IAL Business support | Pearson qualifications

IAL Business: assessment support

2 September 2024

IAL Business: support for assessment

This page will help you understand the assessment of the qualification.

The key topics are:

Read more

There is a sister page to help you in the delivery of this qualification.

General assessment support

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

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

This pre-recorded training is designed for teachers wishing to receive feedback on the performance of candidates on papers 1 and 2 from the summer 2019 examination series.

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Our examWizard tool is an online resource containing a huge bank of past paper questions and support materials to help you create your own mock exams and assessments. It is available for a range of GCSE, International GCSE, A level subjects, BTEC and Functional Skills.

These booklets of exemplar answers from the May 2019 Unit 1 and 2 papers show how examiners have applied the mark scheme to candidate responses:

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ResultsPlus is an online results analysis tool that gives you a detailed breakdown of your students’ performance in Pearson Edexcel exams.

ResultsPlus provides detailed analysis of your learners' performance and will help you to identify potential topics, skills and types of questions where students may need to develop their learning further. Whilst there hasn’t been a typical examination series for a while, you may find it helpful to understand how your students’ performance compares with class and Pearson Edexcel national averages and to gather some insight data that may support effective teaching and learning approaches. Find out more about ResultsPlus.

Many centres will be focused on delivering mock exams this term and using those mock exam results to inform intervention and revision. The ResultsPlus Mock analysis service can help you get the most from that data.  

Examiners' reports

Examiners' reports are a useful way of understanding the standard that has been applied. You can see exemplar student answers to each question with examiner comments and tips. Combining a reading of the examiners' reports with the mark schemes can provide useful insights.

There are extracts from the examiners' reports as they relate to the different command verbs below:

Do not spend too much time on a two-mark question, and ensure you don't simply repeat the term given.

This question will always have two marks available for a definition so ensure that your response is fully developed and is not a vague attempt at explaining the term.

Keep the definition reasonably short and to the point and do not simply repeat the words given in the term.

There are no marks available for using an example, so do not rely on an example to lift an imprecise definition.

Tip: Unlike with higher mark tariff questions, reference to information in the extract(s) is not required for define questions.

Quantitative skills are an important part of the specification. Candidates will be expected to be able to apply a range of quantitative skills. If the question asks for a percentage or to two decimal places, then full marks can only be gained by using a percentage sign and two decimal places! Make sure you know how to round up or down correctly.

Knowledge – one mark for the correct formula; Application - two marks for selecting the correct data; Analysis – one mark for the calculation.

Although full marks can be achieved by just stating a correct answer, it is strongly advised to show full workings. It may be possible to pick up marks if an incorrect final answer is given. Full marks can only be achieved by using the correct units.

Always write out the formula and do not forget to include x 100 otherwise you cannot be awarded the knowledge mark if this is missing.
Show your workings and always give your answer to two decimal places.
Check you have used the correct units – % sign or it could be a monetary value such as £ or $.
 

If the question asks for a percentage or an answer to two decimal places, then full marks can only be achieved by using a percentage and to two decimal places! Make sure you know how to round up or down correctly. Ensure percentage calculations show a percentage sign to gain full marks

PED is always a minus figure as price and demand for goods/services have a negative correlation. It is important that centres teach their students to include this in the workings and the final answer.

Tip: In many cases the answer requires units, for example a ‘$’, meaning that full marks can only be achieved by using the correct units.

Explain one

Knowledge – one mark for identifying a reason/factor (a definition is not rewarded)
Application - two marks for a contextualised answer (using the information from the extracts). Always try to use two separate pieces of Application in your response
Analysis – one mark for reason/causes/consequences

'Explain' questions require two points of application.

Do not define the key term in the ‘Explain’ questions. The Knowledge mark is for the reason, the impact or the aim.

Supply and demand diagrams are an essential part of the course and candidates are still incorrectly labelling the axes: only Price and Quantity (or P and Q) is accepted for the x axis and y axis. The equilibrium price and quantity must be clearly labelled on the x axis and y axis.  Simply showing a dotted line to indicate changes in price and quantity will not be rewarded.  Demand and supply diagrams should only show one shift. Answers that show both a shift to demand and supply will not be rewarded.

Quantitative skills assessed:
QS3: Construct and interpret a range of standard graphical forms

It would be helpful if rulers were used to draw the diagram rather than free hand.

