Dos and Don’ts for Studying A-Level Business Studies

An effective study pattern shouldn’t require you to spend every spare minute learning key term definitions, calculating formulae or perfecting exam skills. Nevertheless, it’s never too early – or too late – to get into a routine that supports your learning AND fits in with your other commitments. Online tutoring is a great way to get regular assitance with putting this into action.

Getting organised now should help to reduce the stress and pressure in the run-up to next summer. So, whether you’re just setting out on your A-level Business Studies journey or entering the second-year build-up to the final exams, now is the time to get organised. The following tips – five do’s and five don'ts - are based on advice from recent Examiner Reports, so they should get you off to a good start!

THE DO’s

1. DO work on developing a good understanding of ALL the topics on your A-level Business specification. 

Learn and understand all the key terms in all sections of your specification, as any of these can be part of the external exams. Keeping a copy of your specification as a checklist that you can refer to regularly is a great idea. It’s perfectly normal to find some topics easier to grasp than others, but don’t be tempted to bury the topics that you have problems with – you have little or no choice of the questions you answer in the exams (depending on your exam board), so you'll need to have a good grasp of EVERYTHING. 

TOP TIP: There are lots of sources of support for you to call upon, in addition to your teacher and textbook. Why not consider asking other students in your class to set up a weekly workshop, either in person or online, where you can discuss what you’ve learned and help each other out plugging gaps in knowledge? You could even sign up for a lesson for a topic explanation with a Sherpa online tutor!

2. DO practice writing exam-style questions regularly.

A good understanding of the terms, concepts and theories introduced during your A level course (as well as the ability to provide clear, concise and accurate explanations) is an essential starting point to providing good quality answers. A quick glance at an exam mark scheme will show, however, that examiners are not looking for a reproduction of textbook content – you will also be required to demonstrate the skills of application, analysis and evaluation. 

These skills won’t just suddenly appear, but they can be gradually developed to the levels required for top-quality answers by practicing and taking on advice and guidance as to how to improve over time. The sooner you start and the more you practice, the better.

TOP TIP: Develop your writing style by using connectives such as 'one implication might be... this could mean that...however, it should also be considered...' Phrases like these will help to introduce and extend analytical and evaluative points, letting the reader know what’s coming up. However, there’s no point using phrases like this unless you go on to provide sufficient and appropriate content.

3. DO learn how to write balanced answers.

Questions containing command words such as assess, evaluate or to what extent require you to provide answers that look at key strengths AND limitations. For example, consider the following question:

Evaluate the importance to BBB of having a contingency plan. [15] (OCR: Paper 1 2023)

This question does not want you to list as many benefits of contingency planning as you can think of. Rather, it wants you to consider one key strength and then one key limitation of contingency planning for the business in question, followed by a conclusion. 

TOP TIP: One-sided answers will not earn many of the question marks available, so learn to take a balanced approach to writing longer answers.

4. DO learn to write answers within a time constraint.

Managing your time effectively during the exams can be seen, unofficially, as the fifth exam skill. The recommended approach is to spend one minute for every mark available so, for example, you should spend no more than 4 minutes on a 4-minute question, 10 minutes on a 10-minute question and so on.  

Attempting this for the first time in the exam is a high-risk strategy and could lead to having to rush answers or even miss out on whole questions! It can also be tempting to spend more time on the earlier, more accessible questions, leaving insufficient time for subsequent questions that require careful structuring and more developed arguments. 

TOP TIP: Practice, practice and more practice over the coming months will help you learn to write clear and concise answers, only including what the question requires.

5. DO work on building your numeracy skills, if you need to.

You don’t need to be able to perform complex maths for any of the A-level Business specifications, but you will be required to demonstrate good numeracy skills, including calculating and interpreting percentages and formulae. Ask for extra help, if you don’t feel confident. 

