Technically, there is no "formulae booklet" for IB DP Business Management students in the external exams. They must be provided with a double-sided "formulae sheet" - these are the formulae given on pages 64 - 65 in the guide. However, this only applies to Paper 2.

Note that the following are not provided to candidates in the external exams:

• Presentation of financial statements - profit and loss account (statement of profit or loss).

• Presentation of financial statements - balance sheet (statement of financial position).

• Cash flow forecast - profit and non-profit entity.

• Budget - profit and non-profit entity

• Discount tables (HL only) - a discount table will be provided for candidates within the examination paper should net present value (NPV) appear in the exams.

You can access the full list of formulae in the syllabus by using the hyperlink here.

Back in December 2022, the Curriculum Manager (CM) based in The Hague, Netherlands, confirmed that a 4-function calculator is permitted for all examinations in the new DP Business Management course (first exams 2024). This information is not stated in the official guide (May 2022).

• Paper 1 (common to SL and HL) - there may be minor calculations in this paper, so a calculator is permitted.

• Paper 2 (SL and HL) - as this paper is mainly quantitative, a calculator is required.

• Paper 3 (HL only) - as the stimulus material may contain quantitative data, a calculator is permitted.

The Subject Area Manager (SAM) for DP Business Management has also confirmed that this information will be communicated with IB World Schools in due course.

Please also note that all questions requiring a calculator in the DP Business Management examinations can be answered fully using a four-function (plus, minus, multiply, and divide) calculator.

However, the IB does permit the use of a graphic display calculator (GDC)* or scientific calculator in the DP Business Management examinations, but this is a matter of school policy. Therefore, please check this with your DP Coordinator about this matter.

*There are IB regulations regarding the use of GDCs in the examinations, so students must be made aware of these.

This depends on the context of the question. In most cases, express your answers to 2 decimal places especially when referring to currencies. For example, an average rate of return of 12.35% means that for every $100 invested in a particular project, the business is expected to earn $12.35 in profit per year for the duration of the project.

Examiners will mark all the responses if you answer more questions than needed. They will then select the highest score for each question.

However, It is not advisable that you attempt to answer more questions than required due to the time limitation of the exams. Doing so will simply hinder you from having sufficient time to present balanced and well-developed arguments, i.e., there is an opportunity cost of such an approach.

As the Russian proverb goes, "If you chase after two rabbits, you catch neither."

Paper 2 requires graphs and/or other accounting formats that would make it more convenient to write within the spaces provided in the question paper itself.  Hence, answers to all questions in Paper 2 must go on the dotted lines within the boxed rectangular box, included in the exam paper. Anything written outside of the boxed area is not scanned for assessment purposes.

However, the IB does allow candidates to use additional answer sheets if required. This is typically due to an error being made or because some candidates need more space to write their extended response answer. If supplementary IB answer sheets are used, the candidate details must be completed and securely attached using a treasury tag to the Paper 2 examination paper.

It is also important to note that the word "Continued" should be written inside the boxed rectangular box of the question paper, alerting to the examiner that an additional answer sheet has been used.

So, the trick is to think outside the box, but to write within the box!

In theory, the CESC key concepts are explicitly examined in the internal assessment.

However, there is specific mention of some of the key concepts (ethics and change) in the contents of the syllabus, so these can appear in the external assessment too. For example:

• Unit 1.3 - Ethical objectives

• Unit 5.9 (HL only) - The ethical implications of advanced computer technologies (management information systems)

• Unit 2.1 - Demographic changes, changes in labour mobility, reasons for resistance to change in the workplace, and strategies for reducing the impact of change and resistance to change

• Unit 2.2 - Appropriateness of different organizational structures given a change in external factors

• Unit 2.2 (HL only) - Changes in organizational structures

• Unit 2.5 (HL only) - Cultural clashes when organizations change, including when leadership styles change

• Unit 2.7 (HL only) - Changes of contract as an approach to conflict in the workplace by employers

• Unit 4.5 - The importance of delivery processes in marketing a service and changes in these processes

• Unit 5.5 - The effects of changes in price or cost on the break-even quantity, profit, and margin of safety

Yes. Students are expected to use the BMT in answering specific examination questions, such as shown in the specimen HL Paper 2 Question 4d (STEEPLE analysis) and Question 5d (Boston Consulting Group matrix). An example of such a question is:

"Using the data provided in Table X, the information in the stimulus, and a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix, recommend to Company Y which product should be removed from its portfolio in order to remain profitable."

Contents of the BMT can also be explicitly examined in the Paper 2 exam. For instance, have a look at the specimen HL Paper 2 Question 3(b) (i) and (ii), which refer to the mean average, as well as Question 3(b) (iii) which refers to the line of best fit.

