Leaving Cert Business (Higher) - Exam Guide

(a) Exam Structure & Strategy

Level Higher
Time 3 hours (180 minutes)
Marks 400
Structure Section 1 (80 marks)
Short Questions (answer 8 from 10)
Section 2 (80 marks)
Applied Business Question
Section 3 (240 marks)
Structured Questions (answer 4 from 7)

Exam Strategy
Timing: Allow 10 minutes to read the paper carefully at the start. This
will get your mind attuned to business terminology, help you to make the
correct choice of questions, and remind you of relevant points (which you
can jot down on your rough-work page). Resist the temptation to launch
headlong into answering questions. Spend no more than 35 minutes on
Section 1 short questions and apply the same time limit to the Applied
Business Question in Section 2. For the structured questions in the final
section, allow 22 minutes approx for each of the four questions chosen
i.e. no more than 90 minutes in total. Leave 10 minutes at the end to
review your paper and spot any significant errors or items left out. It is
tempting to keep writing furiously up to the final bell, but a nervous
mistake made 2 hours earlier on the short questions or on a financial ratio
calculation could cost you a grade, if not rectified.
Answering style: Never write an essay-style answer in Business.
Everything should be structured in point-form. Train yourself to approach
every question with this in mind what exactly is the examiner looking for
here? How many points should I give? If the number of points required is
not clearly indicated then, as a handy rule, assume 5 marks are allocated
for each point. If part of a question is worth 25 marks, then give five
points.
Make sure you explain or elaborate on a point, where appropriate.
Instructions to "State, Explain, Example" all require some substantial
points of information. Of the 5 marks per point, you will usually get 2
marks for stating it and 3 marks for further explanation/discussion.

(b) Walk-through the paper (question by question)
Section 1: Short Questions (20%)
Tackle this section first, but do not spend more than 35 minutes on it.
Definition-type answers are required, sometimes with examples or
illustration. All carry equal marks and are written in the answer book that
is returned at the end of the exam. Answer all ten questions if you can
you will be marked on your best eight.
Because space is limited, think before you write! Aim to be as precise
as possible and do not write more than the space allows. There are only
three or four lines available for your answer so, if your handwriting is
very large, you may have to modify it for this purpose. Avoid having to
scribble out, Tippex, or rewrite words - it looks terrible and loses you
valuable space. Keep your answer direct and comprehensive within the
space constraints. If in doubt, give a bit more information (such as an
example or feature) e.g. in the 2002 exam Q.1 "What is arbitration?",
there were 6 marks for a definition and 4 marks for some additional
information.
Practice these answers in preparation for the exam. Use the last three
exam papers, sample papers and your 'mock exam' paper to identify likely
terms. It is relatively easy to get these marks under your belt right at
the start and it will give you a great psychological boost. Each section on
the course has particular terms or definitions worth revising e.g.
intrapreneur, interest group, arbitration, feasibility study, transnational
company, total quality management, etc.
Two of the short questions will probably require you to draw a simple
diagram or draft some headings within the box provided e.g. show a type
of organisation structure or a typical span of control. You could be asked
to do a basic calculation of a financial ratio (e.g. debt/equity) or an
insurance payment from supplied figures, and you would need to show your
workings. Regularly, the question will ask you to list some items e.g. three
promotional techniques or five sources of finance, or draft a memo on
some business matter.

Section 2: Applied Business Question (20%)
You are required to answer a three-part question based on a text (approx.
300 words), designed to test your ability to analyse a situation and apply
business principles. In the 2013 Leaving Certificate examination in
Business at Higher level, the Applied Business Question (ABQ) will be
based on Units 5, 6 and 7 of the syllabus.
You must have illustrations or reference to the text in your answers,
even if not explicitly stated in the question. Thus it is easy to pick up
marks simply by making the most of the information in the supplied text.
You need a good grasp of the basic principles which you can then apply to
the any question. So, in preparing for the Applied Business Question,
don't get weighed-down with detail but review the main features and
then trust your judgement.
Don't take too long on individual parts of the question. Make sure you are
not wasting time by giving a long answer to part (a) and then duplicating a
lot of the points in part (b). The marks are not equally divided between
the three parts so allocate your time and efforts accordingly.
Be careful when interpreting the question. Keep asking yourself what
exactly are they looking for here (Getting Started or Expanding the
Business? The E.U. or Global Business?). How many points should I give?
If there are more marks available for a particular part, then the points
should be developed more fully. A good approach is to state, explain and
give an example i.e. state the point clearly, describe or explain it, and
then show how it relates to the circumstances outlined in the supplied
text.

