Edexcel IGCSE Business Studies (4330) GCSE/Business... · Edexcel IGCSE Business Studies (4330) ......

Summer 2006

Edexcel IGCSE

Business St udies (4330)

Examiners’ Report

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t hroughout t he world. We provide a wide range of qual if icat ions including

academic, vocat ional , occupat ional and specif ic programmes for employers.

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Summer 2006

Al l t he mat erial in t his publ icat ion is copyright

4330 Examiners' Report Summer 2006 2

Contents

1. Paper 4330 1F/2H 05

2. Paper 4330 03 11

3. Paper 4330 04 15

i. Assessment Obj ect ive 1 16

ii. Assessment Obj ect ive 2 18

iii. Assessment Obj ect ive 3 20

iv. Assessment Obj ect ive 4 22

4. Statistics 24

Edexcel Lt d holds t he copyright for t his publ icat ion. Furt her copies of t he

Mark Schemes may be obt ained f rom Edexcel Publ icat ion.

4330 / 1F – 2H: Written Paper (Foundation and Higher)

General Comments

This was t he second May series for t hese examinat ions. The overal l performance of

candidat es in t his examinat ion was again good. The mean mark for paper 2H was

very close t o t hat f rom Summer 2005, al t hough t he mean mark for paper 1F fel l

sl ight ly. Cent res appear t o be select ing and ent ering candidat es for t he

appropriat e Tier. Cent res cont inue t o cope wel l wit h t he demands of t he new

Specif icat ion and t he sl ight ly dif ferent approach t o t hat used in O Level

examinat ions. Judging by examinat ion performance, Cent res had again ent ered

t heir candidat es for t he correct Tier.

Candidat es coped wel l wit h t he use of t he quest ion paper as answer book. There

were not many occasions where candidat es used space in addit ion t o t he answer

l ines, in order t o complet e t heir answers. Cent res are again encouraged t o work

wit h t heir candidat es t o ensure t hat (most ) answers are l imit ed t o t hese answer

l ines, t he number of l ines being a good indicat or of t he expect ed lengt h of answer.

The st andard of writ t en communicat ion was general ly good, and somet imes

excel lent .

The Mark Scheme cont ains much informat ion t hat is relevant t o cent res, as fol lows.

Each quest ion indicat es t he level(s) at which it is based:

• AO 1 Demonst rat e - t his Assessment Obj ect ive t est s candidat es on t heir

abil i t y t o demonst rat e t heir knowledge and underst anding of t he business

t erm, idea or concept feat ured in t he quest ion. For example, paper 1F

Quest ion 2 (a) asks candidat es 'What is meant by product ivit y'? Command

words such as 'Def ine', 'Describe', 'Name', 'List ', 'St at e' and 'What is . . . ?'

conf irm t he quest ion is at t his level.

• AO2 Apply - t his Assessment Obj ect ive t est s candidat es' abil i t y t o relat e

t heir answer t o t he cont ext . In t his Series, candidat es were required t o

use t he informat ion given about FlyUs plc. For example, Paper 1F Quest ion

2 (b) required candidat es t o calculat e gross prof it and net prof it f igures: a

quest ion asking t hem t o recal l t he relevant formulae would have been

classed as AO1 Demonst rat e. Command words such as 'Apply' and 'Give [an

example in cont ext ] ' conf irm t he quest ion is at t his level.

• AO3 Analyse - t his Assessment Obj ect ive requires candidat es t o select ,

int erpret or ot herwise analyse some issue present ed by t he quest ion. For

example, Paper 2H Quest ion 2 (b) asked candidat es t o analyse ways in

which FlyUs plc might increase it s market share and improve it s

prof it abil i t y. Command words such as 'Analyse', 'Compare' and 'Select '

conf irm t he quest ion is at t his level.

• AO4 Evaluat e - t his most demanding Assessment Obj ect ive t est s

candidat es on t heir abil i t y t o formulat e some j udgement s. For example,

Paper 2H Quest ion 2 (c) expect ed candidat es t o j ust ify t he use of leaf let s

in a given sit uat ion. Command words such as 'Evaluat e', 'Explain why',

'Judge' and 'Just ify' conf irm t he quest ion is at t his level.

Possible answers are provided as indicat ors of what is expect ed. It remains

import ant for Cent res t o real ise t hat t he answers given in t he Mark Scheme are not

meant t o be exhaust ive. This is conf irmed by t he use of t he st at ement 'Val id point s

could include', and by t he use of t he abbreviat ion 'eg'.

The possible answers are st ruct ured using dashes and obl iques ('slashes'). It remains

t he pract ice in t his examinat ion t o use a dash in order t o separat e point s t hat are

wort h additional marks, and an obl ique t o indicat e an alternative way of making

t he same point .

4330/1F – Foundation Paper

Question 1

Part (a) was general ly wel l answered. Many candidat es achieved at least t hree of

t he f ive marks available, and some obt ained maximum marks. Part (b) was also

general ly wel l answered. Candidat es coped wel l wit h t he unusual layout of t he

quest ion, and of t en accurat ely mat ched t he obj ect ives t o t he given def init ions.

