Edexcel GCSE Business Active Recall Guide (1BS0)
Edexcel · GCSE
Edexcel GCSE Business Active Recall Guide
Every topic of specification 1BS0 written as exam-style questions with the answers printed after them. 672 questions across 10 topics and 43 subtopics, covering both themes in full.
- Edexcel
- GCSE
- Specification 1BS0
- 672 questions
Guide overview All 10 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What the exam asks of you
Edexcel GCSE Business is two written papers of 1 hour 45 minutes and 90 marks each, 50 per cent apiece. Paper 1, Investigating small business, examines Theme 1. Paper 2, Building a business, examines Theme 2. Each paper carries calculations, multiple choice, short answers and extended writing, and each can draw on the other theme.
The marks turn on defined terms, named concepts and calculations done correctly under time. All of that is recall, and a question list is the instrument that matches it.
| Paper | Covers |
|---|---|
|
Paper 1 Investigating small business |
ENTERPRISE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SPOTTING A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY PUTTING A BUSINESS IDEA INTO PRACTICE MAKING THE BUSINESS EFFECTIVE UNDERSTANDING EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON BUSINESS |
|
Paper 2 Building a business |
GROWING THE BUSINESS MAKING MARKETING DECISIONS MAKING OPERATIONAL DECISIONS MAKING FINANCIAL DECISIONS MAKING HUMAN RESOURCE DECISIONS |
What is in the guide
All 10 topics
Every topic has its own page with its subtopics, what it covers and sample questions.
Sample questions
Taken from the guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
The dynamic nature of business
Why might a change in what consumers want create an opportunity for a new business?
Show the answer
New tastes create demand that existing firms may not yet meet. Demand for plant-based food rose, opening a market for vegan brands. -
Customer needs
What is meant by convenience as a customer need?
Show the answer
Convenience means a product is easy to get and use, saving the customer time and effort. Late opening, home delivery and online ordering all add convenience. -
Business aims and objectives
Why is survival the main objective for most new businesses?
Show the answer
Many start-ups close in their first years because of weak sales or cash shortages. A business must survive before it can grow or make large profits. -
Business ownership and limited liability
Give two advantages of being a sole trader.
Show the answer
A sole trader is easy and cheap to set up. The owner keeps all the profit and makes every decision. -
Business stakeholders
What do customers and suppliers want from a business?
Show the answer
Customers want good-quality products at fair prices. Suppliers want regular orders and to be paid on time. -
Organic and inorganic business growth
How can technology help a business reach new markets?
Show the answer
A website with online payment lets a business sell to customers far beyond its local area. Social media can promote the business to new groups cheaply. -
Product design, life cycle and differentiation
What is the product life cycle?
Show the answer
The product life cycle shows the stages a product passes through from launch to withdrawal. Sales and profit change at each stage. -
Business operations and production processes
What are the advantages and disadvantages of batch production?
Show the answer
Batch production offers some variety while keeping unit costs below those of job production. Machines stand idle while they are reset between batches.
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
-
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Look inside
Questions for a subtopic print together and the answers for that section print after them.
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship46
- Spotting a Business Opportunity76
- Putting a Business Idea into Practice68
- Making the Business Effective75
- Understanding External Influences on Business78
- Growing the Business79
- Making Marketing Decisions78
- Making Operational Decisions62
- Making Financial Decisions32
- Making Human Resource Decisions78
- What are customer needs?
- Name the four customer needs that a business must understand.
- Why is price a customer need?
- What does quality mean as a customer need?
- Why do customers value choice?
- What is meant by convenience as a customer need?
- How do customer needs differ between a budget supermarket shopper and a luxury hotel guest?
- Why is it important for a business to identify and understand its customers' needs?
- How does understanding customer needs help a business to generate sales?
- Customer needs are the things customers want from a product or service. A business must provide them to win the sale.
- The four customer needs are price, quality, choice and convenience.
- Customers want a price they can afford and that is fair for what they get. Price-sensitive customers will switch to a cheaper rival.
- Customers expect a product to work properly, last and match its description. The level of quality expected rises with the price paid.
- Customers want a range of products, sizes, colours or options to pick from. A wide choice means each customer can find something that suits them.
- Convenience means a product is easy to get and use, saving the customer time and effort. Late opening, home delivery and online ordering all add convenience.
- A budget shopper puts low price first. A luxury hotel guest puts quality and personal service ahead of price.
- A business that meets customer needs will generate sales. A business without sales cannot survive.
- Products that match what customers want are more likely to be bought. Satisfied customers return and recommend the business to others.
questions
Scroll sideways to turn through the pages.
Questions students ask first
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 covers enterprise and entrepreneurship, spotting a business opportunity, putting a business idea into practice, making the business effective, and understanding external influences. Paper 2 covers growing the business, and marketing, operational, financial and human resource decisions.
Each paper may also draw on the other theme, so neither is ever finished with. The full breakdown is here.
Do I need a calculator?
Yes, and the calculations are worth real marks on both papers: break-even, cash flow, profit margins, average rate of return and market share. They are in the guide with the method as well as the answer.
Is there coursework?
No. 1BS0 is assessed entirely by the two written papers.
How much do I need to know about real businesses?
Sections B and C of each paper are set in business contexts supplied in the exam, so you are not asked to recall a specific company. What you are asked for is the concept applied to the context you are given, which is why the concepts have to be solid.
Edexcel GCSE Business Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic and subtopic, ready to work in three passes.