by Shauna Mujic and Mary Kelly.

Overall, a balanced paper, in line with other subjects. Students were required to think on their feet and use and adapt the information they have learned.

Short questions (section 1):

A nice mix of questions from all units, some requiring quite a lot of detail. Students will have welcomed the variety of question styles, including multiple choice, business abbreviations, calculations and labelling a breakeven chart.

Applied Business Question (section 2):

In line with previous years, a challenging ABQ for students. Part A, focusing on the entrepreneur, was very straight-forward. Part B, on management activities, will have been well practiced and welcomed by students. Part C may have thrown students as they were required to discuss the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act with regard to a service provider, however as with all ABQ questions, the points lie within the case study.

Long Questions (section 3):

A very nice mix of long questions in section 3 that will have rewarded the student who can adapt their learned material .

A well structured question 1 on unit 1, with a nice of mix, including elements of a contract, industrial disputes and the small claims court.

Question 2 on unit 6 covered the topical issues of environmental responsibility, economic variables and the government.

Question 3 on unit 7 was very fair but not as topical as expected, with no mention of Brexit!

Question 4 was a very manageable question on unit 3, students will have been glad to see Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, communication and leadership styles.

A balanced blend of units 4 and 5 across questions 5, 6 and 7.

Students will have welcomed the appearance of ratios in question 5, which was very manageable. Marketing dominated question 7, which has been the trend in recent years.