Part (c) required candidat es t o describe product ivit y. Weaker candidat es of t en

confused t his t erm wit h t he t erm 'product ion', of t en simply ment ioning 'out put ',

and t herefore gained one mark at best . The Specif icat ion cont ains t he t erm

'product ivit y' (sect ion 5.3) and Cent res are st rongly encouraged t o ensure t heir

candidat es underst and t hat product ivit y and product ion, t hough l inked, have

dif ferent meanings.

Most candidat es obt ained bot h marks for (d)(i): t here was ef fect ive use of t he

cont ext informat ion, for example t he reference t o London's populat ion (and

t herefore workforce) and it s at t ract ion for t ourist s. It was pleasing t o read so many

answers where candidat es had clearly st udied and used t he cont ext informat ion

ef fect ively.

Part (e) was not wel l answered. Part (i) was set at AO1 (Demonst rat e knowledge)

level, and expect ed candidat es t o describe TQM. However, t here was again

confusion bet ween t his and ot her t erms used in 'qual it y', part icularly bet ween TQM

and 'qual it y cont rol '. Fol lowing t he advice given in (c) above, Cent res are st rongly

encouraged t o ensure t heir candidat es underst and t he dif ferent meanings of - and

relat ionship bet ween - TQM and qual it y cont rol . Answers t o part (i i) were af fect ed

by t he confusion shown in (i), al t hough t he st ronger candidat es made some

analyt ical st at ement s t hat clearly relat ed t o t he work of FlyUs plc as an air l ine

company.

Question 2

This quest ion st art ed by asking candidat es t o ident ify how environment al mat t ers

af fect ed t he work of FlyUs plc. Relevant examples were suppl ied - usual ly relat ed

t o noise and air pol lut ion - al t hough few candidat es could t hen l ink t he examples

ef fect ively t o t he work of t he company (for example, how noise pol lut ion might

af fect f lying t imes).

Alt hough many candidat es found t his an easy t hree marks, some ignored t he

requirement t o avoid ment ioning recruit ment in t heir answers t o (b)(i). Few

candidat es provided st rong answers t o part (i i), which required t hem t o 'assess' a

pol icy. Cent res are encouraged t o ensure t heir candidat es develop t he point s t hey

make - for example 'int ernal recruit ment improves st af f morale because t he

exist ing st af f real ise t hat t hey may get promot ion if t hey work ef f icient ly'.

The vast maj orit y of candidat es gained ful l marks for t heir gross prof it and net

prof it calculat ions in (c). Workings were general ly shown, al t hough t he percent age

sign was somet imes omit t ed (wit hout penalt y).

Answers t o (d) were much weaker, and t here was evidence t hat ROCE was not a

wel l underst ood t erm, wit h confusion bet ween prof it and prof it abil i t y. As in

quest ion 1 t here was, t herefore, evidence t hat many candidat es did not have a

t horough foundat ion knowledge on which t o base t heir answers t o t hese AO1

quest ions.

Part (e) of t en generat ed some sound answers, wit h 'legal requirement ' and 't o

calculat e prof it ' being popular choices.

Question 3 – Foundation Tier (4330/1F) / Question 1 – Higher Tier (4330/ 2H)

Part (a) produced some confused answers because t here was somet imes a

misunderst anding bet ween publ ic and privat e l imit ed companies: for example,

some candidat es bel ieved t hat a plc was publ icly (government ) owned, and a

privat e l imit ed company had unl imit ed l iabil i t y. The quest ion was looking for

'dif ferences' but only a few answers made t hese dif ferences suf f icient ly clear t o

receive ful l marks.

There was some knowledge of t he nat ure of publ ic relat ions shown in answers t o

(b), al t hough many candidat es gave very general ised answers, referring t o

market ing issues rat her t han focusing on why publ ic relat ions is import ant (t he

business is in a compet it ive market , and poor PR wil l have a negat ive ef fect on it s

sales).

Part (c) was of t en wel l answered. The st ronger candidat es l inked t he media wit h

t he new rout e, for example by referring t o aspect s of market segment at ion. There

was a good underst anding shown of t he t wo media, and of advert ising issues in

general.

Not al l candidat es were comfort able wit h t he dif ference bet ween t he pricing

opt ions l ist ed in part (d), t he great est confusion being bet ween compet it ion pricing

and penet rat ion pricing. St ronger answers cont ained some relevant references t o

Airfair (t he compet it or) and/ or t o FlyUs plc being a low-cost airl ine, and how t his

lat t er fact would inf luence pricing pol icy.

4330/2H – Higher Paper

For comment s on Higher Quest ion 1, see comment s on Foundat ion Quest ion 3

above.

Question 2

Part (a) was of t en wel l answered, wit h many candidat es basing t heir answers on

t he fact t hat one 'owns' and t he ot her 'runs' a company. Answers did not have t o be

in t he cont ext of FlyUs plc, t hough many candidat es found it easy t o cont ext ual ise

t heir point s.

Bot h part s t o (b) were not wel l answered. In (i) t here was a t endency t o confuse

increasing market share wit h increasing company size, wit h references t o sel l ing

more shares: al t hough t his would increase t he capit al of FlyUs plc, of i t self i t wil l

not increase market share. Correct answers of t en focused on merger/ t akeover, and

t here were also some references t o price-cut t ing. Part (i i) again showed a general

lack of knowledge of t he dif ference bet ween prof it and prof it abil i t y: some

candidat es argued cost increases (eg more advert ising) t o l i t t le ef fect , and few

comment ed on ways such as cost -cut t ing or increasing price.

