Paper 1 Guidance (AQA A Level Business): Revision Note

Paper 1: Business 1

What to expect

• Paper 1 is one of three equally weighted papers in AQA A Level Business

• The paper tests knowledge and understanding across the full specification

• The paper's duration is 2 hours

• The total number of marks available is 100

• Paper 1 represents 33% of the qualification total

• It is made up of four sections:

Section A

• Section A contains 15 multiple choice questions, each worth 1 mark

• Each question has four options (A–D)

• Some questions are based on a short stimulus or data extract; others are standalone

• Some questions use a true/false statement pair format — two statements are given and students must identify which combination is correct

• You must answer all questions

Section B

• Section B contains five short-answer questions based on business data or scenarios

• It is worth 35 marks in total

• It usually consists of:

• Two 4-mark calculation questions — students must show their working

• Three 9-mark analyse questions — students build a chain of reasoning applied to the business context

• You must answer all questions

Section C

• Section C contains two essay questions, each worth 25 marks

• You must answer one question

• Questions use command words such as "To what extent…" or "Evaluate the view that…"

• Essays require extended, balanced responses drawing on knowledge from across the specification

• There is no business scenario - questions are context-free

Section D

• Section D has the same format as Section C

• It contains two essay questions, each worth 25 marks

• You must answer one question

• Again, questions use command words such as "To what extent…" or "Evaluate the view that…"

• Essays require extended, balanced responses drawing on knowledge from across the specification

• There is no business scenario - questions are context-free