February 2026 Updates and Notices
Dear subscribers
Welcome to the February Updates and Notices!
In January 2026, we reached a new milestone with 2876 registered teachers now using InThinking Business Management. At InThinking, we are truly appreciative of your ongoing support!
During the past month, some revision posters have been added to the website to help students preparing for the May 2026 exams.
- A new revision for BMT 1 - SWOT analysis has been added here.
- A similar poster for BMT 2 - Ansoff matrix has been added here.
- There are also two revision posters for BMT 3 - STEEPLE analysis available here.
- A revision poster for BMT 4 - Boston Consulting Group matrix has been uploaded here.
- Finally, a revision poster for BMT 10 - Porter's generic strategies (HL only) has been included here.
Other updates
- A new glossary of key terms poster for Unit 4.6 International marketing (HL only) has been added here (scroll down to "Glossary of key terms" tab).
- A new set of revision questions for BMT 3 (STEEPLE analysis) has been added here. There are now more than 60 questions in this quiz, so students can refresh the site page for another set of questions to support their revision.
- New exam practice questions and full mark scheme for Unit 5.8 (Innovation: incremental and disruptive) (HL only) have been added here. It is based on Apple's incremental innovations in consumer markets.
- The most frequently assessed quantitative technique in the syllabus is Unit 5.5 (Break-even analysis). To support students with this challenging aspect of the course, additional exam practice questions have been added here.
- Our 28th Paper 2 resource has been created in collaboration with Shereen Raouf who teaches at Cairo English School in Egypt. Shereen is the IB DP Coordinator and an examiner for Business Management and Economics. Many thanks to Shereen for her continued efforts and generosity in creating resources for the InThinking Business Management community! The exam paper and mark scheme can be accessed here.
Student Access
Subscribers are reminded that their students can gain free access to the InThinking Business Management website by activating Student Access from the homepage. At the time of writing, 30 840 IB Business Management students are already registered on the site, all with complimentary access. Subscribers may also register additional Business Management teachers at their school, allowing them to access the website at no extra cost.
Upcoming IB-authorised Workshops
Click on the hyperlinks below to see details (agenda and registration) of official IB Workshops in February and March for IB Business Management teachers:
- IB Category 3 Business Management Face-to-Face Workshop, Prague, Czechia - Focus on the Internal Assessment (27 February - 1 March 2026) here.
- IB Category 2 Business Management Workshop, IBICUS, Virtual (2 - 4 March 2026) here.
- IB Category 3 Business Management Virtual Workshop, Focus on the Internal Assessment (27 - 29 March 2026) here.
Think-In upskilling courses prior to May 2026 final exams
We invite you to join one of our Think-In courses, designed to support meaningful professional upskilling. These virtual training sessions are dynamic, creative, and personal. Each Think-In lasts three hours, from 2:00pm to 5:15pm (Spain time), with a short 15-minute break.
Click on the relevant hyperlink in the table below for registration details.
| Dates | Think-In upskilling course |
| Mon 23rd Feb 2026 | DP Keys to Success: Paper 1 in DP Business Management (Group 1) for M26 exam |
| Tues 24th Feb 2026 | Keys to Success: DP Economics Paper 3 |
| Tues 10th Mar 2026 | Keys to Success: Paper 1 in DP Business Management (Group 2) for M26 exam |
| Wed 11th Mar 2026 | Keys to Success: Paper 2 DP Business Management (quantitative techniques) |
| Thurs 12th Mar 2026 | DP Keys to Success: Paper 3 in Business Management (focus on social enterprises) |
| Fri 13th Mar 2026 | Keys to Success: The IA in the DP Business Management |
| Tues 24th Mar 2026 | Keys to Success: The Extended Essay in DP Business Management |
| Wed 25th March 2026 | Keys to Success: The Extended Essay in DP Economics |
InThinking and FT Schools
Did you know teachers and students can gain free access to the Financial Times?
Our latest collaboration with FT Schools is now available here. The resource is based on Carlsberg’s product diversification strategy, making it a good fit for Unit 1.5 of the syllabus and BMT 2 - Ansoff matrix. It includes two different sets of exam-style practice questions, complete with mark schemes, ready to use with your students.
Explore how InThinking Business Management helps you use trusted Financial Times content to enrich teaching and learning in our blog.
As part of the FT Schools initiative, this resource is free of charge and accessible to both subscribers and non-subscribers.
We hope you find it a valuable addition to your teaching.
Looking ahead
For the love of Business Management
Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated worldwide on 14th February. While it is a day to celebrate love for close ones, it also creates many business opportunities - the business of love. Get your students involved in our "For the love of Business Management" activity here. We received feedback on this last year from Kavita Antony, who teaches at Schule Schloss Salem in Germany, "Thank you so much for the Valentine‘s Day activities. It definitely brought some smiles in class." So, why not give this a go with your students in the next couple of weeks?
Paper 1 pre-release statement
The Paper 1 pre-release statement for the May 2026 examination (SL and HL) was released on My IB on 29th January 2026. You can bookmark this site page to access resources that will be added over the next two months for the Abraca (ABC) pre-release statement. ABC specializes in the production of concrete and the management of e-waste.
Teachers can activate Student Access from the homepage to enable their students to access the many ATL Activities, lesson ideas, quizzes, top tips, and other resources that will be populated here for the May 2026 Paper 1 examination.
You may also be interested in attending one of our upskilling Think-In virtual courses focusing on the M26 pre-release:
- Keys to Success: Paper 1 in DP Business Management (Group 1), 23 February 2026 – 14:00 CET
- Keys to Success: Paper 1 in DP Business Management (Group 2), 10 March 2026 – 14:00 CET
Click on the icon below to see full details of these two courses.
The IB DP Business Management course (first assessment 2024) introduced a common Paper 1 for SL and HL students, based on a pre-released statement issued by the IB. This Think-In focuses on all aspects of the new Paper 1 and the key skills required for exam success, following the official release of the pre-released statement for the May 2026 examination session.
Session 1 Understanding the structure and components of the Paper 1 examination. Applying qualitative techniques in the Paper 1 assessment. Developing ATL activities that embed the pre-release statement. Worked examples based on research themes in the pre-released statement. A breakdown and analysis of the pre-release statement for the Paper 1 case study.
Session 2 Understanding the Paper 1 assessment criteria. Developing critical-thinking skills for Paper 1. Exam practice questions for classroom use. Top tips for supporting students with preparations for the Paper 1 exam. Opportunities to address individual questions.
All participants will receive a bespoke pack of resources for the May 2026 Paper 1 examination, ready for immediate use with their students.
The maximum number of participants is 20 and an InThinking certificate of participation will be awarded.
We are expecting these courses to be popular, so two dates are planned:
- Two 90-minute sessions + a 15-minute break; via Zoom, Monday 23 February, 14:00 – 17:15 CET (Spain time).
- Two 90-minute sessions + a 15-minute break; via Zoom, Tuesday 10 March, 14:00 – 17:15 CET (Spain time).
Staying in touch
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Please feel free to join the 510+ IB Business Management teachers on LinkedIn here. We will be using this platform for communicating new updates and resources to the website.
At the time of writing, there are 2312 teachers in our InThinking Business Management Facebook group who share questions, ideas, and resources on a regular basis.
We also have 918 teachers in our highly active InThinking WhatsApp group. What we ask for is that all members check their WhatsApp privacy settings to ensure their full name and a suitable profile picture are on display - this is simply so that we all know who we are communicating with.
With best wishes for a busy month ahead.
Paul Hoang