Part (c) was also weakly answered by many. Only t he st ronger candidat es decided

t o base t heir answers on t he nat ure of leaf let s (being quit e cheap t o produce or a

relat ively permanent form of communicat ion) and use t hese fact ors in relat ion t o

cust omers at airport s.

Candidat es eit her knew Herzberg's t wo-fact or t heory or did not , and so most

answers t o part (d) were eit her very good or very weak. Some candidat es resort ed

t o t rying t o apply Maslow rat her t han Herzberg, while ot hers wrot e about

mot ivat ion in general t erms only. Al t hough 'hygiene fact ors' is specif ic t o Herzberg,

t he use of t he word 'hygiene' confused some of t he weaker candidat es, who

discussed issues of personal or work hygiene such as t he need t o wash hands

regularly. Cent res are t herefore st rongly advised t o ensure as best t hey can t hat

t heir candidat es are able t o ident ify and underst and t he meaning of a word when it

is used in a specif ic cont ext (such as 'hygiene' in t he cont ext of Herzberg's t heory)

and when it occurs in general, non-business, usage.

Question 3

This quest ion wil l always be designed t o be t he most chal lenging faced by

candidat es t aking t he Higher Paper. Candidat es were expect ed t o use t he skil ls of

analysis and evaluat ion – in t his Paper when answering part s (b)(i i) and (c).

Part (a) was general ly very wel l answered, wit h t he calculat ion proving easy.

However, even many of t he st ronger candidat es eit her ignored t he percent age sign

or expressed t heir answer incorrect ly (such as 'mil l ions'). Cent res are t herefore

encouraged t o ensure not only t hat t heir candidat es can calculat e f igures

accurat ely, but also t hat t hey can describe t he result using appropriat e t erms or

symbols.

There were surprisingly many weak answers t o part (b)(i), which should have been

an easy t wo marks for most . Answers t o (i i) were of t en quit e good, wit h t he

st ronger candidat es appreciat ing t hat t he ident ical net prof it f igures did not mean

an ident ical f inancial performance when percent age comparisons (ie prof it abil i t y

rat ios) were made. This was pleasing given t he relat ive dif f icul t y of t his quest ion

(being t arget ed at AO4 Evaluat ion).

Part (c) was also t arget ed at AO4 Evaluat ion, conf irmed by t he use of t he opening

st at ement 'To what ext ent . . . ' made in t he quest ion. The dif ference in

achievement on t his quest ion was of t en down t o whet her t he candidat e read and

answered t he quest ion as set - ie, 'To what ext ent is TQM l ikely t o be import ant t o

FlyUs plc? - or whet her t he candidat e ignored t he appl icat ion t o t his company. The

st ronger answers t herefore referred t o issues t o do wit h t his air l ine business, such

as t he fact t hat it operat es in a compet it ive market and t hat it is growing as a

business, whereas t he weaker ones simply described and explained TQM in what

was a 't ext book'-t ype answer. It is import ant for candidat es t o real ise t hat t hey

must apply t heir answers when asked t o do so.

4330 / 03 – Written Alternative

General Comments

The general performance of candidat es remains encouraging al t hough t here was

evidence, in t his series, of poor basic knowledge for some candidat es t hat had an

impact on t heir performance across t he paper. There was no evidence t hat

candidat es had insuf f icient t ime and it was encouraging t o not e t hat t he maj orit y

of candidat es made good use of t he t ime available t o t hink t hrough t heir

responses. Some candidat es benef it ed f rom planning t heir responses and an

increasing number of papers were seen wit h t his wel l evidenced. Fewer candidat es

made use of addit ional sheet s of paper and Cent res are reminded t hat candidat es

should be encouraged, wherever possible, t o mat ch t heir responses t o t he space

available on t he answer book.

This paper is t aken by t hose candidat es who have chosen not t o submit coursework

and t herefore, unl ike Papers 1F and 2H, covers t he complet e range of awards, ie

A*-G. There are t wo quest ions wit h each being sub-divided in exact ly t he same

fashion, as set out below.

Quest ions 1(a) and 2(a) address Assessment Obj ect ive 1 t hat requires

candidat es t o demonst rat e t heir knowledge and underst anding of t he

specif ied subj ect cont ent .

Quest ions 1(b) and 2(b) address Assessment Obj ect ive 2 t hat requires

candidat e t o apply knowledge and underst anding using appropriat e t erms,

concept s, t heories and met hods ef fect ively t o address problems and issues.

Quest ions 1(c) and 2(c) address Assessment Obj ect ive 3 t hat requires

candidat es t o select , organise, analyse and int erpret informat ion f rom

various sources t o analyse problems and issues.

Quest ions 1(d) and 2(d) address Assessment Obj ect ive 4 t hat requires

candidat es t o evaluat e evidence, make reasoned j udgement s and present

conclusions accurat ely and appropriat ely.