Section 3: Structured Questions (60%)
You are required to answer four questions from seven, at least one from
Part 1 and two from Part 2 and one other question from either Part 1
or Part 2.
o Part 1 is based on Units 1, 6 and 7. Question 1 is Unit 1, Question 2
is Unit 6 (Companies, Community Ethics, Economic Variables) and
Question 3 is possibly Unit 7.
o Part 2 is based on Units 2, 3, 4 and 5. Question 4 is Unit 2 or 3,
Question 5 doesnt seem to have a pattern, Questions 6 and 7 are
Units 4 and 5.
o **This is only a suggestion for you in terms of what to study; Part
1 - Question 1 should be easy enough, you should be looking at
doing one other question from Unit 1 as Question 2 incorporates
Unit 6 and Question 3 possibly incorporates Unit 7 (important for
the ABQ)---in Part 2 Questions 6 and 7 deal with Units 4 and 5 (5
is also important for our ABQ), after that its up to yourself***
All questions carry equal marks and are usually sub-divided into three
parts. Your choice of questions is vital - pick the questions which can
deliver the most marks for you! Carefully examine the three parts, see
how the marks are allocated, do a quick calculation on your potential
score, and compare it with other possible questions. Don't be put-off by
what you initially think the question is asking you may dismiss a question
on financial management because you hate figures, yet it may turn out to
be a very straightforward non-technical answer that is required.
Always think 'structure' and 'points' how many marks going? How
many points should I give? If in any doubt, give a bit more rather than
less.
Remember to state and explain. Easy marks are lost by not developing the
point through explanation or illustration. If you only state the point and
fail to provide an explanation/illustration/example, you are likely to
forego half the available marks. Be familiar with the outcomes verbs
identified on the syllabus. Know what it means to analyse, distinguish,
outline, evaluate, etc.
In revising for Section 3, test your knowledge of specific material on the
general course - can you give four remedies for breach of contract? Can
you describe two long-term & two short-term sources of finance? Can you
give five advantages of branding to a firm? Don't satisfy yourself with
mere recognition - test your recall with a blank sheet of paper in front of
you.
Review the legislation. There are seven specific pieces of legislation on
the syllabus and you should know the main purpose & elements of each.
Two relate to the Consumer (2007 Consumer Protection Act; 1980 Sale of
goods & supply of services Act), three to the area of Employment and
Industrial Relations (Employment Equality, Unfair Dismissals, Industrial
Relations Act). The others are the 1988 Data Protection Act and the
1990 Companies Act (as it relates to the formation of private companies).
Stick closely to your exam strategy & timing. If you are getting bogged-
down in a particular section, move on! You can always come back to it.
Remember that the biggest 'exam crime' is to leave question(s)
unattempted! By making an effort to put something down in each part of
the question, you will start picking up marks. The easiest marks to get
are the first marks in each part of a question. The hardest marks are
the final 15% derived from 'polishing' the perfect answer.








