September 2026 Business update
Welcome to the September 2026 update.
In this first update of the academic year, we look back at the summer 2026 exam series and highlight the post-results services still available to you. We also look ahead to the new academic year, with training events and resources to support your planning and teaching. I hope the start of term goes smoothly.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 12 September | International GCSE entry deadline (November series) |
| 24 September | Deadline to submit requests for Reviews of Marking |
| 29 September | A level Business network event |
| 5 October | GCSE Business network event |
| 16 October | IAL entry deadline (January series) |
| 11 December | Last date to use the Access To Scripts service via Script Viewer. |
Post results services for the May/June 2026 exams.
The most immediate deadline is for requests for Reviews of Marking which must be submitted before 24 September.
The Access to Scripts portal is available until December and you may also wish to use Results Plus and find out about grade boundaries and grade statistics.
The August update provided a comprehensive guide to these post-results services.
Available from results day, our Access to Scripts service enables you to view your candidates’ marked scripts online or download them as PDFs. This provides greater transparency around marking, supports decisions about whether to request a review of marking, and can help inform future teaching and learning.
ResultsPlus is our online results analysis tool, providing a detailed breakdown of your students’ exam performance. Once results are released, you can use ResultsPlus to gain deeper insight into performance on each question at individual student, class or cohort level.
Set up ResultsPlus now to review your students’ performance.
Use ResultsPlus to understand your students’ performance
ResultsPlus gives you a clear breakdown of how your students performed in Pearson Edexcel exams and BTEC external assessments at:
- student level
- class level
- cohort level.
Watch our short video to see how you can use ResultsPlus to get quick, useful insights
Find out more and set up your ResultsPlus account before the end of term
For School Groups
ResultsPlus Group Analysis helps you see performance across all your schools in one place. You can also use it to analyse mock exam results, so it’s useful throughout the year.
Watch our short video to see how it works
If you’re part of a trust or group of schools, you’ll need a separate ResultsPlus Group Analysis account even if your school already has ResultsPlus.
Set up your ResultsPlus Group Analysis account before the end of term
You may wish to find the 2026 grade boundaries for your subject on our Grade Boundaries page.
If you would like to see the cumulative percentage of candidates at each grade boundary as a percentage of the total cohort, you will need to visit the Grade Statistics Page.
Feedback from examiners' reports as well as grade boundaries and statistics from previous exam series can be found on the assessment support pages.
Our guide for students, parents and carers on Understanding results and grades contains helpful information about results and where to find further support.
The guide includes information on:
- receiving and understanding results
- grades and grade boundaries
- what steps to take if they are not happy with their results
- university applications
- certificates
- where to find further support.
Please pass this information on to your students.
If your students took any exams in the May/June 2026 series, please share your experience. Your feedback helps us understand what’s working well and where we can improve, so we can give your students the best possible exam experience.
We’ll share your feedback with senior examiners and subject teams to shape future papers and improve assessments.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey
Thank you for your support.
| 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.
Robin Babbage
We are very pleased to welcome Robin Babbage as our new trainer. Robin is Head of the Business Information Technology Education Faculty at Hamstead Hall Academy, bringing over 26 years of experience across Business, Economics, Computing and IT, along with a strong track record of academic excellence and innovation. He is also an Assistant Principal Examiner for Pearson Edexcel GCSE Business and has led national educational technology initiatives, with his contribution to enterprise education recognised through a national award for Most Enterprising Teacher.
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 | |
|---|---|
| 5 October 16.30-17.30 | GCSE Business: Exam Insights Summer 2026 (Paper 1) |
| 9 November 16.30-17.30 | GCSE Business: Exam Insights Summer 2026 (Paper 2) |
| 18 January 16.30-17.30 | GCSE Business: Marking Live |
| 1 February 16.30-17.30 | GCSE Business: Supporting Lower-Attaining Learners with 9- and 12-Mark Questions |
| 8 March 16.30-17.30 | GCSE Business: Supporting Higher-Attaining Students |
| 27 June 16.30-17.30 | GCSE Business: Deep Dive into Production Processes and Centralisation |
The GCSE Business You Tube Channel includes recordings of events from previous years.
