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AQA A-level Business (7132) · 2023 specification
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Papers & exam technique
Know exactly what each paper looks like
All three papers are 2 hours, 100 marks and assess the whole specification (3.1-3.10). What changes is the question style. Built from every AQA 7132 paper, mark scheme and examiner report from 2020 to 2025.
1
Paper 1 - Business 1
| Section A | 15 MCQs × 1 mark | ~15 min |
| Section B | 2 × 4-mark calculations + 3 × 9-mark 'Analyse' | ~40 min |
| Section C | Choose 1 of 2 essays (25) | ~32 min |
| Section D | Choose 1 of 2 essays (25) | ~32 min |
No case study: in the essays you supply the context with real or imagined businesses. 9-markers need developed analysis only - no conclusion.
2
Paper 2 - Business 2
| Q1-Q3 | Each ~33 marks with its own context and appendices | ~40 min each |
| Parts | 2-6 mark calc / explain → 9-mark analyse → 16-mark evaluate |
Data selection is everything: use the appendices, calculate where it helps, and question the data (sample size, date, reliability). The last part is often about all businesses.
3
Paper 3 - Business 3
| Reading | Insert + appendices (make notes) | ~15-20 min |
| Q1, Q2 | 12-mark 'Analyse' | ~12 min each |
| Q3, Q4 | 16-mark evaluate, often with calculations | ~16 min each |
| Q5 | 20 marks, often 'Option 1 or Option 2?' | ~20 min |
| Q6 | 24-mark synoptic 'all businesses' | ~24 min |
Answer in order. If a question says 'use calculations', the top levels are closed without them. For Q6 use contrasting contexts, not just the case business.
How the levels actually work
Every extended question is marked with a level grid. Examiners read the whole answer, find the best-fit level, then place it within the level. These are the grids AQA uses for each tariff:
| Tariff | Where | Levels (marks) | AO split | What gets you to the top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | P1 Section B, P2 | L1 1-3 · L2 4-6 · L3 7-9 | P1: 3/3/3 · P2: 2/3/4 | Well-developed analysis applied to the context. No judgement needed. |
| 12 | P3 Q1-Q2 | L1 1-4 · L2 5-8 · L3 9-12 | 3/3/6 | One well-developed argument in context can be enough for L3. |
| 16 | P2 last part, P3 Q3-Q4 | L1 1-4 · L2 5-8 · L3 9-12 · L4 13-16 | 2/3/4/7 | Balanced, well-developed arguments + a judgement that weighs them. |
| 20 | P3 Q5 | L1 1-4 · L2 5-8 · L3 9-12 · L4 13-16 · L5 17-20 | 4/3/5/8 | Analyse BOTH options in context; one-option answers capped at L3. |
| 24 | P3 Q6 | L1 1-5 · L2 6-10 · L3 11-15 · L4 16-20 · L5 21-24 | 5/4/6/9 | Contrasting contexts for 'all businesses' and a judgement that flows from the arguments. |
| 25 | P1 Sections C & D | L1 1-5 · L2 6-10 · L3 11-15 · L4 16-20 · L5 21-25 | 5/4/6/10 | Precise knowledge, developed two-sided analysis with examples, weighed judgement. |
AO1 knowledge · AO2 application · AO3 analysis · AO4 evaluation. Calculations (2-4 marks) are point-marked with the Own Figure Rule: a correct formula alone usually earns 1 mark, and the final mark needs the right unit.
What the examiners keep saying (reports 2023-2025)
- Answer the precise question. 'Will sales increase?' is not 'how should Bodhi increase sales?'. Drift caps the level.
- Explain the 'why' in every link. 'Organic growth is less risky' is a statement; why it is less risky (no culture clash, fewer layers) makes it analysis.
- Know the model, not just the words. Lewin (driving vs restraining - what has changed now), Herzberg (training is a motivator, not hygiene), stakeholder mapping terms.
- Don't confuse look-alike concepts: capacity vs capacity utilisation, differentiation vs diversification, QA vs QC, monetary vs fiscal policy, gross profit vs gross profit margin.
- Use the data - then question it. Calculate ratios when they help; note small or old samples (27 families in 2021!).
- Conclusions weigh up, they don't summarise. Say which argument matters more and what it depends on. No new points in the conclusion.
- 'All businesses' needs contrasting contexts (e.g. fast-moving tech vs slow-moving furniture), not just the case company.
- Units matter in calculations. Margin of safety in units, not £; NPV in £m; payables in days.
- Analyse questions need no conclusion - a judgement earns nothing extra and costs time.
- Time: about a mark a minute. Section D and P3 Q6 are where students run out of time.
