Looking at Exam Papers
GCSE in Business Studies (5308)
(Double Award)
Development of the exam:
background
The Government’s agenda for vocational
learning:
‘we should be offering young people a wide range of
options’
‘we need to better prepare young people for the world
of work’
‘we expect all schools to offer work-related
opportunities to their pupils, often in partnership with
local colleges’
The exam
The exam is untiered and is targeted at
students across the full ability range A* G.
It contains both short and extended
answer compulsory questions totalling 90
marks, answered in 1½ hours.
All topics of the Unit are tested in each
Series.
The exam:topic weightings
Marks
%
A Documents and
B Make/receive payments
C. Costs of a new product or service
19-27
21-30
1-9
1-10
D. Cash Flow Forecasts and E. Budgets
10-18
11-20
F. Break-even
10-18
11-20
G. Profit & Loss and H. Balance Sheet
10-18
11-20
1-9
1-10
10-18
11-20
Specification topic
I. Importance of accounts
J. Sources of finance and K. Financial
planning
The exam: nature of the questions (1)
Theme: a ‘single business’ for the first three
papers:
Rainfree and Fighting Fit - both are partnerships
MM Sounds - a sole trader
product (umbrella) or service (gym and ‘Gift Rap’)
New approach in June 2005: a ‘single location’
theme
an airport – the airport owners plus 3 shops
providing goods (stationery etc) and services (food,
car hire)
Applied: a Scenario with information introduced
Q by Q
Trend towards the scenario being a ‘story’ only with the Q
stems introducing key information
The exam: nature of the
questions (2)
Templates are used: eg Profit & Loss + Cash Flow
note adaptation January 2005 (cash flow)
this approach will continue to discourage ‘rote’/give
greater Q flexibility
Select from alternatives: eg documents, payment
methods
Will continue to avoid ‘write all you know about’ Qs
Simple to complex: eg ‘Incline of difficulty’ +
developed answers at end, targeted at A*
This is adapted in practice to ensure a ‘realistic’
approach (eg influence of chronology)
Grading questions and
awarding marks
Assessment objectives:
AO1: Demonstrate and apply knowledge
 60 – 75% (54 – 67 marks) - name, state, explain, describe
AO2: Gather, select, record and analyse evidence
 10 – 15% (9 – 13 marks) - explain, select, analyse
AO3: Evaluate evidence and present conclusions
 15 – 20% (14 – 18 marks) - explain, evaluate, give reasons why
Papers are now marked ‘on-line’ with EPEN
Question 1
Similar style to all past papers: alternatives based on
scenario business, from which candidates select one
Improving performance?
(well answered/easy [only three alternatives] )
use past papers for practice
ensure candidates give only 1 answer to a part (NB past
questions, there may be two right answers)
(General) rehearse selecting and classifying costs for a
wide range of businesses –
Public and private; primary, secondary, tertiary
Improving performance
Use past papers for practice
Ensure candidates give only 1 answer to a
part (when using past questions, recognise
that there may be two correct alternatives but
only one should be chosen)
Rehearse selecting and classifying costs for a
wide range of businesses –
Public and private;
primary, secondary, tertiary
Improving performance
Methods of payment
Usually required to explain
advantage/disadvantage from the
seller’s or the buyer’s viewpoint – this
is often overlooked
Some candidates are content to state and
not explain/ develop their answer
Improving performance
Methods of payment
‘State and explain’ – so some expansion of a
‘basic’ point is expected
Where ‘one’ is in bold candidates must not
state two advantages/disadvantages – only
one will be marked
Provide practical experience – e.g. of
credit/debit cards
Candidates must be able to distinguish
between questions/situations that focus on
the seller, and those that focus on the buyer:
an understanding of the buyer-seller
relationship is crucial to success
Improving performance
Budgeting
Topic of Budgeting – not well
understood
Better answers would be based on
explanations such as
‘budget = plan;
actual occurs, compare against plan;
take corrective action’
Improving performance
Budgeting
Concentrate on the planning and control
aspects of budgeting
‘Variance’ is not stated in Specification but
understanding the ‘concept’ of variance is
valuable
Practise both written and calculation answers
Past paper questions on budgeting should be
used
Candidates should know main types – eg sales,
production, cash, capital expenditure
Improving performance
Balance Sheets and Costs
Review structure, use real examples from
public/private sector, from
primary/secondary/tertiary industry, practise
selecting and classifying from a list
Candidates must follow instructions –may be
asked to use a given letter or number coding
or name the cost
Continue practising the identification and
selection of (eg) fixed and variable costs in
specific contexts
Improving performance
Break-even:
Table completion (costs and revenues)
and
 Chart to be constructed
Explain changes to breakeven – formula
given to help
Improving performance
Breakeven
Full labelling needed on diagram
Candidates must be familiar with a variety of
approaches .They must also understand how a