Key past recordings:
GCSE Case studies from the FT
| Case study | Theme 1 | Theme 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Talk Talk | 1.3.3 Cash and cash-flow | 2.3.2 Working with suppliers 2.4.2 Understanding business performance |
| 52 | Kingsmill | 1.2.1 Customer needs 1.2.3 Market segmentation |
2.1.1 Business growth 2.1.2 Changes in business aims and objectives 2.2.1 Product |
| 53 | Air BnB | 1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business 1.1.2 Risk and reward 1.2.1 Customer needs 1.2.3 Market segmentation 1.2.4 The competitive environment 1.5.5 External influences |
2.1.1 Business growth |
The FT case studies are appropriate for both GCSE and International GCSE. The mapping in the table (and in the case studies themselves) is to the GCSE specification.
International GCSE Business teachers may find it useful to observe that GCSE Theme 1 looks at small businesses (the focus of Paper 1 on the International GCSE), and that GCSE Theme 2 looks at larger businesses (the focus of Paper 2 on the International GCSE).
The most recent case study is:
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 3,400 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.
Summer 2027 - GCSE Business
International GCSE Business November 2026 timetable
Summer 2027 - International GCSE Business
| 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.
Supporting you through ongoing change
We recognise that the release of the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR), along with the Post‑16 Education and Skills White Paper and the introduction of V Levels, has created a period of change and uncertainty for schools and colleges. At times like these, our focus is on supporting you in a way that feels clear, manageable, and respectful of workload.
In this context, learners beginning the course in September 2026 will continue to follow the current established specification. We believe that maintaining stability is the most helpful option for schools and colleges while the wider landscape continues to evolve.
However, we remain attentive to developments in business and will consider minor amendments to ensure that the specification continues to be relevant, stays up to date and supports confident teaching and meaningful learning..
Confidence in a qualification that continues to deliver
With Pearson’s long‑standing commitment to quality and consistency, you can feel confident that you are offering a relevant, reliable qualification that continues to meet the needs of learners, schools and colleges.
We value your feedback
We will continue to review the qualification and consider feedback from educators and students to identify opportunities for improvement, as part of our ongoing commitment to continuous enhancement. If you would like to share any feedback or discuss your needs, please contact me via teachingbusiness@pearson.com.
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 2026 series, we are eager to hear your thoughts.
Your feedback will play a vital role in shaping the future of our qualifications and assessments. 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.
Please take a few minutes to provide your feedback, thank you.
| 2026 - 2027 | A Level Business |
|---|---|
| 29 September 16.30-17.30 | A Level Business: Exam Insights Summer 2026 (Paper 1) |
| 4 November 16.30-17.30 | A Level Business: Exam Insights Summer 2026 (Paper 2) |
| 1 December 16.30-17.30 | A Level Business: Exam Insights Summer 2026 (Paper 3) |
| 12 January 16.30-17.30 | A Level Business: Marking Live |
| 2 March 16.30-17.30 | A Level Business: Deep Dive into Themes 1 and 4 Using Contemporary Business Examples |
| 29 June 16.30-17.30 | A Level Business: Deep Dive into Themes 2 and 3 Using Contemporary Business Examples |
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.
Key past recordings:
The IAL Business You Tube Channel includes recordings of
- Getting Ready To Teach Pearson Edexcel IAL Business (Modules 1 and 2)
- An exam Insights event
| Number | Title | Specification references | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Nestle | 1.4.1 Approaches to staffing 1.4.3 Organisational design 3.1.3 SWOT analysis 3.4.2 Corporate culture |
|
| 58 | Airlines | 1.2.3 Markets 1.5.1 Role of an entrepreneur 2.2.2 Sales, revenue and costs 3.6.3 Scenario planning |
|
| 59 | Protein | 1.2.1 Demand 1.3.5 Marketing strategy (Boston Matrix) 3.1.2 Theories of corporate strategy (Ansoff’s Matrix) 3.1.4 Impact of external influences (Porter’s Five Forces) |
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 2,300 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.
Summer 2027 - GCE Business
IAL Business October 2026 Timetable
IAL Business January 2027 timetable
Summer 2027 - IAL Business
Subject advisor
Colin Leith
Business
