Grade descriptions are provided to give a general indication of the standards of achievement likely to have been shown by candidates awarded particular grades. The grade awarded will depend in practice upon the extent to which the candidate has met the assessment objectives overall and it might conceal weakness in one aspect of the examination which is balanced by above average performance in another. This document explain what is required of students in IGCSE Business Studies exam for grade A – F. Key points: A Grade ‘A’ candidate should demonstrate the following? A Grade ‘C’ candidate should demonstrate the following? A Grade ‘F’ candidate should demonstrate the following? You will find the answers inside. Thank you for your purchase

The main features of different forms of business organisation: Sole traders, partnerships, private and public limited companies, franchises and joint ventures Differences between unincorporated businesses and limited companies Concepts of risk, ownership and limited liability Recommend and justify a suitable form of business organisation to owners/management in a given situation Business organisations in the public sector, e.g. public corporations

In this lesson I cover: Business activity in terms of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors: Basis of business classification, using examples to illustrate the classification Reasons for the changing importance of business classification, e.g. in developed and developing economies business enterprises between private sector and public sector in a mixed economy

In this lesson I cover: Enterprise and entrepreneurship Characteristics of successful entrepreneurs Contents of a business plan and how business plans assist entrepreneurs Why and how governments support business start-ups, e.g. grants, training schemes

In this lesson I cover: The purpose and nature of business activity Concepts of needs, wants, scarcity and opportunity cost Importance of specialisation Purpose of business activity The concept of adding value and how added value can be increased

Stakeholder objectives and Business growth complete revision covering: what is Stakeholders What is Objectives in business Different Stakeholder objectives Conflict between different stakeholder objectives Business growth and how business size is measured there is also 7 questions to practice.

This PowerPoint presentation covers: Franchises Co-operatives Public sector organisations There are also 10 questions at the end which students can you to practice to remember the key points of the lesion.

This PowerPoint presentation covers: Sole trader Partnership Limited companies There are also 12 questions at the end which students can you to practice to remember the key points of the lesion. This is a good quick revision tool, that will help students remember the key points.

In this lesson I cover: The role of market research and methods used: * Market-orientated businesses (uses of market research information to a business) * Primary research and secondary research (benefits and limitations of each) * Methods of primary research, e.g. postal questionnaire, online survey, interviews, focus groups * The need for sampling * Methods of secondary research, e.g. online, accessing government sources, paying for commercial market research reports * Factors influencing the accuracy of market research data Presentation and use of market research results: * Analyse market research data shown in the form of graphs, charts and diagrams; draw simple conclusions from such data

In this lesson, I cover the following: Marketing, competition and the customer * The role of marketing: * Identifying customer needs * Satisfying customer needs * Maintaining customer loyalty * Building customer relationships Market changes: Why customer/consumer spending patterns may change The importance of changing customer needs Why some markets have become more competitive How businesses can respond to changing spending patterns and increased competition Concepts of niche marketing and mass marketing: Benefits and limitations of both approaches to marketing How and why market segmentation is undertaken: How markets can be segmented, e.g. according to age, socio-economic grouping, location, gender Potential benefits of segmentation to business Recommend and justify an appropriate method of segmentation in given circumstances This is a complete lesson.

In this lesson I cover: Marketing strategy Justify marketing strategies appropriate to a given situation: * Importance of different elements of the marketing mix in influencing consumer decisions in given circumstances * Recommend and justify an appropriate marketing strategy in given circumstances The nature and impact of legal controls related to marketing: * Impact of legal controls on marketing strategy, e.g. misleading promotion, faulty and dangerous goods The opportunities and problems of entering new foreign markets: * Growth potential of new markets in other countries * Problems of entering foreign markets, e.g. cultural differences and lack of knowledge * Benefits and limitations of methods to overcome such problems, e.g. joint ventures, licensing

In this lesson I cover: Identify and classify costs: Classifying costs using examples, e.g. fixed, variable, average, total Use cost data to help make simple cost-based decisions, e.g. to stop production or continue Economics and diseconomies of scale: The concept of economies of scale with examples, e.g. purchasing, marketing, financial, managerial, technical The concept of diseconomies of scale with examples, e.g. poor communication, lack of commitment from employees, weak coordination Break-even analysis: The concept of break-even Construct, complete or amend a simple break-even chart Interpret a given chart and use it to analyse a situation Calculate break-even output from given data Define, calculate and interpret the margin of safety Use break-even analysis to help make simple decisions, e.g. impact of higher price Understand the limitations of break-even analysis

In this lesson I cover: The need for business finance: The main reasons why businesses need finance, e.g. start-up capital, capital for expansion and additional working capital Understand the difference between short-term and long-term finance needs The main sources of finance: Internal sources and external sources with examples Short-term and long-term sources with examples, e.g. overdraft for short-term finance and debt or equity for long-term finance Importance of alternative sources of capital, e.g. micro-finance, crowd-funding The main factors considered in making the financial choice, e.g. size and legal form of business, amount required, length of time, existing loans there is also an activity for students to get involved and remember.

In this lesson I cover: Why quality is important and how quality production might be achieved: What quality means and why it is important for all businesses The concept of quality control and how businesses implement quality control The concept of quality assurance and how this can be implemented

In this lesson I cover: The importance of cash and of cash-flow forecasting: Why cash is important to a business What a cash-flow forecast is, how a simple one is constructed and the importance of it Amend or complete a simple cash-flow forecast How to interpret a simple cash-flow forecast How a short-term cash-flow problem might be overcome, e.g. increasing loans, delaying payments, asking debtors to pay more quickly Working capital: The concept and importance of working capital There is also a task at the end to help students remember what they have learnt in the lesson.

In this lesson I cover: Environmental concerns and ethical issues as both opportunities and constraints for businesses: How business activity can impact on the environment, e.g. global warming The concept of externalities: possible external costs and external benefits of business decisions Sustainable development; how business activity can contribute to this How and why business might respond to environmental pressures and opportunities: e.g. pressure groups The role of legal controls over business activity affecting the environment, e.g. pollution controls Ethical issues a business might face: conflicts between profits and ethics How business might react and respond to ethical issues, e.g. child labour I have included some key terms to remember for the exam. Question at the end to help remember the main points of the lesson.

Cash flow activity

Porter 5 Forces

Business studies - Mergers and Takeovers