September 2024 Business update
Welcome to the new year and to this September 2024 update.
The update starts with a repeat of some of the post-results information from August that may still be relevant.
The qualifications part of the update has links to the updated delivery and assessment support pages, exam timetables for next year, as well as training and network events you may wish to sign up for.
I hope that the start of term goes well for you and your students.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 25 September | GCSE Business: Reflections from Paper 1 |
| 26 September | Deadline to submit requests for Reviews of Marking |
| 30 September | A Level Business: Reflections from Paper 1 |
| 9 October | GCSE Business: Reflections from Paper 2 |
| 14 October | A Level Business: Reflections from Paper 2 |
| 13 December | Last date to use the Access To Scripts service via Script Viewer. |
ResultsPlus is an online results analysis tool that gives you a detailed breakdown of your candidates’ performance in Edexcel exams.
ResultsPlus will help you to identify potential topics, skills and types of question where candidates struggled and this may support refinements to your teaching and learning approaches.
You may also find it helpful to understand how your candidates’ performance compares with class and national averages.
We have created two documents to help you and your students understand how grade boundaries have been calculated for 2024.
The assessment support page for each qualification provides you with the 2024 grade boundaries and grade statistics.
There is a link to each assessment support page under each of our four qualifications below.
The 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.
The Access to Scripts service provides a rich source of information, enabling detailed analysis to inform teaching and learning and support students, giving insights and visibility that performance data alone cannot provide.
The portal can only be accessed by Edexcel Online users who have the 'Exam Viewer' profile ticked on Edexcel Online. Your exams officer gives teachers access to 'Exam Viewer'.
Please note that these scripts do not contain examiners' annotations.
If scripts have been marked 'traditionally' (i.e. not online), you will need to request them, free of charge, by the published deadline, via the Post Results section of Edexcel Online as in previous exam series.
Access To Scripts via Script Viewer is available from Results Day until 13 December 2024.
Candidate consent is required before requesting script copies, as per section 6.2.1 of the JCQ's Post-Results Services guide. Candidate consent can only be obtained after results have been published.
Candidate consent forms can be found in Appendix B of the JCQ Post results Services document.
Review of marking of externally assessed components (Service 2)
This is a check that our examiners have marked externally assessed components correctly and includes:
- a clerical check (Service 1)
- a review of marking of units/components by a senior examiner
You can ask us to review the marking of exam papers for individual candidates and the results for each candidate will be reported separately. This service isn't available for internally assessed/externally moderated coursework components.
Candidates’ marks or grades can go up, down or stay the same.
The deadline for completion is within 20 calendar days of receiving the request.
To get a copy of the reviewed exam paper, you should request an Access to Script (ATS) service at the same time as submitting the Service P2 request. There is a fee for this additional service.
The deadline for us to receive your request for a review of marking is 26 September.
Centres must obtain written candidate consent for clerical re-checks and
reviews of marking, as with these services candidates’ marks and subject grades may be lowered. Candidate consent must be obtained after the publication of results.
Candidates must be informed that their marks and subject grades could go
down as well as up and must provide their written consent before a request is submitted. (A suggested form for centres to use is included as Appendix A of the JCQ Post-results Guide).
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of a review of marking, you may wish to appeal against the decision. We will allow the head of centre (or designated member of the centre’s senior management team or examinations manager) 30 calendar days from the receipt of the outcome of the review of marking, during which an appeal may be lodged
Applications for appeals may only be accepted from a head of centre (on behalf of a candidate or a group of candidates) or private candidates.
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 |
| 6 November |
Teaching Calculations and Avoiding Common Pitfalls |
| 11 December | Mock Marking Live |
| 22 January | Supporting Lower Achievers |
| 26 February | Stretch and Challenge in 9- and 12-Mark Questions |
| 19 March | The Skill of Application |
| 30 April | Planning for a Two-Year Course and Developing Skills |
May/June 2025 timetable
GCSE Key terms
It is not expected that students learn these definitions for low tariff questions, but they may prove to be helpful for higher tariff questions.
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 |
| 7 November | International GCSE Business Exam Insights May/June 2024 |
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 |
Case studies from recent news stories
As well as the FT case studies available on the qualification page there are also case studies and activities from recent FT articles available in both the dropbox folder and the Files section of the Facebook page.
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 |
| 14 November | International A Level Business Exam Insights May/June 2024 |
October 2024 exam series
January 2025 exam series - timetable
May/June 2025 timetable
October 2025 timetable
January 2026 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.
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