Topic trends by paper and our June 2027 predictions
Every question from the AQA 7132 papers 2020-2024 was read and tagged to the v2.0 specification, plus the 2025 extended questions from the examiner reports. Bars show each section's share of the extended-question marks (MCQs excluded) in that paper. The predictions below drove our three predicted sets for each paper.
Format: Section A 15 MCQs · Section B two calculations (8 marks) + three 9-mark Analyse · Sections C and D one 25-mark essay each from a choice of two. (55 extended questions analysed, plus 75 MCQs.)
18%
14%
14%
11%
11%
10%
9%
5%
4%
2%
What the trend says
- Strategic methods (3.9) is the biggest share of Section B-D marks: growth, globalisation, innovation and digital technology come up every year.
- Finance (3.5) is only about 5% of extended marks - just two finance essays in six years (2022 finance function, 2024 ratios for non-profits). A finance essay is overdue.
- Section B calculations rotate: ratios (2022, 2023, 2025), break-even/variance (2020, 2024), network/decision tree (2021), NPV (2024). Payback and ARR have never been a Section B calculation.
- Herzberg has never had his own Paper 1 extended question (Maslow 2023, financial v non-financial 2021, soft HRM 2024).
- Spec v2.0 removed Blake Mouton, Hackman & Oldham, Greiner, Hofstede, Bartlett & Ghoshal, Bowman and the Balanced Scorecard - 9 MCQs and one essay since 2020 used them. Tannenbaum Schmidt is new and has never been examined.
Most likely for June 2027
- HighA finance essay - cash flow v profit, sources of finance or ratios (3.5)
- HighHerzberg / does pay motivate? (3.6.4)
- HighTannenbaum Schmidt leadership continuum - new in spec v2.0 (3.2.1)
- HighPayback or ARR as a Section B calculation (3.7.8)
- MediumHR calculations: labour productivity, turnover or labour cost per unit (3.6.2)
- MediumPorter's five forces or generic strategies essay (3.7.7 / 3.8.2)
- MediumInflation or taxation 9-marker (3.7.5)
- MediumBig data, data mining or automation (3.9.4)
Predicted papers built from this
Format: Three data-response contexts (~33 marks each). Since 2024 at least one context has been 9 + 9 + 16 with no short calculations. (71 extended questions analysed.)
26%
18%
14%
14%
6%
5%
5%
4%
4%
4%
Contexts: 2020: Drake Hotels PLC (budget hotels), Nari (phone maker, Asia), Zani PLC (jewellery franchisor) · 2021: UK banks / Metro Bank, Bell Ltd (family food manufacturer), Chillax Ltd (luxury spas) · 2022: UK tea market, Ocado-M&S joint venture, DT (circuit-board exporter) · 2023: AJS plc (packaging manufacturer), Homeworking (whole economy), Simply Bake plc (palm oil) · 2024: Biggs Ltd (snack foods), Soundcheck plc (streaming), WWH Ltd (wood-burning stoves)
What the trend says
- Strategic position (3.7) dominates (a quarter of all marks): a ratio or investment appraisal calculation has appeared in Question 1 every year 2020-2025.
- Every year includes a people question with a named theory: Taylor 2020, engagement 2021, Maslow 2022, managers' roles 2023, trade unions 2024, Herzberg 2025.
- The final 16-marker of a context usually asks about 'all businesses' and growth methods are recurring: franchising 2020, ventures 2022.
- Change management (3.10) is under-used in Paper 2: power culture 2020, Lewin 2023 only.
- 2024 and 2025 both had contexts structured 9 + 9 + 16 - expect fewer 2-4 mark questions than the 2020-2023 papers.
Most likely for June 2027
- HighRatio or investment appraisal calculation in Q1 (3.7.2 / 3.7.8)
- HighLeadership or motivation theory 9-marker - Tannenbaum Schmidt or Herzberg (3.2.1 / 3.6.4)
- HighGrowth or finance method for 'all businesses' - crowd funding, takeovers, joint ventures (3.5.3 / 3.9.1)
- MediumInnovation and intellectual property - patents, intrapreneurship, benchmarking (3.9.2)
- MediumChange management - Kotter & Schlesinger, culture (3.10.1 / 3.10.2)
- MediumInterpreting market research - sampling, confidence, extrapolation (3.3.2)
Predicted papers built from this
Format: One case study: Q1-Q2 12-mark Analyse · Q3-Q4 16-mark (Q3 almost always needs calculations) · Q5 20-mark decision (often Option 1 v Option 2) · Q6 24-mark 'all businesses'. (36 extended questions analysed.)
