IB Business Management SLTopic 7 — Exam Skills & AssessmentPaper 1 & 2Exam skill~13 min read
Scoring Full Marks on 10-Mark Questions
The 10-marker is the only question on the paper that is not marked by counting ticks. The examiner reads the whole thing and decides which level it sits in. That changes everything about how you write it — you are no longer collecting points, you are proving you can weigh two sides of an argument and then say something honest about how sure you can really be.
📚 What you need to know
10-mark questions use examine or discuss. Both mean: weigh up at least two options, reasons or consequences.
They are marked with level of response descriptors, not a tick list. The whole answer is judged together.
Four things move you up the levels: focus on the question, tools and theories, application, and balance with substantiation.
Start by defining the key terms in the question stem and linking them to the business.
Every point needs a counter-argument. A one-sided answer, however detailed, cannot reach the top.
Finish with a conclusion that includes the limitations of the case study — what you were not told, and how it would change your view.
If the question invites a recommendation, give one, with reasons.
The four things the examiner is looking for
Whatever the topic, a top-level answer does these four things. They are worth learning as a mental checklist, because you can run through them in ten seconds before you hand the paper in.
What it is called
What it means in practice
How you show it
Focus on the question
You answered the question that was asked
Define the key terms; give exactly the number of options asked for
Tools and theories
You used real business management ideas
Correct terminology, and a relevant tool or model where it fits
Application
Your answer could only be about this firm
Names, figures, quotes and data from the case study throughout
Balance and substantiation
You argued both ways and backed it up
A counter-argument for each point, plus a conclusion with limitations
Students who lose marks here nearly always lose them on the same one: balance. The knowledge is fine, the application is fine, and then the answer only ever argues one way. Half an argument sits in a lower level however well it is written.
Examine questions: the six-step structure
“Examine” asks you to weigh up at least two options, reasons, consequences or limitations. The structure below works for almost any of them, and it makes sure balance is built into the answer rather than bolted on at the end.
For a discuss question you can merge the counter-arguments into the same paragraph as the point, which gives you four paragraphs instead of six. The thinking is identical.
Discuss questions
Discuss asks for the same thing in a slightly tighter shape: weigh up at least two options, reasons, implications or limitations, and again make a recommendation if the question invites one.
The usual version is four paragraphs: define the terms and link them to the firm, then two paragraphs each containing a point and its counter-argument, then a conclusion. Putting the counter in the same paragraph as the point actually makes the balance easier to see.
🧩 The four-paragraph Discuss plan
Define the key term from the stem, then say what it means for this business specifically.
Challenge 1 / option 1: the point, developed with case evidence, then “however…” with a balancing view.
Challenge 2 / option 2: a different point, different evidence, then its own “however…”.
Conclusion: which side is stronger and why, what the case study does not tell you, and what extra information would settle it.
The conclusion is where the top level is won
Most students write a conclusion that repeats the answer in shorter words. That earns almost nothing. A conclusion that reaches the top level does three separate jobs.
The three-job conclusion
a judgement (which argument is stronger, and why)
+ what the case study does not tell you
+ what extra information would change your mind
That middle job is the one nobody does. Saying “the case study does not say how long the lease has left, so I cannot judge whether the saving is real” shows the examiner you are thinking about the quality of the evidence, not just the evidence. That is exactly what “substantiation” means.
Each step up adds something the step below is missing. That is why a very long one-sided answer still sits on the second step.
A worked example, paragraph by paragraph
WORKED EXAMPLE
Examine — two sources of finance
Case study: Rivet & Rowe is a family-owned bicycle manufacturer. It wants to raise $4m to build an electric bike range. Last year it made a net profit of $6.1m, but $3.4m of that has already been committed to a new paint line. The family owns 100% of the shares and has said several times that it wants to keep control. Interest rates in its country have risen for three years running.
Examine two sources of finance Rivet & Rowe could use to fund its new electric bike range. [10]
Paragraph 1 — define and link
Sources of finance are the different ways a business raises money. They can be internal or external, and short or long term. Rivet & Rowe needs $4m of long-term finance for a new product range.
Paragraph 2 — option 1
Retained profit is the obvious first option. Rivet & Rowe made $6.1m last year, and using its own money costs no interest and brings in no outside owners, which suits a family that has repeatedly said it wants to keep control.
Paragraph 3 — counter to option 1
However, $3.4m of that profit is already committed to the paint line, leaving only $2.7m. That is short of the $4m needed, and spending all of it would leave no cushion if sales of the electric range start slowly.
Paragraph 4 — option 2
A bank loan could cover the gap. Repayments are spread over years, ownership does not change, and the loan can be sized to the shortfall rather than the whole project.
Paragraph 5 — counter to option 2
But interest rates have risen for three years running, so borrowing is more expensive than it recently was, and the interest is a fixed cost Rivet & Rowe must pay whether the electric bikes sell or not.
Paragraph 6 — conclusion with limitations
A mix looks strongest: use the $2.7m of retained profit and borrow the remaining $1.3m, which keeps the loan and the interest small while protecting family control. That said, the case study does not give the actual interest rate being offered, or say how firm the paint line commitment is. If the paint line could be delayed, retained profit alone might be enough and no borrowing would be needed at all.
notice the last paragraph does three jobs: it judges, it says what is missing, and it says what would change the answer.
Time check. A 10-marker is worth roughly 18 to 20 minutes. Spend the first two of those planning six bullet points in the margin. Students who plan finish; students who start writing immediately usually run out of room in the conclusion, which is the part that pays best.
💡 Exam tip
Define the key term in the first line. It is the quickest way to show focus on the question.
Give exactly the number of options asked for. “Two sources of finance” means two, examined properly, not four skimmed.
Put a “however” in every argument. If the word never appears in your answer, you have not shown balance.
Use data, not just names. “$3.4m already committed” proves application in a way that “the company has costs” never will.
Mention a relevant business tool where it genuinely fits — a force field analysis, a SWOT, a break-even. Do not bolt one on if it adds nothing.
Always write the conclusion, even if it is three lines. An answer with no conclusion cannot reach the top level.
Name what the case study is missing. One honest sentence about missing information can lift the whole answer a level.
⚠ Common mix-up
Writing everything you know about the topic. Length is not a level. An unfocused essay sits low no matter how much is in it.
One-sided arguments. Two enthusiastic points in favour and nothing against is the single most common reason good answers get capped.
A conclusion that just repeats the essay. No judgement, no limitations, almost no marks.
Generic theory with no firm attached. If the company name never appears after paragraph one, the application marks disappear.
Forcing in a model for the sake of it. A SWOT that has nothing to do with the question looks worse than no model at all.
Running out of time. The conclusion carries the most valuable marks and it is always the paragraph that gets sacrificed. Plan first.
Ignoring “recommend”. If the question invites a recommendation and you do not give one, you have not answered it.
Up next: take these four structures into a past paper and time yourself. Two minutes for a 2-marker, five for a 4-marker, eight for a 6-marker, twenty for the 10-marker — that is where the technique becomes automatic.
Want this explained one-to-one?
Book a free session with an experienced IB Business Management tutor and get your trickiest topics made simple.
