A Level Business - Pearson Qualifications

A LevelBusinessSample Assessment MaterialsPearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Business (9BS0)First teaching from September 2015First certification from 2017Issue 1

PearsonEdexcel Level 3 AdvancedGCE in Business (9BS0)Sample Assessment MaterialsFirst certification 2017

Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualificationsEdexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largestawarding body offering academic and vocational qualifications that are globallyrecognised and benchmarked. For further information, please visit our qualificationwebsites at www.edexcel.com, www.btec.co.uk or www.lcci.org.uk. Alternatively,you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page atwww.edexcel.com/contactusAbout PearsonPearson is the world's leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in morethan 70 countries working to help people of all ages to make measurable progressin their lives through learning. We put the learner at the centre of everything wedo, because wherever learning flourishes, so do people. Find out more about howwe can help you and your learners at: www.pearson.com/ukReferences to third party material made in these sample assessment materials aremade in good faith. Pearson does not endorse, approve or accept responsibilityfor the content of materials, which may be subject to change, or any opinionsexpressed therein. (Material may include textbooks, journals, magazines andother publications and websites.)All information in this document is correct at the time of publication.ISBN 978 1 446 91468 7All the material in this publication is copyright Pearson Education Limited 2014

Contents1Introduction12General marking guidance33Paper 1: Marketing, people and global businesses54Paper 1 Mark Scheme235Paper 2: Business activities, decisions and strategy376Paper 2 Mark Scheme557Paper 3: Investigating business in a competitiveenvironment (Pre-release)699Paper 3: Investigating business in a competitiveenvironment7110 Paper 3 Mark Scheme87

IntroductionThe Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Business is designed for use inschools and colleges. It is part of a suite of GCE qualifications offered by Pearson.These sample assessment materials have been developed to support thisqualification and will be used as the benchmark to develop the assessment studentswill take.Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in BusinessSample Assessment Materials – Issue 1 – September 2014 Pearson Education Limited 20141

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General marking guidance All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the lastcandidate in exactly the same way as they mark the first. Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for what theyhave shown they can do rather than be penalised for omissions. Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme – not according to theirperception of where the grade boundaries may lie. All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners shouldalways award full marks if deserved, i.e. if the answer matches the mark scheme.Examiners should also be prepared to award zero marks if the candidate’s response isnot worthy of credit according to the mark scheme. Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will provide the principles by whichmarks will be awarded and exemplification/indicative content will not be exhaustive. When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to acandidate’s response, a senior examiner must be consulted before a mark is given. Crossed-out work should be marked unless the candidate has replaced it with analternative response.Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in BusinessSample Assessment Materials – Issue 1 – September 2014 Pearson Education Limited 20143

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Write your name hereSurnameOther namesPearson EdexcelLevel 3 GCECentre NumberCandidate NumberBusinessAdvancedPaper 1: Marketing, people and global businessesSample assessment material for first teachingSeptember 2015Time: 2 hoursPaper Reference9BS0/01You do not need any other materials.Total MarksInstructionsblack ink or ball-point pen. Usein the boxes at the top of this page with your name, Fillcentre number and candidate number.are two sections in this question paper. Thereall questions. AnswerAnswerthein the spaces provided – there may bequestionsmore space than you need.Informationtotal mark for this paper is 100. Themarks for each question are shown in brackets The– use this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question.Adviceeach question carefully before you start to answer it. Readto answer every question. TryCheck your answers if you have time at the end.S47518A 2014 Pearson Education Ltd.*S47518A0117*Turn over1/1/1/1/1Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in BusinessSample Assessment Materials – Issue 1 – September 2014 Pearson Education Limited 20145

Answer ALL questions.SECTION ARead the following extracts (A to C) before answering Question 1.Write your answers in the spaces provided.Extract ASony launches PlayStation 4 (PS4) at a price close to costThe video games console market is very dynamic. There are three main consolemanufacturers: Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. A console war started in November 2013when Sony launched the PS4, followed one week later by the release ofMicrosoft’s Xbox One.Experts consider the PS4 to be the most powerful video games console ever produced.The global mark-up per console is surprisingly low at 4.2%.Component costs5US dollars ( )Electrical components348Controller18Box contents6(Source: adapted from s-playstation-4-costs-381-to-build/)Extract BChina lifts the ban on video games consolesIn 2014, the Chinese government removed its ban on the manufacture and sale ofvideo games consoles. The decision gave Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony access to thepotentially lucrative Chinese market. Analysts believe that sales of video games consolesin China could reach 13bn and that the Chinese Government’s decision to liberalise thevideo games console market in the country had created ‘significant opportunities for themajor console manufacturers’.Kazao Hirai, the Managing Director of Sony, stated that China’s large population of youngpeople, together with rising incomes will result in China becoming an important growthmarket. However, he believed positioning the brand will be an important factor inallowing Sony to generate sales at the expense of its competitors.510(Source: The Guardian)26*S47518A0217*Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in BusinessSample Assessment Materials – Issue 1 – September 2014 Pearson Education Limited 2014

Extract CTalks start on ASEAN enlargementNegotiations have started between the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)and its six major trading partners with the aim of creating the world’s largest regionaltrading bloc by the end of 2015. The addition of six new members: China, India, Australia,Japan, New Zealand and South Korea will expand the 10-country trading bloc which willbecome known as ASEAN 6. An enlarged ASEAN will cover more than half the world’spopulation and will have a combined GDP of 17.23tn (trillion).5It is hoped that the new members of ASEAN 6 will agree to the further liberalisation ofmarkets and reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers.(Source: adapted from rson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in BusinessSample Assessment Materials – Issue 1 – September 2014 Pearson Education Limited 20143Turn over7

1 (a) Explain how Sony could be disadvantaged by operating in a dynamic market.(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48*S47518A0417*Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in BusinessSample Assessment Materials – Issue 1 – September 2014 Pearson Education Limited 2014