19%
18%
16%
15%
9%
9%
6%
4%
3%
2%
Case studies: 2020: Sunport PLC - multinational consumer goods plc (large) · 2021: AM plc - drone maker re-shoring from China (medium plc) · 2022: SSN Ltd - cybersecurity founder-led Ltd (medium, fast growth) · 2023: Logger Boards Ltd - sole-owner surfboard maker (small) · 2024: Speed-e-Puds Ltd - dessert parlours, 3 branches (small) · 2025: VBM - car manufacturer (large)
What the trend says
- Human resources has been the focus of just one Paper 3 question in six years (2025 Q4). It is the most under-examined area relative to the specification.
- Q3 has needed calculations every year: ratios (2022), efficiency data (2023), investment appraisal (2021 Q5, 2024 Q3). Expect payback/ARR/NPV, ratios or break-even.
- Q5 is a 20-mark decision: two-option choices in 2021 (sites) and 2024 (organic v franchise); financing/risk in 2023; stakeholders in 2022; legislation in 2025.
- Q6 themes so far: CSR, re-shoring, strategic planning, leadership, innovation, capacity. Not yet: globalisation as opportunity v threat, five forces, technology, competitive advantage of small v large firms.
- Cases swung from large plcs (2020-21) to small Ltds (2022-24) and back to a large manufacturer (2025) - prepare for both, and for reading balance sheets.
Most likely for June 2027
- HighAn HR question - workforce planning, motivation or organisational structure (3.6)
- HighQ3 with investment appraisal, ratios or break-even calculations (3.7.8 / 3.7.2 / 3.5.2)
- HighQ5 'Option 1 or Option 2' using quantitative and qualitative data (3.8.1 / 3.9.1)
- MediumPorter's five forces applied to the case - never yet in Paper 3 (3.7.7)
- MediumKotter & Schlesinger resistance to change (Lewin was 2025) (3.10.1)
- MediumQ6 on globalisation, technology or competitive advantage for all businesses
Predicted papers built from this
2020-2024 data come from the question papers themselves; 2025 entries are reconstructed from the examiner reports. Codes show the main spec section - most long questions are synoptic. Predictions are informed estimates, not leaks: revise the whole specification.
Past-paper question map (every Section B-D, Paper 2 and Paper 3 question)
Paper 1
| Year | Section B calculations | Section B 9-markers | Section C essays (choose 1) | Section D essays (choose 1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Current ratio (3.7.2) · reverse ROCE to find operating profit (3.7.2) | Org structure & speed of response (3.6.3) · fiscal policy, medical market (3.7.5) · HR and innovation (3.9.2) | Multinational in a stagnant market (3.9.3) · market research & market share (3.3.2) | Investment & competitive advantage (3.8.2) · QC v QA and profit (3.4.4) |
| 2024 | Margin of safety (3.5.2) · NPV (3.7.8) | Share capital v bank loan (3.5.3) · role → power culture (3.10.2) · interest rates, geared exporter (3.7.5) | Ratios for non-profits (3.7.3) · hard → soft HRM (3.6.1) | Strategic drift inevitable? (3.10.4) · lean & unit costs (3.4.3) |
| 2023 | Inventory chart (3.4.5) · current ratio after changes (3.7.2) | Niche market, large business (3.3.3) · PED & YED revenue (3.3.2) · Maslow after redundancies (3.6.4) | Contingency plans: internal v external (3.10.4) · growth & rising unit costs (3.9.1) | Emerging economies only as markets? (3.9.3) · profit objective needs quality? (3.4.4) |
| 2022 | Inventory turnover · payables days · current ratio (3.7.2) | Non-profits' financial objectives (3.5.1) · span of control & productivity (3.6.3) · labour v capital intensive (3.4.3) | Boston Matrix & sales growth (3.3.4) · e-commerce & online-only retail (3.9.4) | Finance function & lowest cost (3.5 / 3.8.2) · flexible contracts & ethics (3.10.1) |
| 2021 | Network analysis (3.10.3) · decision tree (3.2.2) | Price rise & PED (3.3.2) · exchange rate & profitability (3.7.5) · HR manager's reviewing role (3.2.1) | Non-financial v financial motivation (3.6.4) · Hofstede (no longer on spec) | Supplier power & rivalry (3.7.7) · Ansoff: penetration v diversification (3.8.1) |