Each quest ion is wort h f ive marks and hence mat ches t he balance of Assessment

Obj ect ives as appl ied t o coursework. The Examiner’ s Report for Papers 1F and 2H

gives furt her det ails on t hese Assessment Obj ect ives and t hese also apply t o Paper

03 as does t he comment ary on how t he mark scheme format works.

Cent res are encouraged t o work wit h t heir candidat es t o ensure t hat t hey have a

clear underst anding, not only of t he st ruct ure of t his paper but also of t he

Assessment Obj ect ives as t his should enable candidat es t o work t owards t heir ful l

pot ent ial .

It was again disappoint ing t o see t oo many candidat es simply re-arranging t he

words of t he st em and t he quest ion as t heir response. This st rat egy wil l never be

credit ed. Ot her candidat es used t he quest ion as an int roduct ion t o t heir response.

This does not present a problem but it remains an avoidable misuse of t he available

t ime.

Question 1

Part (a) was wel l answered. Many candidat es gained ful l marks. The most common

errors were where t elephone int erviews and product t est ing were cat egorised as

secondary research. Weaker candidat es had a t endency t o adopt a ‘ scat t er-gun’

approach t hat clearly demonst rat ed t heir lack of basic knowledge in t his area.

In part (b)(i), t he maj orit y of candidat es were able t o apply t heir knowledge and

correct ly ident ify t he t hree mont hs wit h a negat ive closing balance. Some

candidat es correct ly responded wit h t wo of t he correct mont hs but did not add t he

t hird mont h. A few candidat es gave no response t o t his quest ion.

Part (b)(i i) dif ferent iat ed wel l . The best candidat es had references t o planning,

monit oring and l iquidit y as benef it s of using a cash f low forecast . Such a response

was, ‘ A cash f low forecast shows t he est imat ed cash in and out f lows (1) on a

mont hly basis. This wil l help Ben decide when he wil l be short of cash (1) which

wil l enable him t o t alk t o his bank manager about organising an overdraf t (1) or

using anot her short -t erm met hod of f inance. It wil l also show Ben if he has t oo

much cash (1) which could be put t o bet t er use. Ben wil l know appox when he wil l

have lot s of expenses and t his wil l al low him t o plan ahead (1)’ . This candidat e has

also answered t he quest ion using t he cont ext wel l .

Most candidat es did recognise t hat cash f low relat es t o money f lowing in and out of

a business. Weaker candidat es had responses t hat addressed, incorrect ly, t he issue

of prof it . Such responses did not do wel l and t his appeared t o be a maj or

misconcept ion for t hose candidat es.

In part (c), t his was t he f irst t ime t hat t his st yle of quest ion has been used and

alt hough it did not perform as wel l as had been hoped t here were few candidat es

t hat did not achieve at least one mark. The market ing t erms t hat were consist ent ly

misunderst ood and t herefore were not correct ly analysed f rom t he case st udy were

market segment and market share.

Part (d) was general ly wel l answered. Where is was not it was due t o candidat es:

(i) st at ing benef it s t o employee and employers or concent rat ing j ust

on employers when t he quest ion clearly required candidat es t o

st at e t he benef it s t o employees only,

(i i) ignoring t he reference t o of f -t he-j ob t raining and int roducing

eit her or bot h induct ion and on-t he-j ob t raining int o t he response,

(i i i) demonst rat ing knowledge but not using t hat knowledge t o assess

t he benef it s.

A poor answer was, ‘ Of f -t he j ob t raining is when employees are t rained away f rom

t he act ual j ob or place. The benef it s are t hat it is less expensive t hen work and

pract ising wit h real t hings l ike machines. On-t he-j ob t raining can also be dangerous

if t he employee is doing it wrongly he can hurt himself or hurt ot hers’ . In t his

response basic knowledge of of f -t he-j ob t raining is present but t here are no marks

for knowledge in t his quest ion. The cost argument wil l relat e t o t he employer not

t he employee and t he f inal sent ence relat ing t o on-t he-j ob t raining is not required

by t he quest ion. This response gained no marks.

A good response was, ‘ . . . carried out by special ist t rainers not only in t he j ob but

in t raining (1) . . . l ikely t herefore t o receive bet t er t raining t han on-t he-j ob (1) . .

. It can be very mot ivat ing for an employee (1) . . . The t raining should make t hem

more ef f icient at t heir j ob which could result in an increase in pay/ monet ary

reward (1) . . . The t raining may also result in a bet t er j ob or t he employee may

receive more delegat ed t asks f rom t he manager due t o t heir increased capabil i t y .

. . (1)’ .

Question 2

Part (a)(i) was general ly wel l answered. It did, however, indicat e a def iciency in

knowledge for some candidat es who confused t he four fact ors of product ion wit h

t he four Ps. Many candidat es gave al l four fact ors of product ion. This was not

necessary and candidat es who did t his were not penal ised.

Part (a)(i i) was poorly answered eit her because t he candidat es did not have t he

knowledge or t hey did not complet e bot h part s of t he quest ion. The usual mark for

t his quest ion was one mark where a correct example had been st at ed. The meaning

of t he t erm was usual ly missing. A good response was, ‘ An act ivit y or business who

uses a great er proport ion of machinery t han of manual labour (1), for example a

fact ory which builds t oys using robot s rat her t han people (1)’ . The most common

example given was t he manufact ure of cars.

