How to Answer a 25-Mark Question in AQA A-Level Business
AQA A-Level Business 25-mark questions can have a major impact on your Paper 1 result.
There are two 25-mark essays to answer in Paper 1, meaning half of the entire 100-mark paper comes from these two questions.
The good news is that you do not need to write an enormous essay or include every Business theory you know.
To reach the top level, AQA wants a response that is focused on the question, contains developed analysis, applies Business knowledge effectively, considers a balanced range of issues and reaches judgements that are built from the arguments made.
One of the most useful ways to organise this is the widely used:
PeCAN PiE + AJIM Structure
For a 25-mark AQA Business question, a strong structure is:
Short introduction
PeCAN PiE Paragraph 1
PeCAN PiE Paragraph 2
AJIM Conclusion
You can add another developed paragraph if the question genuinely requires it and you have time, but two excellent analytical and evaluative paragraphs are far more valuable than four shallow ones.
Let's break the structure down properly.
How Many Marks Are Given for Evaluation in a 25-Mark AQA Business Question?
Understanding the mark allocation explains why your structure matters so much.
AQA's 25-mark evaluative questions are allocated:
| Assessment Objective | Marks | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| AO1 | 5 | Knowledge and understanding |
| AO2 | 4 | Application |
| AO3 | 6 | Analysis |
| AO4 | 10 | Evaluation |
| Total | 25 |
The biggest individual component is therefore AO4 evaluation, worth 10 marks.
That is why simply writing two long analytical paragraphs and adding one sentence saying “however, it depends” at the end is unlikely to be enough for the very highest marks.
Evaluation needs to run through the answer.
The Best Structure for an AQA Business 25 Marker
A practical structure is:
Introduction → PeCAN PiE → PeCAN PiE → AJIM
This gives you:
- a clear response to the question
- two developed arguments
- analysis within each argument
- evaluation throughout
- balance
- a justified final judgement
Most importantly, it matches what AQA rewards rather than encouraging you to write a generic essay.
Step 1: Understand the Question Before You Write
Before starting, identify exactly what the question is asking you to judge.
A 25-marker might ask:
“To what extent…”
“Do you agree…”
“Is it inevitable…”
“How important…”
These are not asking you to simply explain a Business topic.
They are asking you to make a decision.
For example:
Example question
To what extent is increasing employee pay likely to be the best way for a business to improve labour productivity?
The question is not:
“What are the advantages of increasing pay?”
You need to decide:
- Why could higher pay improve productivity?
- Why might it not?
- What other factors could be more important?
- Under what circumstances would higher pay work?
- Overall, is it likely to be the best method?
That final decision is what your whole essay should build towards.
Step 2: Write a Short Introduction
Your introduction does not need to be a full paragraph of background information.
Two or three sentences is normally enough.
Use it to:
- clarify an important concept
- identify the debate
- show the direction of your answer
For our example, you might write:
Increasing employee pay could improve labour productivity if stronger financial rewards increase motivation and effort. However, productivity is affected by several other factors, including training, technology and management. Whether higher pay is the best approach will therefore depend on why productivity is currently low.
That immediately shows the examiner that you understand the question.
Do not spend five minutes writing an elaborate introduction.
The marks are in your analysis and evaluation.
What Does PeCAN Mean in A-Level Business?
The first part of your main paragraph is:
PeCAN
A useful way to think about PeCAN is:
P – Point
e – explain it
C – Context
AN – Analysis
In simple terms:
Make a relevant point → explain it → apply it → develop a chain showing why it matters.
P – Make Your Point
Start with an argument that directly addresses the question.
For example:
Increasing pay could improve labour productivity because employees may be motivated to put more effort into their work.
This is your argument.
Avoid opening with a vague sentence such as:
There are many advantages and disadvantages of increasing pay.
That does not really answer anything.
E – Explain the Business Theory
Now demonstrate that you understand the Business concept behind your point.
For example, you could connect financial rewards to motivation.
You might explain that stronger financial incentives can encourage employees to work harder because there is a clearer relationship between their performance and the reward they receive.
This demonstrates Business knowledge rather than simply making an unsupported claim.
C – Add Context
Application is essential.
You need to make the argument relevant to the circumstances in the question.
In Paper 1, you may not always be given a detailed business case study, so the “context” may come from the specific conditions contained within the question or from relevant business circumstances you introduce.
For example:
This may be particularly effective in a labour-intensive business where employee effort has a significant effect on output.
That is much stronger than simply saying:
Pay motivates workers.
You are now explaining when and where the argument is likely to matter.
AN – Build a Chain of Analysis
This is where students can dramatically improve their answers.
Do not stop after the first consequence.
Develop it.
For example:
Higher financial reward
→ employees may become more motivated
→ effort or output per worker may increase
→ labour productivity rises
→ labour cost per unit could fall
→ the business may become more cost competitive
→ profit margins could improve.
That is a developed chain of reasoning.
AQA's command-word guidance emphasises clear, logical chains of reasoning supported by effective application.
Whenever you make a Business point, keep asking:
“What happens because of that?”
Then ask it again.
Now Add the PiE
This is the part students often miss.
For longer evaluative questions, PeCAN becomes:
PeCAN PiE
PiE essentially means adding point-specific evaluation to your argument rather than saving all evaluation for the conclusion. This approach is widely used in AQA Business exam preparation.
After developing your argument, challenge it.
For example:
However, increasing pay will only improve productivity significantly if low motivation is the reason employees are currently underperforming. If productivity is low because employees have outdated machinery or insufficient training, higher wages may simply increase labour costs without substantially increasing output.
That is powerful evaluation because it directly tests the original argument.
You have not simply written:
However, it depends.
You have explained:
what it depends on and why.
