How to answer the Section 1 case study

Section 1 is one question in several parts about a business in a case study, 30 marks in all, each part worth 1 to 8 marks. Most marks go to applying what you know to that business and making decisions about it.

Marks	30, one compulsory question
Parts	Each worth 1 to 8 marks
The case	Text, financial information, graphs or charts
Time	About 55 minutes

Use the case in every answer

Read the case once for the story and once with the questions in mind: mark the figures, the problems the business faces and the decisions it is weighing.
Name the business and use its details: a point tied to its products, staff or figures shows you can apply it, not just recall it.
Where a table or chart is given, say what it shows (a rise, a fall, a gap) and what that means for the business.

One mark for each valid point

Each mark is one valid point. For identify, state or outline, a mark is a correct point. For describe, a mark is a point with enough detail. For explain, discuss, justify or compare, a mark is a point developed with its reason or consequence, so two short undeveloped points earn less than one well-explained one.

Try 2 questions

Question 1

Ness Furniture plc: four changes
Change	Source
Business rates for manufacturers are cut	Government
Timber prices fall on world markets	World timber markets
Stricter rules on where timber may come from	Government
A rival furniture maker cuts its prices	Rival firm

The table lists four changes facing Ness Furniture plc, a furniture maker in Inverness. Which change is a political factor that lowers the firm's costs?

Question 2

Nevis Joinery Ltd: window frames
Quarter	Frames made	Frames rejected at final inspection
Quarter 1	80 000	1 600
Quarter 2	84 000	4 200

Nevis Joinery Ltd checks its window frames at the end of the line. The table shows its output and rejects for two quarters. What do the figures suggest, and what would best reduce the cost?

Next step

Take the free test Start the internal and external factors lesson

Questions people ask

Is the case study the same business for every part?

Yes. Section 1 is one question about one business, in several parts. Use what the case tells you in each part.

How long should an 8-mark answer be?

Long enough to make eight valid points, or four developed points when each is worth two. Write in sentences, one point at a time.