| 2020 | Profit variance (3.5.2) · employee costs % turnover (3.6.2) | Diverse workforce & profit (3.6.1) · payables/receivables changes (3.5.4) · digital tech & small business (3.9.4) | Limited liability & stakeholders (3.1.2) · growth stage & HR flow (3.6.3) | R&D v culture for innovation (3.9.2) · low cost → differentiation (3.8.2) |
Paper 2
| Year | Question 1 | Question 2 | Question 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Credit-terms calculation · inventory turnover fall · decision tree (3.2.2) · economic threats v opportunities (3.7.5) | Calculation · JIT for a retailer (3.4.3) · Herzberg (3.6.4) · income segmentation for all businesses (3.3.3) | Airline HR objectives (3.6.1) · quality measures (3.4.4) · non-current assets & low cost (3.8.2) |
| 2024 | Biggs: payables days (3.7.2) · GPM fall (3.5.1) · labour productivity index & market share (3.4.2) · sponsorship (3.3.4) | Soundcheck: positioning change (3.8.2) · loss to profit (3.5.4) · trade unions & resistance to change (3.6.5) | WWH: improving cash flow (3.5.4) · organisational design (3.6.3) · environmental legislation for all businesses (3.7.4) |
| 2023 | AJS: NPV · ROCE (3.7.8 / 3.7.2) · capital intensive (3.4.3) · invest in shares? (3.7.2) | Homeworking: % change · balance sheet (3.7.2) · manager's role (3.2.1) · Triple Bottom Line (3.7.3) | Simply Bake: sampling (3.3.2) · stakeholder mapping (3.2.3) · Lewin (3.10.1) · CSR only if forced? (3.7.6) |
| 2022 | Tea: extrapolation · market share calc · segmentation · PED pricing (3.3.2-3.3.3) · launch a brand? (3.3) | Ocado venture: dividend · share price (3.1.2) · Maslow (3.6.4) · ventures for all? (3.9.1) | DT: lead time, reorder, usage (3.4.5) · falling pound (3.7.5) · contingency planning (3.10.4) · supplier reliability (3.4.5) |
| 2021 | Metro Bank: share calcs · share price (3.1.2) · branch closures (3.4.5) · new entrants (3.7.7) | Bell Ltd: payables/receivables & cash (3.5.4) · ownership (3.1.2) · Boston 'dogs' (3.3.4) | Chillax: retention calc (3.6.2) · quality (3.4.4) · labour turnover for all? (3.6.2) |
| 2020 | Drake Hotels: ratios (3.7.2) · sensitivity analysis · HR & bookings · invest? (3.7.8) | Nari: Carroll's pyramid (3.7.6) · protectionism (3.7.5) · JIT & profit (3.4.3) · Taylor for all? (3.6.4) | Zani: power culture (3.10.2) · PED -0.4 (3.3.2) · franchising for any business? (3.9.1) |
Paper 3
| Year | Case | Q1-Q2 (12) | Q3-Q4 (16) | Q5 (20) | Q6 (24) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | VBM (car maker) | Lewin: why change now (3.10.1) · retrenchment & marketing (3.9.1) | Network analysis: factory in a year? (3.10.3) · HR challenges: Vietnam recruitment v redundancies (3.6.3) | Is legislation the biggest threat? (3.7.4) | Capacity management harder for large multinationals? (3.4.3) |
| 2024 | Speed-e-Puds | Capacity utilisation benefits (3.4.2) · 15% share objective (3.3.1) | Slushy machines - calcs (3.5.2 / 3.7.8) · SWOT & strategic planning (3.7.1) | Organic growth v franchising (3.9.1) | Innovation essential for differentiation? (3.8.2) |
| 2023 | Logger Boards | Environmental operational objectives (3.4.1) · organic growth (3.9.1) | New facility & efficiency (3.4.2) · promotion & sales (3.3.4) | Bank loan too risky? (3.5.3 / 3.7.2) | Growth strategy depends on leadership? (3.10.3) |
| 2022 | SSN Ltd | Promotional decisions (3.3.4) · copyright & growth (3.9.2) | Debt factoring (3.5.3) · power → role culture (3.10.2) | Stakeholder conflict in a takeover (3.2.3) | Without strategic planning all fail? (3.10.4) |
| 2021 | AM plc | Marketing mix for focused differentiation (3.3.4) · 'produce or perish' & performance (3.2.1) | JIT at new factory (3.4.3) · network analysis (3.10.3) | Site A or Site B? (3.7.8) | Should all re-shore? (3.9.3) |
| 2020 | Sunport PLC | Share price & stakeholders (3.1.2) · multi-domestic strategy (3.9.3) | Cheaper suppliers (3.4.5) · most successful division (3.7.3) | Leadership change & profitability (3.2.1) | Does CSR reduce profit for all? (3.7.6) |
2025 entries are reconstructed from the 2025 examiner reports. Codes show the main spec section; most longer questions are synoptic and draw on several.
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