Knowledge

1 mark for correctly constructing a supply and demand diagram with correctly labelled axes as ‘price’ and ‘quantity’ (1)

The axes should always be labelled'Price and Quantity' or 'P and Q'. Do not use 'Quantity Demanded' or 'QD' or 'QS' as these are incorrect.

Application
Up to 2 marks for: Showing supply and demand curves correctly labelled and original equilibrium price and quantity correctly labelled (1)
Shifting a curve correctly (1)

Analysis
1 mark for showing the new equilibrium price and quantity (1)

Always redraw the new equilibrium and make sure you label this on the axes and not just at the market clearing point.

Knowledge – definition or identification of factors. Although a definition is acceptable for the knowledge marks, it is better to give advantages/reasons/disadvantages as required by the question.  The way/reason/advantage can come in any part of the response but must be provided in order to secure the marks.

Application – contextualised answers. Some candidates miss marks for not applying their knowledge to the business.

Analysis – reasons/causes/consequences. There are always 2 marks for analysis on the ‘analyse’ questions so make sure you provide the examiner with a developed reason/benefit/problem/way etc. to achieve these marks.

For six-mark questions, it is a good idea to briefly plan a response. Think about how the marks can be achieved and what is required before starting to write the response. This helps to make sure that the question set is being answered and that you are making two distinct points before developing them.

The analysis question requires two factors and so giving only one will not allow access to all the marks.

Tip: There are 2 knowledge marks, 2 application marks and 2 analysis marks for analyse questions. Although the knowledge marks can be given for an appropriate definition instead of stating ways/advantages/reasons etc., it is not possible to apply or analyse this and so marks would be limited with this approach.

Examples of full mark answers in examiners' reports:

Unit 1 Unit 2
May 2023; May 2024

May 2019; Oct 2020; Jan 2021;

May 2022; May 2023; May 2024

Examiners read the whole response and decide which level is the best match. There are three levels in an eight-mark question. If a response is lacking certain characteristics, examiners move towards the bottom of the level. If it is a strong match, they will move towards the top and this approach is used for all levels of response questions on the paper.

The command word 'discuss' requires a two-sided argument. If candidates only look at one side, full marks are unlikely to be gained because the response will not fully match the level descriptors in the mark scheme. Candidates should always provide counterbalance / competing arguments.

You do not need to start of with a definition and you can still gain full marks without providing a definition for the levels-based questions.

When stating that something will happen, it is important to explain 'how' or 'why'.  Without this development it remains an assertion.

Try to write a balanced answer with context throughout. The marks are awarded for the quality and depth of the response rather than for the number of points being made.

A conclusion is not required for an eight-mark 'discuss' question but a balanced response is required.

Examples of Level 3 responses in examiners' reports:

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4
May 2019; May 2024 May 2019; Jan 2021; May 2022; May 2023; May 2024 Jan 2021; May 2023; May 2024 Oct 2020; May 2024

This is a 10-mark question with four levels of response.

The command word 'assess' will always require a more in-depth development and some evaluation of the arguments compared to the command word 'discuss'.

To gain the top-level marks, students need to show thorough knowledge and logical chains of reasoning. There should also be a balanced and contextualised answer which leads to a supported judgement. Remember, the 'assess' command word requires a full and balanced awareness of the validity and significance of competing arguments.

Candidates are encouraged to use a range of relevant evidence throughout their response to highlight their chains of reasoning. A supported judgement is also required.

To improve on analysis of points, candidates should justify the reasons given and explain the consequence of the action/behaviour

For a high Level 4 response, examiners need to see evaluation as well as a balanced awareness of competing arguments, leading to a supported judgement. It is really important that the student focusses on a balanced argument. Where possible balance the advantages and disadvantagesof the topic. The students should consider these points to examine the significance of the competing arguments presented.

With the level of response questions, it is a good idea to read through your response and try and decide if the examiner could determine the question set from reading the essay. If this is not the case, then it is unlikely that the question has been fully answered. Generic answers are not going to score high marks!

Some questions encourage candidates to include examples of businesses studied in the classroom. If questions state ' businesses such as', then you are able to refer to other businesses studied if you wish.

Examples of Level 4 responses in examiners' reports:

Unit 1 Unit 2

May 2019; May 2022;

May 2023; 

May 2019; Jan 2021;

May 2022; May 2023;

May 2024

The command word 'assess' will always require a more in-depth development and some evaluation of the arguments compared to the command word 'discuss'.

