Business, Administration and Law

Paper 3 assesses content across all four themes and questions are drawn from local, national and global contexts.

For Paper 3, there is a pre-released context document issued on our website in November of the previous year. A new context is provided each year and relates to the examination series for the following summer.

The context focuses on a broad context, such as an industry or market in which businesses operate. The question paper is in two sections.

The first section focuses on the broad context provided. This is outlined to centres through the pre-released document. Questions focus on the broad context. The second section focuses on at least one strand within the context provided, such as a particular business.

Each section contains unseen stimulus materials comprising quantitative and qualitative evidence. Students are required to apply their knowledge and understanding from Themes 1, 2, 3 and 4 and their understanding of the broad context to this evidence.

Students may not take any of their research or investigation data carried out as part of the pre-release into the examination.

The A level maximum mark is 335 as this reflects the different weightings of the three A level papers. All three papers are marked out of 100 but Papers 1 and 2 have a 35% weighting whereas Paper 3 has a 30% weighting. This means that the marks you see are adjusted marks and not raw marks.

The conversion works by multiplying Paper 1 and 2 marks by 1.1725 and the Paper 3 mark by 1.005.

The notional grade boundaries above are taken from the 2017 exam series. They are 'notional' because grade boundaries are no longer set for each paper, rather, they are set for the qualification as a whole. These 'notional' grade boundaries are to help you with mocks.

View the notional grade boundaries

The grade descriptors for the 9-1 GCSE Business qualifications are on the Ofqual website.

We can't share information about colleagues with you but you can initiate and/or join conversations in our Facebook groups:

• GCE Business Facebook group
• GCSE Business Facebook group
• BTEC Business Facebook group
  

GCE Business

• Pearson published resources
• Hodder published resources
• Anforme published resources

• Pearson published resources
• Hodder published resources

• Pearson textbook
• answers to the textbook activities
  
• Teacher Resource Pack

We have templates, forms and guides to help you save time and fulfil your part in the BTEC assessment and verification process with ease.

You’re welcome to use your own forms and templates, but it may be worth referring to ours to ensure you’ve got the essentials covered. 

You will find:

• assessment and verification forms
• employer involvement forms
• higher national forms

Original learner evidence should be kept current, safe and secure for up to 12 weeks after learners have been certificated.

Following learner certification, assessment records (feedback sheets) and the associated internal verification documentation need to be kept for a minimum of three years.

This is taken from the BTEC Centre Guide to Internal Assessment which has a detailed section on retention of learner work and assessment records on pages 16 and 17.

Read the BTEC Centre Guide to Internal Assessment