Leaving Cert Business (Ordinary) - Exam Guide
(a) Exam Structure & Strategy
Level Ordinary
Time 2 hours (150 minutes)
Marks 400
Structure Section 1 (100 marks)
Short Questions (answer 10 from 15)
Section 2 (300 marks)
Structured Questions (answer 4 from 8)

Exam Strategy
Timing: Allow 10 minutes to read the paper carefully at the start. This
will get your mind attuned to business terminology, help you to make the
correct choice of questions, and remind you of relevant points (which you
can jot down on your rough-work page). Resist the temptation to launch
headlong into answering questions. Spend no more than 40-45 minutes on
Section 1 short questions. For the structured questions in section 2, allow
22 minutes approx for each of the four questions chosen i.e. no more than
90 minutes in total. Leave 10 minutes at the end to review your paper and
spot any significant errors or items left out.
Answering style: Never write an essay-style answer in Business.
Everything should be structured in point-form. Train yourself to approach
every question with this in mind what exactly are they looking for here?
How many points should I give? The number of points required is usually
indicated on the paper and can vary between questions. If in doubt,
assume 5 marks per point i.e. if the question is worth 15 marks then give
3 points.
(b) Walk-through the paper (question by question)
Section 1: Short Questions (25%)
Tackle this section first, but do not spend more than 45 minutes on it.
Definition-type answers are required, sometimes with examples or
illustration. All carry equal marks and are written in the answer book that
is returned at the end of the exam. Answer all fifteen questions if you
can you will be marked on your best ten.
Because space is limited, think before you write! Aim to be as precise
as possible and do not write more than the space allows. There are only
three or four lines available for your answer so, if your handwriting is
very large, you may have to modify it for this purpose. Avoid having to
scribble out, Tippex, or rewrite words - it looks terrible and loses you
valuable space.
Practice these answers in preparation for the exam. Use the last three
exam papers, sample papers and your 'mock exam' paper to identify likely
terms and questions. It is relatively easy to get these marks under your
belt right at the start and it will give you a great psychological boost.
Each section on the course has particular terms or definitions worth
revising e.g. privatisation, marketing mix, trading bloc, span of control,
etc.
You could be asked to match two lists of information, write true/false to
a number of statements or identify initials such as HRM, TQM or ICTU.
You can be required to explain or define terms in a couple of lines. In all
cases, keep your answer simple and direct - there is no need for
elaboration.

Section 2: Structured Questions (75%)
You are required to answer four questions from eight, at least one from
Part 1 (People in Business/ Business Environment) and at least two from
Part 2 (Enterprise, Management, and Business in Action) and one other
question from either Part 1 or Part 2
All questions carry equal marks and are usually sub-divided into five parts.
Your choice of questions is vital - pick the questions which can deliver
the most marks for you! Carefully examine the five parts, see how the
marks are allocated, do a quick calculation on your potential score, and
compare it with other possible questions. Don't be put-off by what you
initially think the question is asking you may dismiss a question on
financial management because you hate figures, yet it may turn out to be
a very straightforward non-technical answer that is required.
At ordinary level, the questions are usually sub-divided into five parts
with limited information required in each case. This makes it easier to
score maximum marks on a question but it does require you to present
your answers in a clear format. Chief Examiners Reports have indicated
that the numbering and labelling of questions and parts of questions could
be improved.
In revising for Section 3, use the past papers to test your knowledge of
specific material on the course - can you explain two elements of the law
of contract? Can you describe two long-term & two short-term sources of
finance? Can you explain three main functions of advertising? Don't
satisfy yourself with mere recognition - test your recall with a blank
sheet of paper in front of you.
Review the legislation. There are seven specific pieces of legislation on
the syllabus and you should know the main purpose & elements of each.
Two relate to the Consumer (1978 Consumer Information Act; 1980 Sale
of goods & supply of services Act), three to the area of Employment and
Industrial Relations (Employment Equality, Unfair Dismissals, Industrial
Relations Act). The others are the 1988 Data Protection Act and the
1990 Companies Act (as it relates to the formation of private companies).
Stick closely to your exam strategy & timing. If you are getting bogged-
down in a particular question, move on! You can always come back to it.
Remember that the biggest 'exam crime' is to leave questions
unattempted! By making an effort to put something down in each part of
the question, you will start picking up marks. Because the answers
required are brief, there is plenty of time in the exam to read the paper
carefully and even attempt an extra question (as one in five students do
each year) but do make sure you have attempted all parts of each
question.
There is a high success rate at this level nearly four out of five
students receive an A, B or C grade so a broad familiarity with business
terms and structures combined with a concise answering style will get you
through.