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A-level Business Studies

June 2012 and January 2013 examinations

The Preliminary Material (Research Theme) for BUSS4 is intended for use by candidates. This will be repeated within the question paper for use in the June 2012 and January 2013 examinations.

2012 exams update: Exam tips – how students can make best use of answer books

General advice

Students should:

read all instructions on the front cover and at the start of each section of the question paper
read each question carefully before responding, especially where there are optional question(s)
remember that questions can appear on all pages of a question paper, including the final page.

Combined question paper answer books

Students should look at the number of marks and the line space allocated to each question and write answers of an appropriate length.

If a student needs more space to answer a question, they must:
either use the white space immediately beneath the lined answer space and before the start of the next question
or ask for an AQA four-page Supplementary answer book.

They should not:

use the answer space for a different question
write in the margin
respond elsewhere in the answer book.

Separate answer books and the two-digit numbering system

Students worked well with the two-digit numbering system and separate answer books in 2011 exams; thank you for ensuring that the guidance was applied successfully. We have updated our guides for students, teachers and exams officers / invigilators to reflect the general advice given above.

January 2012 (AS/A2) 1131/2131 Business

Unit code	Title	Numbering system	Type of answer book	Size of answer book	Provided by student
BUSS1	Planning & Financing a Business	conventional	Combined question paper answer book	16 pages	N/A
BUSS2	Managing a Business	conventional	Combined question paper answer book	16 pages	N/A
BUSS3	Strategies for Success	New (0l, 02 etc)	Separate (unconstrained)	12 pages	N/A
BUSS4	The Business Environment & Managing Change	New (0l, 02 etc)	Separate (unconstrained)	12 pages	Calculator

A reminder: question paper style and marking answers on screen
Exams with separate question papers and answer books (unconstrained answer books) will use:

our simplified, two-digit question numbering system
answer books with spaces for students to write the two-digit question numbers.

For additional guidance see:

Teacher Guide (revised)
Exams officer and invigilator Guide (revised)
Student Guide (revised)
Question papers and mark schemes:
- Summer 2011 materials are available to schools / colleges in the Secure Key Materials area of e-AQA
- Specimen materials are available from the subject pages of aqa.org.uk
Examples of students' work:
- Good practice
- Areas for improvement
AQA Research team papers:

Marking answers on screen

New AQA Numbering System

Nested Numbering

Web conferences available

A-level feedback web conferences are available for booking now.

Question paper error – BUSS2, June 2011

We apologise most sincerely for the concern and anxiety this error may have caused to teachers, parents and students.

We have informed all schools and colleges that have entered students for this examination about the actions we are taking.

We very much regret this error and believe that this is the fairest way to treat all candidates.

June 2011 and January 2012 examinations

The Preliminary Material (Research Theme) for BUSS4 is intended for use by candidates. This will be repeated within the question paper for use in the June 2011 and January 2012 examinations.

Secure Key Materials

More materials added 24 January 2011

Secure Key Materials is a new e-AQA service which replaces Recent Exam Materials from 1 September. It provides teachers and Exams Officers with exclusive access to a bank of exam-related material that is:

secure
easy to navigate
quick to use
intuitive, based on the design of our website.

Please read our new leaflet and look at the following demo to find out more about this new service.

To obtain an e-AQA account and access to Secure Key Materials, please register at e-AQA. For more information about the materials published on Secure Key Materials, please don't hesitate to contact the Subject team.

June 2010 and January 2011 examinations

The Preliminary Material (Research Theme) for BUSS4 is intended for use by candidates. This will be repeated within the question paper for use in the June 2010 and January 2011 examinations.

BUSS4 Preliminary Material release dates
(Examinations Update 3)

01483 477 862