In part (b) most candidat es gained t hree marks for t his quest ion because t hey were

able t o apply t heir knowledge of t he t hree sect ors t o t he cont ext of t he quest ion.

Only a few candidat es were capable of more t han basic appl icat ion. In t he

fol lowing response t he candidat e goes beyond basic appl icat ion t o gain four marks.

‘ In t he primary sect or lumberj acks cut down t rees (1) and t hese are made int o

planks (1) . . . In t he secondary sect or t he wood is assembled int o t he chairs (1) . .

. In t he t ert iary sect or t he chairs wil l be sent over t o t he shops where t hey wil l be

sold (1). If t his candidat e had replaced ‘ sent over’ wit h a specif ic reference t o

t ransport / dist ribut ion t hen al l f ive marks would have been available.

Part (c) was not wel l answered and many candidat es did not have knowledge of

t arif f s t o respond ef fect ively. Many candidat es missed t he emboldened phrase in

t he quest ion ‘ . . . a count ry t hat set s t hem. ’ and demonst rat ed a l imit ed

knowledge of t arif fs t hat did not gain any marks. A number of candidat es wrot e

responses t hat referred t o currency exchange.

There were, however some good responses and one fol lows. ‘ . . . By set t ing t arif fs,

t he government or count ry is prot ect ing it s own businesses f rom mult inat ional

compet it ion (1) eg if Spain put s a 50% t arif f on al l import ed goods Spanish

businesses would do wel l because people would f ind it cheaper t o buy t heir

product in Spain (1) . . . i f Spanish business did wel l , t his would encourage

employment and benef it t he Spanish economy (1). However t his lack of

compet it ion may t ake away business mot ivat ion t o be ef f icient (1) and ot her

count ries could also set t arif fs which would reduce t he t rading possibil i t ies (1). ’

In part (d) t he best candidat es concent rat ed on t he use of ret ained prof it s and

gave accurat e and real ist ic j ust if icat ions for t heir use. Typical ly t heir responses

would only address t he use of ret ained prof it s and t here would be no reference t o

bank loans as t hat decision had been made. It was pleasing t o see how many

candidat es picked up t he fact t hat t he business had been t rading for t en years.

Such candidat es demonst rat ed t he import ance of a careful reading of t he st em t o

improve and enhance t heir response t o t he quest ion.

Weaker candidat es gave a mixed response t hat compared t he use of ret ained

prof it s and a bank loan. Whilst such a response would gain some marks it could not

gain ful l marks. One candidat e responded, ‘ It is a good decision because when t hey

t ake loan f rom t he bank t hey wil l have t o pay wit h int erest and t he amount t hey

need may be t he bank wil l not give (1). Using ret ained prof it t his means t he

business has grown wit h it s own st rengt h (1)’ .

The weakest candidat es only demonst rat ed knowledge of ret ained prof it s or bank

loans and as t he quest ion had t o meet Assessment Obj ect ive 4 no marks could be

given.

4330/04 – Coursework Option

In t he May 2006 series one cent re ent ered candidat es for t his opt ion. In t his series

f ive Cent res ent ered candidat es. Each of t hese Cent res has received a report t hat

is specif ic t o t hem.

As for May 2005 t he int ent ion of t his report is t o give furt her guidance on t he

appl icat ion of t he coursework crit eria t o assist ot her Cent res in deciding whet her

t o ent er candidat es for coursework or for t he 03 paper. The format wil l be similar

t o t hat used in t he May 2005 report wit h t his addit ion of i t al icised comment s t hat

relat e specif ical ly t o t he work seen in t his series.

The crit eria are not hierarchical and can be awarded as and when t hey are found

wit hin t he coursework.

The crit eria t hat were of t en inaccurat ely appl ied were:

Assessment Objective 1 – 1.2, 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9;

Assessment Objective 2 – 2.4 and 2.7;

Assessment Objective 3 – 3.6, 3.7 and 3.9;

Assessment Objective 4 – 4.5, 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9.

The crit eria t hat were of t en not appl ied when t hey should have been were:

Assessment Objective 3 – 3.4 and 3.5

Assessment Objective 4 – 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4

Candidat es can raise t heir achievement by always:

• present ing t heir act ion or business plans in t he fut ure t ense (2.3, 2.6, 2.9);

• ident ifying act ual sources used by name (1.2, 3.4, 3.7);

• present ing report s in a recognised report format (3.9);

• doing more t han just describe (1.6, 1.7, 1.9, 2.8, 3.5, 3.8, 4.7, 4.8)

• present ing original work and not work copied f rom t ext books, phot ocopies or

downloads f rom CD-ROMs or t he Int ernet ;

• being concise and keeping volume of erroneous mat erial t o t he minimum (eg

only mat erial which is capable of being given crit eria).

Cent res should not e t hat where t he market ing coursework is set it is not necessary

for candidat es t o include a copy of every quest ionnaire t hey have complet ed. It is

suf f icient t o include a copy of eit her an uncomplet ed quest ionnaire or one

complet ed quest ionnaire. What is import ant is t he use t hat candidat es have made

of t he dat a t hey have col lect ed f rom t heir quest ionnaire and t his wil l be evidenced

in t he report .