Please note that the BMT is applied to the contents of the syllabus whilst the context is given in the question paper in the examination. Two examples are provided below for illustrative purposes:

1. Using a SWOT analysis, discuss whether Company A should merge with Company B (Unit 1.5 - mergers and acquisitions AO3).

2. With reference to force field analysis, explain the reasons for resistance to change amongst the employees in Company X (Unit 2.1 - reasons for resistance to change in the workplace AO2).

Students will not be asked to analyse or evaluate any of the tools in the BMT in isolation. For example a question such as “Evaluate SWOT analysis as a business management tool” will not be asked in the examination. The skill is to be able to use/apply relevant tools in order to address the demands of the examination questions.

There are extended response questions in all three papers (10 marks in Paper 1 and Paper 2, and 17 marks in Paper 3 for HL only candidates).

For Papers 1 and 2, the assessment rubrics state that there must be evidence of "... an explanation of the limitations of the case study or stimulus material." for candidates to reach the top mark band of any extended response question in the external assessment.

What this means is that students need to acknowledge, comment on, and provide a critique of the limitations of the information or data provided in the stimulus material, e.g., consideration of the reliability of the source(s) or reflection of any missing data/evidence that may influence the conclusion.

Note that candidates can acknowledge limitations of the stimulus material/case study anywhere that is appropriate in their extended response answer, and not necessarily only in the conclusion.

To support student to be able to explain the limitations of the case study or stimulus material in Paper 2, consider the GAPS framework (see below). As an examination and thinking skill, "evaluation" is just as much about asking questions as it is about answering them.

• Question generalizations – A generalization is a statement that appears true for most situations or people, though it may not be entirely true in every case, e.g., are different cultural dimensions considered in the case study / stimulus material?

• Question assumptions – What do we not know, such as the financial position of a business or the willingness/ability of the workforce to embrace change?

• Question perspectives – Is there any bias in the data/information? Whose perspectives are being considered? Are any perspectives being ignored?

• Question (or consider) relevant STEEPLE factors, i.e., external influences – Which STEEPLE factors are not considered in the case study that have a direct impact on the issue/problem or business decision under consideration?

This is a matter of school policy (subject teachers cannot override this). From the IB perspective, highlighter pens (if permitted by the school) can only be used to highlight questions or other stimulus information on an examination paper; they must not be used as part of a candidate’s answers to any question. This is because the scripts are scanned (in black and white) and any highlighted texts will not come out in the scans.

The IB guidelines state the following (Conduct of Examinations Booklet 2024, pages 21-22):

10.10 Gel pens/highlighting pens can only be used to highlight questions or other information on an examination paper; they must not be used in conjunction with a candidate’s answer to any question. (This is because candidate’s scripts are scanned and the images made available to examiners electronically - gel pens/highlighting pens are not amenable to this process).

So, it is best to check this policy with your Diploma Programme Coordinator (DPC).

The IB guidelines state the following:

10.11 Candidates must write their answers in either dark blue or black ink (except for multiple-choice examination papers, when pencil is used), and use a soft pencil that produces dark lines for graphs and diagrams. The use of colour is only permitted in geography examinations. Gel pens must not be used as they cause difficulties during the scanning process.

(Conduct of Examinations Booklet 2024, pages 21-22)

Hence, pencils should only be used for graphs and diagrams, such as  break-even charts, decision trees, organizational structures,  critical path diagrams (HL only), or  scatter diagrams (HL only). In addition, coloured pencils are not permitted for the Business Management examinations.

This will depend on the demands of the question. Any of the 15 tools from the Business Management Toolkit (BMT) can be used, where appropriate, for answering the extended response questions. However, any relevant tools or theories beyond the BMT (but within the syllabus) can be used.

Please note that the BMT is explicitly examined in Paper 2.

The IB does not provide any recommendation on this matter. Whilst this is a commonly asked question by students in the classroom and teachers who attend IB Workshops, there are limitations in making any sort of recommendation regarding how long (or how much) students should write for. For example, some students take longer than others to read and comprehend the stimulus material in the various case studies, whilst others will be able to write a lot faster than their fellow students.

Whilst some websites or resources do provide some general guidelines on the number of minutes students should write per mark, or the number of words they should write for the different number of marks allocated to a particular question, it is unrealistic that students will not have the capacity to check how many words they have written for the different sections of the external exams.

No. Students are asked to avoid numbered lists or bullet points.

The IB asks students to avoid using numbered lists or bullet points in AO2 and AO3 (extended response) questions. Instead, students should answer with proper (full) sentences and paragraphs.
Source: adapted from Teacher Support Material (TSM), page 66)

For the extended response questions (the 10-mark question in Paper 1 and 2, and the 17-mark question in Paper 3), students should use PEEL paragraphs:

The IB states the following on this matter:

"A bilingual translation dictionary is permitted for all subject groups (except studies in language and literature, language acquisition) including classical languages examinations. The dictionary must not contain notes of any kind and is only permitted if the response language of the examination is not the best language of the candidate; an electronic dictionary is not permitted." (Conduct of examinations booklet 2024 guidelines, page 21).