You are not required to define key terms in order to score full marks so do not waste time doing this and instead get straight to the point in your response.

Data is a very useful way to incorporate context and can be used on both sides of an argument and often it is ignored or not used in answers. Use the data from the extracts to help support your evaluations. Always use examples to support your arguments. Use the source material but don't just copy it out.  

When you make a point, be sure to develop it and show chains of reasoning.

Remember to use the conditional when appropriate such as 'this may happen' or 'it is likely that'. It is rare that there is a ever a certain link or outcome in this subject.  Avoid making unsupported assertions, the examiner wants to know why or how something might happen.  If you can ask why or how after a sentence, then this is likely to mean the statement is not fully developed.

There are many ways to evaluate and some candidates prefer to write the advantages and then consider the disadvantages with a final conclusion.  Others prefer to integrate their advantages and disadvantages and the mark scheme is applied holistically, so it does not matter how you evaluate or structure your answer.

A conclusion/judgement is required for 12-mark question. Don't just repeat the points you have already made. Try to add something extra and reach a supported judgement. Evaluation must provide a balanced assessment and an awareness of competing arguments to access the higher levels.

Examples of Level 4 responses in examiners' reports:

Unit 3 Unit 4

Jan 2021; May 2022; 

May 2023; May 2024

Oct 2020; May 2023;

May 2024

This is the highest mark question on the paper, worth 20 marks and with four levels.

This question is worth 25% of the marks, so it is essential to ensure enough time is spent on it.
It is important for candidates to remember that examiners are looking for an awareness of how significant competing arguments are. It is advisable to look at the descriptor table in the mark scheme when practising essays.

It is always worthwhile creating a brief plan for the essay before starting to write the response. The essay needs to be balanced to achieve the top level.

Knowledge

Often, the responses for the 20-mark questions lack business theories and are largely descriptive in nature.  Candidates should:

  • show the examiner their knowledge and understanding of business theories and concepts rather than just copying out large chunks of the extracts
  • try to incorporate as many business concepts as possible rather than answer from a common sense approach
  • use their own knowledge and bring in outside examples to broaden the scope of arguments and make a more convincing response.

Application

The information in the extracts is there for a reason so use this to contextualise your response rather than just copying out large chunks of it. Data can be used in a variety of ways and often can be used as evidence on both sides of an argument.

It is fine to take information from the extract but it must be used to support the arguments being made.

Evaluation

The quality of the evaluation is key to accessing the higher levels on the 20 mark questions. Some of the better responses are much more selective in their approach, focusing on the depth of evaluation rather than breadth. Better candidates use the information in the Extracts to help contextualise responses rather than copy out large chunks. Responses in level 4 are able to provide an effective conclusion that suggests a solution and/or recommendation.

In an 'evaluate' question, ideas need to be developed and presented with an understanding of the significance of competing arguments rather than simply stated as separate points and a generic list.

An effective conclusion that proposes a solution and/or recommendations is required.  Often this is not seen or if there is a conclusion, it is just a repetition of earlier points. A conclusion should not just repeat previous points. It should reach some kind of judgement, perhaps as to whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, or the extent to which something might happen. 

A good conclusion which should weigh up the arguments presented and provide justification for the recommendations.  A good conclusion should add something extra, refining the judgements or pulling together the strands of the argument to a satisfactory end.

Candidates should make their conclusion count and answer the question. Do not just repeat or summarise your previous points but add some sort of judgement. There is no 'right' answer, but we are looking for the ability to come to a judgement based on the evidence available.

Examples of Level 4 answers in examiners' reports:

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4
May 2019; May 2024 May 2019; Oct 2020; Jan 2021; May 2022; May 2023; May 2024 Jan 2021; May 2022; May 2023; May 2024 May 2023; May 2024

Quantitative skills are an important part of the specification. Candidates will be expected to be able to apply a range of quantitative skills.

Quantitative Skills will be tested throughout the paper. These may be in the form of diagrams/graphs, calculations or using the data in the Extracts to provide the application in the questions.

Application marks will not be awarded for simply repeating evidence in the extracts. The evidence needs to be used in the response.

The use of relevant evidence is required throughout and this can be from the Extracts provided or, often, from candidates’ own knowledge. The Extracts are there for a reason – so please use them!

