Exams
The external assessment in IB Business Management consists of two examination papers for SL students and three for HL students.
Each paper has a different focus and format, so students need to understand the specific requirements and expectations of each.
- Paper 1 is based on a short pre-released statement and has a mainly qualitative focus.
- Paper 2 uses unseen stimulus material and places greater emphasis on quantitative skills and the application of the Business Management Toolkit (BMT).
- Paper 3, which is for HL students only, is based on unseen stimulus material about a social enterprise and culminates in a 17-mark plan of action.
Together, the papers assess students’ knowledge and understanding, application, analysis, evaluation, and ability to use appropriate business management tools and theories in context.
Paper 3 | |||
| Based on pre-released statement of around 200 words | Unseen stimulus material with quantitative focus | Unseen stimulus material about a social enterprise | Business research project of up to 1800 words |
| Common paper for both SL and HL, with qualitative focus | Separate paper for SL and HL | Explanation of human needs and organizational challenges | Key concept – Change, Ethics, Creativity, or Sustainability |
| Recommended 5 hours of research time | Application of the BMT | Includes 17-mark “plan of action” question | 3 – 5 Supporting Documents |
| No formulae sheet | Formulae sheet | No formulae sheet | n/a |
Four-function calculator permitted | |||
Table 1 - External and internal assessments for the IB Business Management course
* Note that from May 2027, “explain” questions in Paper 2 will follow the same mark allocation as Paper 1 (SL and HL) and Paper 3 (HL only):
- 3 marks for questions that require explaining of one point, e.g., “Explain one advantage of …." [3 marks]
- 6 marks for explaining two points, e.g., “Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of …." [6 marks] or “Explain two reasons why …" [6 marks]
From May 2027, Paper 2 “explain” (AO2) questions will carry 3 marks for one explanation or 6 marks for two explanations. However, avoid assuming that every other AO2 command term will automatically follow the same allocation, or that any particular Section B mark distribution is guaranteed.
The stated alignment (from the M26 Subject Report) makes sense for Paper 3, Question 2, which carries 6 marks, i.e., it assesses AO2 and is marked out of 6 (3+3) for two challenges facing a social enterprise.
The comparison with Paper 1 is less straightforward because its previous allocations in the new syllabus have varied. Across papers and time zones, there have been several 2-mark questions asking candidates to explain one advantage, disadvantage, action, or reason, alongside 4-mark questions requiring two explanations.
There have also been 6-mark questions asking for three explanations, although May 2025, Time Zone 2 provides an example of 6 marks for explaining two possible barriers to communication. The legacy questions therefore do not demonstrate one consistent pattern.
Nevertheless, the change from M27 provides a clearer distinction between 2-mark AO1 command terms, such as "define" or "describe", and AO2 command terms requiring a developed explanation.
Teachers may also find the Exam papers - Topic tracker useful for reviewing the topics assessed in past examination questions, together with the command terms used for each question.
