpected.
• Provided each option is discussed, a conclusion is offered and a candidate makes a recommendation, then candidates should expect to be awarded a Level 4 mark. The specific mark within that level can be determined by how well the candidate expresses their ideas and, in particular, how well they make use of the business context. The best responses for 20-mark questions, tend to make fewer arguments, but these are fully developed with consistent use of context. The conclusion/judgement is supported by the previous arguments and justified with the use of ‘MOPS’.
• Be prepared to bring in relevant specification content, even if it is not mentioned in the question. Also, remember that these questions are encouraging you to make a judgement/recommendation. Think of this as being nearly 1/3 of your answer if you wish to gain the top Level 4 marks. When making this judgement, try to bring in a new reason or defining point for your judgement.
• When constructing judgements for 20 mark questions, avoid repeating arguments used previously in your answer. Try to think about the key factors or reasons for your overall judgement, that are in the context of the business in question. The extracts will give you pointers, think about how this information can be used effectively. 5 minutes reading all extracts carefully and being aware of the main features of the business and its context, will be hugely valuable for adding specifics to your answers.
• Make sure you leave time and space for a developed recommendation in these 20 mark questions. This should be more than a simple conclusion, but should explain how and why the option you have chosen is best in your view, and how the business might implement the changes you have suggested. Also, identify what your recommendation depends on.
• For top level marks, the recommendation should add reasons that haven't previously mentioned. These reasons could be derived from the Market, Objectives, Product/Service,or Situation that the business is in.

Examples of high scoring answers in the following examiners’ reports:

Candidates should use the extracts to provide both examples and guidance about the specification area being assessed. They are included to support answers and allow candidates to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the business specification.

Avoid generic answers that are not applied to the business in question.The examining team saw a number of general answers that could have been applied to any business. Use the extracts to develop your applied responses.  Always use the extract of information to support your knowledge.

In a question beginning 'using the data in extract...' make sure you do use the data. In this case it could be by quoting from the extract and then interpreting what that data shows, or it could be by doing acalculation. The questions are targeted at some of the quantitative skills, so it is important to include quantitative information, to achieve good marks.

When using information from the extract, candidates should aim to explain the significance of that information and how it supports the point they are making.

For paper 3 candidates can use valid examples from their prior research and knowledge, but should also try to include some of the information from the extracts in the paper to support answers further.