It’s also a good idea to get into the habit of stating formulas and showing each stage of calculations for numerical questions. It may seem like a waste of time to write everything out, especially if you’re confident with these questions, but simple mistakes are easy to make when we’re under pressure. Just writing down an incorrect answer will get you no marks, whereas demonstrating the right technique will earn you a big chunk of the marks available, even if you fall at the last hurdle. 

TOP TIP: Make sure to label any diagrams correctly and express your final answers using the correct units – £s, %, etc.

The DON’TS!

1. DON’T skim-read questions

Exam questions require specific answers, so it’s vital that you carefully read any questions set (either in class, at home or in exams) from start to finish, so that you do what is asked of you – no more, no less! It’s particularly easy to ‘lose the thread’ on longer answers and start making points that are valid but not relevant to the question in question. 

Consider this 20-mark question from Edexcel Paper 1 (2021):

Taco Bell entered the Brazilian market in 2018, with limited success. To increase sales, Taco Bell could either adopt a polycentric or an ethnocentric approach to marketing.

(e) Evaluate these two options and recommend which one is most suitable for Taco Bell to increase its sales in Brazil. (20)

To answer this question effectively, your chains of reasoning need to be focused on increasing sales, NOT profits – the two concepts may be linked but are very different.  

For example, creating a fast-food menu designed to appeal to Brazilian tastes and preferences will incur costs (reducing profits) but may be popular and differentiate from rivals, boosting the number and value of sales.

TOP TIP: Repeat the question regularly throughout your answer to stay on track. For example, “A key benefit of opting for Option A to improve Taco Bell’s sales in Brazil is…” or ”..In my opinion, the most suitable option for Taco Bell to increase its sales in Brazil is…”

2. DON’T write generic answers

All the major exam boards deliberately base exams on extracts or mini case studies on specific firms or business sectors to test your ability to spot the relevance of certain points over others in different scenarios and prioritise. The skill of application is about thinking about everything you’ve learned during your course and pulling out what is relevant to the business in question and its current circumstances, objectives and market.

TOP TIP: If you read back an answer and realise it could apply to any business, it won’t earn any of the application marks available.

3. DON’T learn and regurgitate ‘perfect’ answers –

It’s tempting to take a piece of homework or a mock exam answer that’s been awarded a high grade and try to adapt it to similar-sounding questions, but this is unlikely to work. There is no such thing as a perfect answer that will apply to all businesses, or even the same business at different times. (refer to the previous point on generic answers).

TOP TIP: Some of the time allocated should be spent planning your answers in response to the questions set, so think before you start writing.

4. DON’T ignore any of the data provided in a question or the accompanying extracts.

Data can come in many forms – charts, diagrams, text – and it will be there for a reason, which is to provide you with the evidence you need to reach fully informed decisions. Read and reflect on all the data you are given, including footnotes and source material, then use it appropriately. 

Return to the data at the start of each new question or section and re-read the necessary data. Using a few minutes of your time in this way will help more relevant answers and score application points

TOP TIP: Rather than copying out huge chunks from extracts to support your points, refer to the line numbers contained in the text - this will save time and keep your answers concise.

5. DON’T forget the basics 

We’ve come full circle and back to the importance of knowledge as a key skill. As we stated at the beginning, developing and maintaining a clear understanding of the terms, concepts and theories introduced is essential but not sufficient. 

Nevertheless, whatever point you’re at in your course, don’t let your understanding and use of terms become blurred, e.g., costs vs. prices, cash flow vs. profits – keep your notes organised and refer back to them regularly. And remember, concise and accurate definitions are an excellent way of starting an answer or new paragraph and picking up marks at the same time.

TOP TIP: Keep glossaries of useful terms for each section in your notes and refer to them regularly.

This might seem like an awful lot to take in, especially if you are at the start of your A-level Business Studies course.All the points above can be taken on board gradually – just make sure you listen to any feedback given by your teacher or A-level Business tutor and ask for additional advice when you need it.

Good luck and enjoy your year!