The Paper 3 Pre-Release (Edexcel A Level Business)
Revision Note
Written by: Lisa Eades
Reviewed by: Steve Vorster
The Paper 3 Pre-Release
Introduction
The pre-released context document for Paper 3 focuses on a broad context, such as an industry or market in which businesses operate
Its purpose is to enable you to conduct independent learning and research, and an opportunity for you to become familiar with current business issues and trends
You are not permitted to take your preparation with you into the Paper 3 examination
Recent contexts have included
The 2022 Commonwealth Games
The UK car market
The UK's fast food, take-away and restaurant industry
The UK entertainment market
The market for holidays in the UK and abroad
The pre-release context is available from November of the year prior to the exam
The Structure of the Pre-Release Context
First of all, you are given a broad market context
In the example above, the broad market context is the market for online learning in the UK
You are then given a series of bullet-pointed areas for research, covering:
Market trends
Market influences
Businesses within the market
The competitive environment
These bullet-points tend to be similarly-phrased each year, though specific aspects such as leadership or innovation may also be included
How to Prepare
Although there is no single way to prepare, the following activities are likely to be useful in preparing for your exam:
Review past papers and prior pre-release materials
Consider how the questions asked have been related to the research topic
Review the origin, nature and range of new sources introduced in the exam
Try re-phrasing questions to apply to the current research topic - you may want to ask your teacher for support with this
Compare the bullet points to the specification
Do they suggest topic areas that may be covered in exam questions?
E.g. The example pre-release relates to online learning, which suggests that technology aspects of PESTLE Analysis may be relevant
Use online news sources and reputable data sources to gather information on market trends
Consider aspects such as market size, market growth and market share of key businesses
Identify key recent developments that have appeared in the news
Look at relevant sources used in previous exam papers
Find opinion pieces on the reasons, implications and benefits/drawbacks of market changes
Look for industry data from organisations that represent workers, businesses or investors in the industry
Identify legal aspects that relate to the industry
Visit company websites to find out about businesses operating in the market
Consider market leaders as well as new entrants to the market
What are their aims and objectives?
Access financial statements to weigh up performance
What have their recent announcements involved?
How do they market their products?
Look at customer reviews or ratings from relevant organisations such as Trustpilot, Amazon, Tripadvisor or Which?
Find out about HR and operations strategies
Lots can be discovered from the recruitment section of company websites, including job profiles
Speak to friends/family who have experience of the industry
Do they work in the industry? If so, what are their insights into its development?
Are they customers of businesses in the industry? If so, find out about needs, wants and preferences, as well as their buying habits and impressions of businesses in the market
Organise your preparation
Try to summarise your findings into easy-to-manage notes that you can revise before the exam
Organise notes according to the bullet point(s) to which they relate
Use highlighting to draw attention to research points you'd like to be able to quote directly in the exam
Make use of mind-maps, flash cards or other visual techniques to commit key research items to memory
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