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE 1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the specified subject content

1.1 Candidat es are expect ed t o have a basic knowledge of t he subj ect cont ent

so t hey could ment ion, for example, prof it , revenue, cost s in a given

cont ext and gain t his cri t erion. Obviously knowledge f rom any sect ion of t he

Specif icat ion is equal ly accept able.

1.2 Candidat es are expect ed t o ident ify t heir sources of knowledge. This

crit erion is l inked t o 3.4 and 3.7. The plural should be not ed and t o gain t his

crit erion candidat es would have t o have somewhere in t heir coursework

somet hing along t he fol lowing l ines, ‘ In doing t his coursework I used a

t ext book cal led Business St udies by Karen Borringt on and Pet er St imson and

received help f rom my t eacher Mr A. N. Ot her’ . In t his case t he candidat e

has ident if ied f rom t he t ext and people group.

For t he lat t er group t he person must be named and a candidat e who wrot e

my business st udies t eacher would not be ident ifying t he person. For t he

ot her t wo groups relevant references would be for organisat ions, Tesco plc

and for elect ronic a ful l web address such as www.bized.ac.uk. In a wel l

designed piece of coursework t his crit erion would normally be found eit her

in t he act ion plan or in an informat ion log kept by t he candidat e.

In t his series t his cr i t er ion was of t en incorrect ly awarded when (i) t here was only one source given or (i i ) t he ident i f icat ion was incomplet e, eg t he t i t le of a t ext book had been given but not t he aut hor(s).

1.3 Candidat es have t o ident ify a minimum of two business aims or obj ect ives.

These must not be personal aims of t he candidat e. The business aims should

be in t he cont ext of t he problem or issue t hat t he coursework is addressing.

For most candidat es t hey are l ikely t o be f rom t he fol lowing, prof it ,

prof it abil i t y, survival , expansion, market share.

In t his series t his cr i t er ion were t oo of t en incorrect ly given for candidat es personal aims. In most cases t he aims given were generic in t he sense t hat t hey were survival , prof i t and expansion. This is accept able but obviously aims t hat relat e t o t he act ual business being used have t he benef i t of great er real ism.

1.4 Candidat es have t o recognise a minimum of two const raint s. It is suf f icient

t hat candidat es recognise t he const raint . Examples of const raint s could be

locat ion, capit al or communicat ion.

1.5 Candidat es have t o recognise dif ferences or check availabil i t y. If i t is

dif ferences (t he most usual reason for t his crit erion t o be given) t hen two

dif ferences must be ment ioned. Financial dif ferences could refer t o sources

of f inance; in market ing it could be primary and secondary research, in

product ion j ob and bat ch, in Human Resources on-t he-j ob and of f -t he-j ob

t raining. The availabil i t y opt ion in t his crit erion is rarely seen. To gain it

candidat es might for sources of f inance, look at t he availabil i t y of dif ferent

sources in t he cont ext of t he problem or issue.

1.6 Candidat es have t o consider inf luences. The word ‘ consider’ appears in a

number of crit eria, specif ical ly 1.7, 2.4, 3.6, 4.4 and 4.6. In each of t hese

crit eria consider means t hat t he candidat e has t o do more t han j ust st at e

fact s. Candidat es have t o be t aught t o del iberat e and t o t hink about , in t his

case t he cont ent of t he Specif icat ion. It is at t his point t hat t he

‘ underst and’ part of t his Assessment Obj ect ive real ly comes int o play. A

candidat e who j ust l ist s point s relat ing t o locat ion wil l not have met t he

crit erion whereas t he candidat e who looks at locat ion wit hin a cont ext and

shows evidence of t hought and del iberat ion wil l have met t he crit erion.

Candidat es’ work where t his cr i t er ion was incorrect ly given did not demonst rat e t he ‘ consider’ aspect as required. General ly only knowledge was present wit h no underst anding.

1.7 Candidat es have t o consider al t ernat ives f rom a knowledge and

underst anding perspect ive. Taking as an example measuring success, t hen a

successful candidat e wil l be able t o show t heir clear underst anding of how

t he dif ferent ways of measuring success can be used wit hin in t he cont ext

of t he problem t hey are deal ing wit h.

1.8 This is of t en seen as a dif f icult crit erion t o give. It is not . Teachers wil l

inst inct ively know when a candidat e is showing t heir own sound knowledge

and are not j ust repeat ing what t hey have found in a t ext book or a

download f rom t he int ernet . A candidat e looking at t he way businesses

organise t hemselves would be expect ed t o demonst rat e and underst and

wel l t wo forms of organisat ion, say part nerships and f ranchises. This would

go beyond simple st at ement s about part nerships and f ranchises and would

demonst rat e clear underst anding by t he candidat e.

The recognit ion of relat ionships could be bet ween revenue and cost s,

employer and employee.

Candidat es who had been given t his cr i t er ion general ly did not demonst rat e sound knowledge and i t was usual ly dif f icul t t o f ind evidence of t heir underst anding of what t hey had present ed.

1.9 Candidat es would be expect ed t o make crit ical comment s on t he subj ect

cont ent or t o make comparisons making use of t heir own knowledge and

underst anding.

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE 2 Apply knowledge and understanding using appropriate terms, concepts,

theories and methods effectively to address problems and issue.

