Examiners’ Report
Principal Examiner Feedback
November 2021
Pearson Edexcel GCE
In Business (9BS0)
Paper 1: Marketing, people and global businesses
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November 2021
Publications Code 9BS0_01_2111_ER
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© Pearson Education Ltd 2021
, Question 1(a):
Some candidates achieved 4 marks, but some lower marks were awarded where candidates had
attempted various additional calculations. A sizeable number attempted to calculate percentage
change, which was not expected from the question. These types of questions require candidates to
read the data from a graph and then complete calculations based on this – at least a two-stage
approach.
Examiners’ tip: be sure to read the title of graphs and the labels of each axis. This should help
candidates to be clear about what the information is showing and the likely future demands of any
follow-up calculations.
Question 1(b):
This question required candidates to show a clear understanding of added value. Most didn’t give a
clear definition of thought, some gained credit by identifying a way Bon Bon do it, for example,
through its packaging. There were a limited number of candidates who achieve the 4th mark for
analysing the way added value was achieved.
Examiners’ tip: with 4-mark analysis questions, try to explain the how and/or why the concept is the
case. In this case, how is it that packaging, for example, adds value to the Bon Bon product?
Question 1(c):
This question required candidates to assess the trade-offs Bon Bon’s might face if not having ‘mass
market ambition’. While the advantages and disadvantages of mass marketing strategies were often
analysed by candidates, most responses didn’t show a full understanding of the trade off in this
question. In this case, a discussion about what is potentially given up by Bon Bons is a means of
accessing higher marks.
Examiners’ tip: spend a few moments being clear about what the question is asking you to do. For
example, what is the command word and how many marks is it worth? Also, make sure that you are
fully aware of all key business terms in the question, and include these in your response in order to
maximise your chances of gaining high marks.
Question 1(d):
Some good candidate responses to this question. However, many were most focused on the negative
consequences, so answers were one sided and therefore not able to access the higher-level marks.
Examiners’ tip: remember that consequences (and also impacts) can be both positive and negative for
a business. Questions of 12 marks, as this one is, will require you to answer both sides of the
argument, so that you can produce balanced, and well-applied response.
Question 1(e):
Again, with this question we saw some good answers. The best ones compared and contrasted these
two approaches and showed a clear understanding of Bon Bon’s current reasons for success. Answers
that did less well didn’t always fully balance their responses, with some focused more on one method
or the advantages only of either B2B or B2C. Some answers lacked a good conclusion to really lift the
quality of the response.
Examiners’ tip: it is important to remember the ‘recommend’ aspect of the question for these 20-mark
responses. Candidates should aim to make a detailed recommendation based on their evaluation of
the two options. Candidates should avoid a summary conclusion.