The Extracts are there for a reason but do not copy out large sections of the Extracts. For Application to be rewarded, it must be used and integrated into the response rather than separate to the response.

It is always advised that you use the examples and evidence from the source booklet to illustrate your argument. However, it is not good practice to simply copy evidence from the source booklet without using this information to explain your points. Stand-alone evidence will not be rewarded if it does not support the points being made.

The IAL specification uses marking descriptors for all levels-based questions. It is essential that centres look at these and understand how these are applied. The levels-based mark schemes are applied in a holistic way instead of looking for individual Assessment Objectives. This means that a candidate who attempts evaluation with some context will not necessarily be placed in the top levels and may only achieve Level 2 if the evaluation is weak. Far too many candidates are still simply copying out large sections of the Extracts with a limited attempt at evaluation; this will only ever achieve lower levels.

For discuss,assess and evaluation questions students must always provide a balanced assessment.The answer must not simply provide a one-sided view.
 

The specification for WBS12 states that questions may require students to draw on their knowledge from WBS11.

The specification for WBS13 states that questions may require students to draw on their knowledge from WBS11 and WBS12.

The specification for WBS14 states that questions may require students to draw on their knowledge from WBS11, WBS12, and WBS13.

Grade boundaries

A grade boundary is the minimum mark at which a letter grade can be achieved. For example, if the grade boundary for a B is 60 marks, then 60 is the minimum mark at which a B can be achieved. A mark of 59 would therefore be a C grade.

For modular qualifications, assessments can be taken in various exam sessions throughout the duration of the course.

A raw mark is the actual mark awarded by the examiner for an assessment.  

Raw marks are converted to UMS marks for all modular qualifications. This is because raw mark grade boundaries may change from exam session to exam session to take into account variations in the difficulty of assessments.  

Unit 1 WBS11 Marketing and people   Max Mark a b c d e u
  UMS 100 80 70 60 50 40 0
January 2019 Raw 80 56 50 44 38 33 0
May/June 2019 Raw 80 57 52 47 42 37 0
October 2019 Raw 80 56 51 46 41 36 0
January 2020 Raw 80 54 48 43 38 33 0
October 2020 Raw 80 47 38 29 21 13 0
January 2021 Raw 80 47 38 29 21 13 0
October 2021 Raw 80 43 36 29 22 15 0
January 2022 Raw 80 43 36 29 22 15 0
May/June 2022 Raw
80 50 44 38 32 27 0
October 2022 Raw 80 50 44 38 32 27 0
January 2023 Raw 80 50 44 38 32 27 0
May/June 2023 Raw 80 60 54 48 43 38 0
October 2023 Raw 80 60 54 48 43 38 0
January 2024 Raw 80 60 54 48 43 38 0
May/June 2024 Raw 80 54 49 44 39 35 0
Unit 2 WBS12 Managing business activities   Max Mark a b c d e u
  UMS 100 80 70 60 50 40 0
May/June 2019 Raw 80 52 47
43 39
35 0
October 2019 Raw 80 51 46 42 38 34 0
January 2020 Raw 80 51 45 40 35 30 0
October 2020 Raw 80 48 39 30 21 13 0
January 2021 Raw 80 48 39 30 21 13 0
October 2021 Raw 80 46 38 30 23 16 0
January 2022 Raw 80 46 38 30 23 16 0
May/June 2022 Raw 80 41 35 30 25 20 0
October 2022 Raw 80 41 35 30 25 20 0
January 2023 Raw 80 41 35 30 25 20 0
May/June 2023 Raw 80 45 39 34 29 24 0
October 2023 Raw 80 45 39 34 29 24 0
January 2024 Raw 80 45 39 34 29 24 0
May/June 2024 Raw 80 54 49 44 39 35 0
Unit 3 WBS13 Business decisions and strategy   Max Mark a* a b c d e u
  UMS 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 0
January 2020 Raw 80 54 49 44
39 34
29
0
October 2020 Raw 80 61 56 45 34 23 13 0
January 2021 Raw 80 61 55 44 34 24 14 0
October 2021 Raw 80 61 55 46 37 28 19 0
January 2022 Raw 80 61 55 46 37 28 19 0
May/June 2022 Raw 80 50 41 35 29 23 18 0
October 2022 Raw 80 50 41 35 29 23 18 0
January 2023 Raw 80 50 41 35 29 23 18 0
May/June 2023 Raw 80 48 43 38 34 30 26 0
October 2023 Raw 80 48 43 38 34 30 26 0
January 2024 Raw 80 48 43 38 34 30 26 0
May/June 2024 Raw 80 47 42 37 33 29 25 0
Unit 4 WBS14 Global Business     Max Mark a* a b c d e u
  UMS 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 0
October 2020 Raw 80 62
56
46
36
27
18
0
January 2021 Raw 80 62 55 45 36 27 18 0
October 2021 Raw 80 63 56 47 39 31 23 0
January 2022 Raw 80 62 55 47 39 31 23 0
May/June 2022 Raw 80 51 41 35 29 23 17 0
October 2022 Raw 80 51 41 35 29 23 17 0
January 2023 Raw 80 51 41 35 29 23 17 0
May/June 2023 Raw 80 56 49 42 36 30 24 0
October 2023 Raw 80 56 49 42 36 30 24 0
January 2024 Raw 80 56 49 42 36 30 24 0
May/June 2024 Raw 80 54 48 42 37 32 27 0
Cash-in grade boundaries   Max Mark A
B
C
D
E
U
XBS11 International AS Business UMS 200 160 140 120 100 80 0
Cash-in grade boundaries   Max Mark A
B
C
D
E
U
YBS11 International AL Business UMS 400 320 280 240 200 160 0

