This document provides guidance on developing skills for answering 15+ mark questions in Business Studies. It breaks down answering these types of questions into a four-layer process: 1) Knowledge - Providing a definition for a key term in the question. 2) Analysis - Examining the advantages and disadvantages of the issue/situation being discussed, backed by evidence. 3) Application - Using examples and facts to support the points of analysis. 4) Evaluation - Making a judgment on the issue based on short and long-term effects, important factors, and contingencies. The document walks through how to apply this process to a sample question, emphasizing the need to sufficiently analyze each side

1. AS Business Studies
Developing Application, Analysis and
Evaluation Skills for 15 + mark
questions

2. Learning Objectives
• To develop your skills of application, analysis
and evaluation.

3. Take the case study from Anya’s
Restaurant
Was Anya right to use venture capital to raise
money to finance her business start-up rather
than taking out a bank loan? Justify your view.
(15 marks)
This question has four
elements to it

4. Knowledge
Advantages
(For application
and analysis)
Disadvantages
(For application and
analysis)
Decision (Evaluation)
Increasing marks
To gain marks you
must work
through each
layer of the
triangle.

5. Layer One – Knowledge
You must give a definition to show your knowledge.
Was Anya right to use venture capital to raise
money to finance her business start-up rather than
taking out a bank loan? Justify your view. (15
marks)
Which ever one you choose to write your definition
for this then becomes your main focus for ‘analysis’

6. Layer 2 and 3 – What does it mean to
analyse something?
• Examination of an issue/situation.
• This is then backed up with ‘proof’ or
evidence .
• Lets have a go .......

7. Level 2 and 3 – Analysis in a question
• In a question your analysis needs to look at
the reason for (advantages) and the reasons
against something (disadvantages).
• Was Anya right to use venture capital to raise
money to finance her business start-up rather
than taking out a bank loan? Justify your view.
(15 marks)

8. Venture Capital
Analysis
Application
Marks
Advantages
Evidence
Disadvantages
Evidence

9. What does the examiner suggest is
‘good’ analysis
Analysis
Limited (this
means you
haven't
developed your
point enough)
Application

10. Analysis
Application
Analysis
Application
Reasonable
(this means
that you have
developed
your answer.

11. Analysis
Application
Analysis
Application
Analysis
Application
Good (this means you
have analysed the
issue in plenty of detail
showing your good
understanding of the
question)

12. Paragraph 1
(advantages)
Paragraph 2
(disadvantages)
Analysis
Analysis
Evidence
(Application)
Evidence
(Application)
Your focus is on writing a good answer just remember if
your only make 1 analysis point or don’t include
evidence then your limit your ability to move up the
mark scheme.

13. Task
• Was Anya right to use venture capital to raise
money to finance her business start-up rather
than taking out a bank loan? Justify your view.
(15 marks)
1. Write a paragraph to explain why she was right.
2. Write a paragraph to explain why she maybe
wasn’t right.

14. Knowledge
Advantages
(For application
and analysis)
Disadvantages
(For application and
analysis)
Decision (Evaluation)
Increasing marks
To gain marks you
must work
through each
layer of the
triangle.

15. Level 4 – How do we evaluate?
Sort
term/Long
term
effects
Your
decision
The most
important
factor ......
It depends
on ......

16. Evaluation
• Was Anya right to use venture capital to raise money to
finance her business start-up rather than taking out a
bank loan? Justify your view. (15 marks)
• Answer these 4 questions:
1. What's your decision? Was she right?
2. What are the short and long term effects of this
decision.
3. What is the most important factor that affected her
decision?
4. What did her decision depend on?

17. Summary
Advantages
(analysis and
evidence)
Disadvantages
(analysis and evidence)
Decision (Evaluation)
(Sort term/Long term effects, The most
important factor, This depends on)
Increasing marks
Knowledge
(definition of
the key term in
the question)

18. Peer Marking
Knowledge
Evaluation
An Answer
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Try and
find in
each +
and –
paragraph
3 issues
and 3
pieces of
evidence
linked to
it.

19. Your Go .........
• Answer the following question
Was Anya right to form a partnership with Otto?
(15 marks)