2.1 Candidat es are expect ed t o be able t o st at e t he basic t erms, concept s or

t heories t hat relat e t o business, for example t hey might ment ion t hat a sole

t rader t akes al l t he risks and has t o do everyt hing t hemselves if t he cont ext

and problem were so relat ed.

2.2 Candidat es are expect ed t o apply basic met hods t o t he problem or issue

t hey are considering. This could be a graph, chart , t al ly or t able.

2.3 Candidat es wil l prepare a basic act ion plan. This could be as simple as a few

sent ences st at ing what t he candidat e int ends t o do. It must be in t he fut ure

t ense. Candidat es should be encouraged t o draw up an appropriat e act ion

plan t hat set s out what t hey are going t o do, how t hey are going t o do it

and what t hey need t o carry out t heir plan.

2.4 Candidat es wil l need t o consider issues or legislat ion. Most candidat es t end

t o go for t he legislat ion opt ion. If t his is so candidat es must be t old t hat t his

is t he ‘ Apply’ Assessment Obj ect ive and it is not suf f icient j ust t o l ist

det ails of legislat ion but t hat t hey must show how t his legislat ion wil l

impact upon t heir issue or problem.

Candidat es who give j ust t he det ai ls of a piece of legislat ion cannot be given t his cr i t er ion. They have t o apply t he legislat ion t o t he business or problem t hat t hey are deal ing wit h and of t en his was not done. In a number of inst ances t his cr i t er ion had been indicat ed against j ust a l ist of legislat ion t i t les t hat may or may not have been relevant t o t he business/ problem under considerat ion.

2.5 Candidat es wil l be given t his crit erion where t he met hods being appl ied are

relevant t o t he t opic being st udied or t he issue or problem being

considered.

2.6 Candidat es wil l have already met 2.3 and wil l now furt her develop t heir

act ion plan by adding deadl ines for complet ion and indicat ing if such

deadl ines have been met and if not why not .

2.7 Candidat es have t o undert ake t hree dist inct act ivit ies; (i) recognise

st rengt hs of ideas t hey have used, (i i) recognise l imit at ions of ideas t hey

have used and t hen (i i i) make decisions. In many cases t his could be

achieved t hrough a SWOT analysis if relevant t o t he issue or problem being

addressed. It does not have t o be a SWOT analysis as long as t here are a

minimum of t wo st rengt hs, t wo l imit at ions and t wo decisions.

Of t en given incorrect ly where candidat es had no evidence of t he t hree element s of t his cr i t er ion. The element t hat was usual ly missing relat ed t o a decision. There were SWOT analyses seen but t here was no evidence of how t he informat ion had led t o any decisions, i f such were present , and usual ly t hey were not .

2.8 The candidat e wil l have ef fect ively addressed t he issue or problem t hat has

been set t hrough t he use of t heir knowledge and underst anding and

appl icat ion of appropriat e business t erms, concept s, t heories and met hods.

2.9 Candidat es wil l present t heir act ion plans, probably as a t able, which wil l

include ful l references t o t he sources used, t he value of t hese sources,

dat es and deadl ines and an indicat ion of changes t o t he original plan wit h

reasoning.

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE 3 Select, organise, analyse and interpret information from various sources to

analyse problems and issues.

3.1 Candidat es wil l gat her basic informat ion f rom t he sources t hat t hey have

indicat ed in 1.2. A t ypical response could be: ‘ I went t o see t he bank

manager and t he local building societ y t o get my informat ion on borrowing

money for a business’ . This would t hen be fol lowed by an indicat ion of t he

relevant informat ion gat hered f rom t hat source.

3.2 Candidat es can record informat ion, be it t ext ual, numerical or graphical, in

a number of format s. These could include candidat e’ s own not es, t ables,

chart s, graphs and diagrams as appropriat e.

3.3 Candidat es can col lat e informat ion in a number of ways. Examples could

include a t al ly chart t hat relat es t o a quest ionnaire, a pie chart for t he

purpose of comparison, a spreadsheet showing cash f low or report s f rom a

dat abase.

3.4 Candidat es wil l eit her gain t his t hrough evidence of having used t hree

sources or, and t his is more l ikely, t hrough demonst rat ing t heir abil i t y t o

organise and use t he informat ion t hey have gat hered.

Under appl ied in many cases. Al t hough many candidat e wi l l not gain t his t hrough t he use of t hree sources i t is rare t hat a candidat e cannot gain i t f or organising and using t he informat ion t hey have gat hered.

3.5 Candidat es wil l be able t o int erpret and analyse t he evidence t hey have

gat hered, recorded and col lat ed. They might , for example, comment on a

graph relat ing t o prof it or responses t o part s of a quest ionnaire t hey have

carried out .

This was general ly under appl ied by some Cent res and i t was usual t o f ind t he necessary evidence for i t in most pieces of coursework.

3.6 Candidat es are expect ed t o consider al t ernat ive ways of select ing,

organising and int erpret ing. This could be evidenced t hrough t he use of

dif ferent t ypes of graphs so t he most suit able is chosen t o mat ch t he

purpose or t hrough a considerat ion of t ypes of quest ions in a quest ionnaire.

