Paper 1: Investigating Small Businesses (Edexcel IGCSE Business): Revision Note

What is examined in the Edexcel IGCSE Business Paper 1?

• Paper 1 draws on knowledge and understanding from across the entire specification content

• It focuses on small businesses of up to 49 employees that have a local or national market.

• The paper's duration is 90 minutes

• The total number of marks available is 80, representing 50% of the qualification

• The paper combines multiple-choice, short-answer, calculation, analysis and evaluation questions, supported by short case studies

• You must answer all questions

Structure of the paper

• The exam is divided into four multipart questions, each focused on a short business case study

• Each question builds in demand, testing knowledge, application, analysis, and evaluation skills

Question 1: MCQ, short-answer, calculation and analysis questions

• This question totals 20 marks

• Questions are based on a real-world style case study

• The main skills tested are recall, basic application, simple calculations, brief explanations and analysis

• Tasks include

  • Six multiple-choice questions worth 1 mark each, that require the selection of a correct terms, formula or definition

  • One-mark 'state' questions that require a brief response

  • Simple calculations, worth 2 marks, requiring clear workings and correct application of formulae

  • Short explanations, worth 3 marks, that usually require a valid knowledge point, followed by a suitable development

  • An analysis question, worth 6 marks, that requires a chains of reasoning in context

Questions 2 and 3: Short-answer, calculation, analysis and justify questions

• These questions each total 20 marks

• Questions are based on real-world style case studies

• The main skills tested are recall, basic application, simple calculations, brief explanations, analysis and making justified decisions

• Tasks include

  • One-mark 'state' questions that require a brief response

  • Simple calculations, worth 2 marks, requiring clear workings and correct application of formulae

  • Brief outline questions that require a point to be developed in context

  • Short explanations, worth 3 marks, that usually require a valid knowledge point, followed by a suitable development

  • An analysis question, worth 6 marks, that requires a chains of reasoning in context

  • A justify question that requires two or more options to be compared and an appropriate contextual decision to be made, with reasoning

Question 4: Short-answer or calculation, analysis and evaluate questions

• This question totals 20 marks

• Questions are based on a real-world style case study

• The main skills tested are simple calculations or brief explanations, analysis and evaluation

• Tasks include

  • Simple calculations, worth 2 marks, requiring clear workings and correct application of formulae

  • Short explanations, worth 3 marks, that usually require a valid knowledge point, followed by a suitable development

  • An analysis question, worth 6 marks, that requires a chains of reasoning in context

  • An evaluation question that requires a justified decision in relation to a business concept to be made, within the context of the business