Grade statistics

The grade statistics show:

  • the total number of candidates
  • the cumulative percentage of candidates at each grade boundary as a percentage of the total cohort
  • provisional statistics indicated by *
XBS11 International AS Business Number of candidates A B C D E U
May/June 2019 1368 12.1% 25.7% 40.7% 56.9% 70.6% 100%
October 2019 148 10.8% 27% 47.3% 64.9% 79.1% 100%
January 2020 358 12.6% 31.8% 55% 69.3% 79.1% 100%
May/June 2020 1644 29.6% 53.3% 74.7% 88.5% 96.7% 100%
October 2020 491 26.7% 58% 83.1% 93.1% 96.5% 100%
January 2021 192 7.3% 25.5% 55.7% 72.9% 85.4% 100%
June 2021 2445 36.7% 61.4% 80.1% 89.9% 95.2% 100%
October 2021 546 38.1% 61.2% 78% 88.5% 94.5% 100%
January 2022 187 16.6% 36.4% 58.3% 80.2% 89.8% 100%
May/June 2022 2781 27% 44.2% 60.6% 73.2% 83.6% 100%
October 2022 902 24.5% 44.2% 61.4% 76.2% 84.8% 100%
January 2023 404 11.6% 27% 44.3% 60.9% 75.7% 100%
May/June 2023 3257 13.4% 27.7% 43% 58.7% 71.9% 100%
October 2023* 1010 13.3% 33.8% 53.5% 71.3% 83.5% 100%
January 2024* 600 6.7% 19.3% 39.7%. 57.8% 73.7% 100%
May/June 2024* 3389 10.4% 24.2% 41.5% 58.6% 73.9% 100%
YBS11 International AL Business Number of candidates A* A B C D E U
May/June 2020 1141 13.9% 32.7% 59.5% 82.2% 93.6% 97.9% 100%
October 2020 167 0.6% 6.6% 22.2% 49.7% 75.4% 92.2% 100%
January 2021 151 0% 4% 18.5% 50.3% 82.1% 92.7% 100%
June 2021 2478 12.4% 39% 71.1% 89.8% 96.3% 98.6% 100%
October 2021 668 0% 12% 38% 68.7% 87.6% 93.6% 100%
January 2022 199 0% 5.% 29.1% 54.3% 82.4% 93.5% 100%
May/June 2022 2238 9.3% 34% 59.3% 78.7% 91.1% 96.7% 100%
October 2022 579 14.9% 42.3% 64.6% 80.7% 91% 95.9% 100%
January 2023 323 5.6% 20.7% 41.8% 67.5% 82.4% 90.4% 100%
May/June 2023 2554 9.6% 28.6% 51.6% 69.7% 83.8% 91.9% 100%
October 2023* 668 8.8% 27.1% 49.3% 70.1% 82.5% 91% 100%
January 2024* 270 5.6% 17.8% 34.4% 53.3% 70.7% 87.4% 100%
May/June 2024* 2639 8.9% 23.2% 48.2% 68.1% 83.4% 92.3% 100%
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