3.7 Candidat es must have made use of al l four sources and must t hen furt her

demonst rat e clearly t he syst em t hey have used t o ensure t hat t he

informat ion t hey have gat hered does what t hey have planned for it t o do.

This crit erion cannot be given j ust for t he use of four dif ferent sources. It is

possible t hat a very good act ion plan as explained in 2.9 might enable a

candidat e t o achieve t his crit erion.

When t his was given i t was usual ly possible t o f ind t he four sources t hat had been used but i t was not possible t o f ind evidence of t he syst emat ic approach t hat t he candidat e had used.

3.8 Candidat es are expect ed t o use t heir informat ion wit h specif ic reference t o

t he issue or problem t hey have been set and t hat t he use of t his informat ion

is bot h ef fect ive and val id in addressing t hat issue or problem.

3.9 Candidat es should not e t he t wo key words; t hese are logical and

comprehensive. Logical impl ies t hat t here is a recognisable format t o t he

report or present at ion and comprehensive impl ies t hat al l t hat has t o be

covered has been covered.

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE 4

Evaluate evidence, make reasoned judgements and present conclusions

accurately and appropriately.

4.1 Candidat es are required t o make at least t wo basic comment s t hat have an

impl ied sense of eit her j udgement or evaluat ion. A t ypical response might

say: ‘ The f igures show The Body Shop has not got a very high net prof it

margin, which could mean t hat t he f irm is not very good at cont rol l ing

cost s’ .

4.2 Candidat es are required t o draw a minimum of t wo conclusions t hat relat e

t o t he issue or problem t hey have been set and t hat are support ed by what

has already been writ t en. Again, a t ypical response might be: ‘ When new

employees were t rained in t he fact ory t hey kept get t ing int errupt ed so it

was agreed t hat in fut ure al l t raining would t ake place at a Col lege’ . For

t he crit erion t o be given anot her conclusion, relat ed t o t he t ask, would st i l l

be required.

4.3 Candidat es can make reference t o eit her social , f inancial or environment al

ef fect s, but t hey must be ef fect . So t here could be t wo f inancial ef fect s or

one social and one environment al ef fect , but t here must be t wo. A t ypical

social ef fect might be: ‘ By engaging t he employees I wil l be helping Cairo

and t he wider Egypt ian economy in a small way by reducing

unemployment ’ .

General ly appl ied wit h some harshness by Cent res. In most pieces of coursework sampled t here was suf f icient evidence t o warrant t he appl icat ion of t his cr i t er ia.

4.4 Candidat es are expect ed t o consider any result s t hey have indicat ed in t heir

work or make a l imit ed at t empt at analysis and conclusion. It should be

not ed here t hat a ful l conclusion is not required but t here should be

evidence of an at t empt at making a conclusion f rom t he analysis.

4.5 Candidat es can gain t his crit erion t hrough t he st at ement of a hypot hesis

and t hen eit her proving or disproving it . When using a quest ionnaire a

candidat e can st at e what t hey t hink t he opinion wil l be and t hen compare

t hat wit h t he fact s gat hered f rom t he quest ionnaire. Limit ed conclusions

are required. The fol lowing example gives an indicat ion of what is being

looked for. ‘ The cash f low gave an est imat e of t he amount l ikely t o be

made and spent in t he f irst 12 mont hs. However t he act ual income and

expendit ure showed t hat £40,000 and not £30,000 had t o be invest ed. This

improved overal l cash-f low. ’

4.6 Candidat es would develop t he basic references given in 4.3 and would show

t hat t hey had t hought about t he ef fect s and not j ust described t hem. Again

such considerat ions can be for t he same area of dif ferent areas.

4.7 Candidat es need t o not e t hat a minimum of t wo out comes need t o be

evaluat ed and t hat t here must be an indicat ion of at least t wo

improvement s.

4.8 Candidat es need t o present a det ailed evaluat ion based on what t hey have

researched and writ t en and t he suggest ed improvement s (a minimum of

t wo) have t o be j ust if ied in t he l ight of t heir own f indings.

4.9 Whilst 4.3 and 4.6 can be of a more general nat ure t his crit erion requires

candidat es t o l ink t he f inancial , social or economic ef fect s t o t he

suggest ions t hey have made.

4330 Statistics

Option 1 : Written Paper 1F with Written Alternative (Paper 03)

Foundation

Tier 43 38 33 29 25

Option 2 : Written Paper 1F with Coursework (Paper 04)

Foundation

Tier 44 38 33 28 23

Option 3 : Written Paper 2H with Written Alternative (Paper 03)

Higher

Tier 80 66 52 39 28 22

Option 4 : Written Paper 2H with Coursework (Paper 04)

Higher

Tier 79 66 53 40 29 23

Note: Grade boundaries may vary f rom year t o year and f rom subj ect t o

subj ect , depending on t he demands of t he quest ion paper.

For more informat ion on Edexcel qual if icat ions, please visit www.edexcel.org.uk/ qual if icat ions Alt ernat ively, you can cont act Customer Services at www.edexcel.org.uk/ ask or on 0870 240 9800 Edexcel Limit ed. Regist ered in England and Wales no.4496750 Regist ered Of f ice: One90 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7BH

Edexcel IGCSE Business Studies (4330) GCSE/Business... · Edexcel IGCSE Business Studies (4330) ......

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