Exam papers - Topic tracker

Exam papers - Topic tracker

Use this section of the InThinking Business Management website to track past examination questions, arranged in topic order of the syllabus.

Past examination papers and mark schemes are available from the IB. Teachers who need access to these should contact their IB Diploma Programme Coordinator in the first instance.

Unit 1 - Business organization and environment

This unit of the IB Business Management syllabus provides the introductory context to business management.
Unit 1 examines both the internal and external business environments, using a range of business management tools, theories and techniques. These include types of business organizations, organizational objectives, SWOT analysis, the Ansoff matrix, stakeholder analysis, and HL Only topics such as force field analysis, Gantt charts, and decision trees.
Click the link here to access the past examination questions tracker for Topic 1 of the IB Business Management course.

Unit 2 - Human resource management (HRM)

Human resource management (HRM) is about the personnel of an organization. This topic covers a range of content regarding the people of an organization, such as recruitment, training, motivation and management or leadership.

Human resources (employees, managers, executives and entrepreneurs) are vital to the success of an organization, yet human resource management is one of the most difficult and challenging roles for any manager or leader.

The topics in this section of the IB Business Management syllabus can be looked at through the six CUEGIS concepts of change, culture, ethics, globalization, innovation and strategy.

Click the link here to access the past examination questions tracker for Topic 2 of the IB Business Management course.

Unit 3 - Finance and accounts

This section of the IB Business Management syllabus looks at the finances of business organizations.

The finance and accounts section of the course examines aspects of financial control (such as cash flow and budgeting) and financial management accounts (such as the balance sheet, income statement and ratio analysis).

All business decisions have two impacts:

1. the impact on human resources (see Unit 2 - HRM), and

2. the impact on the organization's finances.

Click the link here to access the past examination questions tracker for Topic 3 of the IB Business Management course.

Unit 4 - Marketing

Effective marketing is core to the success of all business organizations. Unit 4 of the IB Business Management syllabus examines a wide range of marketing tools, theories, techniques and concepts.

Marketing is far more than just about advertising or promotion, or even the traditional 4 Ps of marketing: product, price, promotion and place.

SL and HL students also need to be able to examine the Marketing topics through the CUEGIS concepts of change, culture, ethics, globalization, innovationand strategy.

Click the link here to access the past examination questions tracker for Topic 4 of the IB Business Management course.

Unit 5 - Operations management

Operations management (also referred to as production) is essentially about ensuring that goods and services meet the needs and wants (desires) of customers.

This section of the IB Busines Management syllabus examines a range of topics such as production methods, quality management, business location and crisis management.

Most of Topic 5 applies to HL students only, although both SL and HL students need to be able to make connections to the six CUEGIS concepts: change, culture, ethics, globalization, innovation and strategy.

Click the link here to access the past examination questions tracker for Topic 5 of the IB Business Management course.

CUEGIS essays (Paper 2, Section C)

Note: The CUEGIS essay has been cancelled for the M21 to N22 exam sessions in recognition of the huge challenges that teachers and students have faced during the prolonged coronavirus pandemic across the globe. However, at the time of writing, the CUEGIS essay will be bck for the M23 and N23 exam sessions.

The six prescribed CUEGIS concepts are examined in Section C of Paper 2 for both SL and HL students. Students are required to answer one of three questions, each worth 20 marks. Each essay is based on two of the six prescribed concepts and apply to content from the IB Business Management syllabus.

Working with a conceptual approach prepares students for the Paper 2 assessment. The six concepts are a part of the formal assessment of the course at both SL and HL, requiring students to discuss any combination of the 6 concepts in the context of real-world organizations that they have studied during the course, making use of relevant business management tools, techniques and theories.

There is no stimulus material included in Section C of the Paper 2 examination, so students will need to rely on their ability to apply real-world examples and case studies examined during their studies.

Click the link here to access the past examination questions tracker for the CUEGIS essays.

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