change in one item will affect both the lines on
the chart and break-even position
This topic may test candidates’ understanding of
how ICT helps efficiency, so they may benefit
from using a spreadsheet to calculate break-even
Although candidates need not memorise the
formula they may benefit from discussing the
concept of ‘contribution’
Improving performance
Business documents
Main difficulty arises in differentiating
between Invoice and Statement of
Account
Continuing use of ‘real’ documents will
help
Use past papers to meet variety of
questions formats
Improving Performance
Business documents
Study documents or complete
Marks are lost because of:
Poor knowledge of what happens to
documents, or answers too brief for both
marks (eg ‘File it’)
Lack of precise statements eg ‘wrong quantity’
mean many lost one or both marks
Good knowledge of VAT is essential
Improving performance
Business documents
Candidates must use - complete, calculate,
store – the full range
Clear understanding of the different positions
and roles of buyer and seller regarding
documents is needed
VAT calculations are needed
Correction of errors and effect of errors on
both buyer and seller:
a question may involve finding the error,
correcting it, explaining its effect
Improving performance
Cash Flow Forecast
Similar situation/template to most CFF
questions:
single inflow; specific outflows; total and balance
(b) Applied focus – ‘information in the CFF’
Not well answered if not well applied
NB: the mark structure will ensure candidates
still achieve marks if some answers to are
incorrect, through application of OFR (‘own
figure rule’)
Improving performance
Cash Flow Forecast
Labelling of rows (usually 1 mark)
Practise ‘netting’ balances in CFFs
Candidates must be aware of effects on
businesses that have negative cash flows
Candidates must be able to apply their
answers, interpreting the results of their CFF
or interpreting CFF balance figures that will
be given to them:
E.g. what is the likely meaning of the high or
negative/low balance to the business?
Improving performance
Cash Flow Forecast
Practise on Excel – not just Cash Flow
Forecast but also budget, P&L, break-even
Anticipate specific ICT questions based on
specification topics such as these
Candidates should meet a range of ICTbased and ‘traditional’ situations that allow
them to explore how different errors affect
sales, profits, cash, balances, willingness to
trade . . .
Improving performance
Profit and Loss
Similar templates
P&L date required (full date expected)
Templates and related information can vary
on occasion – eg
Use of ‘cost’ and ‘revenue’ columns
Information in a form other than a bulleted list
‘Difficult’ expense (depreciation) is preentered to assist
‘Net profit’ or ‘Net loss’ expected as
descriptor (‘Net profit’ needing to be shown
as negative)
Improving performance
Profit and Loss
Understanding needed of stakeholders
Basic knowledge is often shown but
not applied –– few score full marks
‘Using the information above . . .’
Expect similar questions that require
candidates to apply given
situations/figures
Improving performance
Profit and Loss
Candidates should practice profit/loss
calculations using given templates and in
other (e.g. list) formats
Revenues and expenses from a wide variety of
businesses should be covered:
Public/private; primary/secondary/tertiary
Stress the importance of the date of financial
statements
Practise relating answers to specific
situations: limited value in giving ‘textbook’
answers about interests of different
stakeholder groups
Improving performance
Extended last question
Always an extended answer at
AO2/AO3.
Likely to test key financial concepts
(see past papers)
Decisions will be involved: ‘Explain
why’ ‘Select’ ‘Recommend’ ‘Justify’
‘Evaluate’
Improving performance
Extended last question
Obey the rubric, e.g.
note words in bold,
Explain to candidates the importance of the ‘trigger’ words
(action verbs) such as ‘Justify’
Apply the Specification topics to real businesses
Apply the answer to the given business
Practise writing extended answers
Simple phrases/answers (e.g. the ‘quick’ and ‘easy’
approach) without context or explanation receive few or no
marks
Preparing for future papers
Helping centres maximise student
performance
Delivering the unit
Influence/availability of resources:
Textbooks – these include
Barrett (Nelson Thornes)
Carysforth and Neild (Heinemann)
Denby and Thoma (Hodder & Stoughton)
Fardon, Nuttall, Prokopiw (Osborne)
Jones, Raffo and Hall (Pearson)
Surridge (Collins)
Delivering the unit
Influence of JCQ Performance Descriptors
Internet sites
Eg vocationallearning.org.uk
Developing vocationalism, sample assignments and scheme of
work, critical success factors in delivering . . .
Other resources
Helping the students
Variety of approaches
Preferred learning styles: an active (vocational) approach
is encouraged
Reinforcement
Tests, quizzes
Past papers
Edexcel Candidate Kit
Summary: centres can expect
future papers to . . .
follow a ‘single business’ or a ‘single location’
theme
be constructed using the same influences
vary in the number of questions asked
(normally either 9 or 10 in total)
be similar in style
be designed and laid out to assist on-line
marking