Also note that candidates are permitted 5 minutes reading time prior to writing their answers. During this reading time, students are not allowed to write, refer to a bilingual dictionary, highlight questions, or use a calculator.

A subject-specific bilingual dictionary is definitely not allowed as this would clearly give certain students an unfair advantage in the external exams.

It is true that all tools, theories, and terminology explicitly stated in the guide can be assessed (such as the OECD's five circular business models). However, it is not true that exam questions are limited to only the key terms that are explicitly in the guide. Some examples include:

• The guide does not state or name the six cultural dimensions of Hofstede's cultural dimensions (HL only), but any of these can be assessed.

• Both SL and HL candidates were required to define the term "pressure group" in the May 2024 Paper 1 examination. This term is not explicitly stated in the syllabus but is taught as part of Unit 1.4 Stakeholders.

• The May 2024 Paper 1 exam also required students to describe two possible implications of higher interest rates (covered as part of STEEPLE analysis in the BMT) for the business in question.

• Unit 2.3 Leadership and management in the guide states that students need to learn about the various leadership styles up to AO3. In the May 2024 Paper 1 TZ1 exam, students were asked to analyse a particular leadership style could affect the profitability of the organization in the case study.

• In the May 2024 SL Paper 2 TZ1 exam, candidates were required to calculate the tax rate from given financial data (as per Unit 3.4 Final accounts). There is no reference to the term "tax rate" in the syllabus.

• Although "packaging" was featured as part of the Unit 4.5 Marketing mix in a previous iteration of the syllabus, and is not explicitly mentioned in the new syllabus, it was featured in the May 2024 SL TZ1 Paper 2 mark scheme as a types of below-the-line (BTL) promotion. Other valid answers included: catalogues, referral programmes, sponsorship, telemarketing, and trade fairs / exhibitions (none of these are explicitly stated in the syllabus).

• The term "competitive advantage" does not appear in the syllabus, but was the focus of the extended response (10-mark) question in Paper 2 TZ1 and TZ2 for SL candidates in May 2024.

• In May 2024, Question 3(c) of the TZ1 Paper 2 exam for HL candidates (Sengku Vacuum Cleaners) required students to interpret the meaning of price elasticity of demand (PED) having a value of -2 and the subsequent impact of the firm increasing its price by 20%.

• Charities were also mentioned in both Paper 1 and Paper 3 of the May 2024 examination, but this term does not appear anywhere in the syllabus.

Grade boundaries are set after the exams by the Grade Award Committee in Cardiff. The first set of grade boundaries were published on 6th July for first exams in May 2024 (available on IBIS), but these are subject to change based on the demands and outcomes of each examination session.

Pragmatically, if grade boundaries are required for making Predicted Grades and/or for a student's report card, it is common practice for teachers to use the mean average of the past 3 years grade boundaries.

The latest syllabus was first examined in May 2024. Historical data for the May sessions (with May exams accounting for around 90% of all candidates taking the DP) have been included here to provide more meaningful interpretations over a longer period of time.

Note that grade during the COVID-19 era were solely or largely based on predicted grades from schools due to the disruptions to external assessments.

There is little doubt that the IBDP is an extremely challenging curriculum. As the table below show, the mean pass rate during the period shown in 81.42%. Despite this, the number of candidates entered for the IBDP examinations has grown by over 20% during the same time period.

Source: adapted from IB Statistical Bulletin

Since May 2023, the IBO has stopped publishing the number of DP students achieving the highest mark of 45 points. This decision aims to discourage comparisons based on assessment results amongst students, schools, and communities. This is because IB students and IB World Schools differ widely in context across the globe (such as socioeconomic factors as well as cohort size), with their achievements extending far beyond assessment point scores.

The official exam papers and mark schemes for all IBDP exams are available only available for purchase from the Follett IB Store. These are the intellectual property rights of the IBO so cannot be shared or redistributed on third party websites. Please speak with your IBDP Coordinator about this.

Many universities across the world make offers based on a specific overall IB point score (or range of points scores) and specific points to be achieved in Higher Level subjects.

According to the the UK's Department for Education, 45 IB points is equivalent to 5 A* grades at GCE A Level, and 24 points is equivalent to 5 D grades. For individual HL courses, a point score of 7 is equivalent to an A* at A Level, and a point score of 3 is equivalent to an E. For individual SL courses, a point score of 7 is equivalent to an A at AS Level (considered to be the equivalent to the first year of A levels), and a point score of 3 is equivalent to an E