The Full PeCAN PiE Paragraph
Using our example question, the paragraph could develop like this:
Increasing employee pay could be an effective way to improve labour productivity because stronger financial incentives may encourage employees to increase their effort. This could be particularly important in a labour-intensive business where employee performance has a direct impact on output. If employees become more motivated, output per worker may increase, reducing labour costs per unit and potentially improving the firm's competitiveness and profit margins. However, this depends on the cause of the business's low productivity. If employees are already highly motivated but are restricted by outdated equipment or inadequate training, increasing wages may increase costs without creating a significant improvement in output. Investment in technology or training could therefore have a greater impact.
Notice what this paragraph does.
It:
makes a point → explains it → develops it → applies it → follows the consequences → challenges the argument.
That is significantly better than writing a list of advantages.
Paragraph 2: Build the Counterargument
Your second paragraph should usually explore the strongest alternative argument.
Do not write something weak just so that you can say your essay is “balanced”.
For the example question, you could argue that investment in technology may be more effective than increasing pay.
Your chain might look like:
New technology
→ employees can produce more output in the same period
→ productivity increases
→ unit costs fall
→ capacity may increase
→ competitiveness improves.
Then add PiE:
But would this work for every business?
Perhaps not.
The effectiveness could depend on:
- the cost of the technology
- whether the business can finance it
- employee training
- the nature of production
- how quickly the investment produces a return
- whether the problem actually comes from inefficient equipment
The aim is not merely to write one paragraph “for” and one paragraph “against”.
The aim is to compare credible competing explanations or strategies.
What Makes a Strong Chain of Analysis?
Students often think analysis means writing more.
It doesn't.
Analysis means showing a logical relationship between Business factors.
Weak:
Training improves productivity and therefore increases profit.
Better:
Training could improve employees' skills, allowing them to complete tasks more efficiently. This may increase output per employee and therefore labour productivity. If wage costs remain similar while output rises, labour costs per unit may fall, potentially increasing the firm's profit margin.
The second version explains how the outcome occurs.
There are no magical connectives that automatically give you AO3.
Words such as:
therefore
because
this means
as a result
consequently
can help you structure the chain, but the underlying Business logic still needs to make sense.
How to Get AO4 Evaluation Marks
Evaluation is where many students lose marks.
AQA allocates 10 marks out of 25 to AO4, so you need much more than an advantage followed by a disadvantage.
Good evaluation usually asks questions such as:
How significant is this factor?
Under what circumstances would this happen?
Is there a more important factor?
What does the outcome depend on?
Is the effect different in the short and long term?
Does this apply equally to every business?
For example:
Increasing pay may work more effectively in the short term if employees feel under-rewarded, but its impact may weaken if workers begin to regard the higher wage as normal.
Or:
The effectiveness of this strategy depends on labour costs as a proportion of total costs. In a highly automated business, increasing employee effort may have a relatively small impact on total output.
These sentences actually change how convincing the original argument is.
That is evaluation.
Don't Use “It Depends” Without Explaining Why
One of the most common phrases in Business essays is:
“It depends.”
There is nothing wrong with it.
The problem is stopping there.
Weak:
However, it depends on the type of business.
Strong:
However, the importance of higher employee motivation depends on the type of business. In a labour-intensive service business, employee behaviour may directly affect both productivity and customer satisfaction, whereas in highly automated manufacturing, technology may have a much greater influence on output.
The second response explains the dependency.
Always complete the sentence:
“It depends on X because…”
Finish With an AJIM Conclusion
The conclusion is extremely important.
A useful structure is:
AJIM
A – Answer the question
J – Justify your answer
I – It depends
M – Most important factor
AJIM is another widely used AQA Business planning framework designed to help students reach an overall supported judgement.
Let's apply it.
A – Answer
Give a clear answer to the question.
Do not sit on the fence.
For example:
Overall, increasing pay is unlikely to be the best method of improving labour productivity in every business.
The examiner immediately knows your judgement.
J – Justify
Now explain why.
This is because higher wages only directly address productivity when insufficient motivation is a major cause of weak employee performance.
You are building the judgement from the arguments you have already analysed.
That is exactly what a strong conclusion should do.
I – It Depends
Identify the condition that could change your decision.
If employees are currently poorly rewarded and the business relies heavily on employee effort, however, improving financial rewards could generate a relatively rapid increase in productivity.
Again, you are not simply saying “it depends”.
You are saying precisely what would change your judgement.
M – Most Important Factor
Finish by identifying the factor that ultimately matters most.
For example:
The most important factor is therefore the underlying cause of low productivity. Management should identify whether the problem comes from motivation, skills or production technology before deciding where to invest.
That gives the essay a decisive ending.
Example of a Strong AJIM Conclusion
A completed conclusion might look like this:
Overall, increasing employee pay is unlikely to be the best method of increasing labour productivity in every business. Higher wages may improve motivation, but this will only translate into greater output if motivation is the main constraint on employee performance. If the business is labour intensive and currently suffers from poor morale, higher financial rewards may therefore be highly effective. However, where employees lack skills or are restricted by inefficient equipment, training or investment in technology is likely to produce a greater improvement. The most important factor is therefore the cause of low productivity, and management should identify this before committing additional resources to higher wages.
Notice that the conclusion does not introduce five completely new arguments.
It weighs up what has already been analysed and answers the question.
The Complete 25-Mark Structure
If you want one structure to remember before the exam, use:
Introduction
Briefly establish the issue and the key judgement.
PeCAN PiE 1
Point → Explain → Context → Analysis → Point-specific evaluation
Develop your strongest argument.
PeCAN PiE 2
Point → Explain → Context → Analysis → Point-specific evaluation
Develop the strongest competing argument.
AJIM Conclusion
Answer → Justify → It depends → Most important factor
Reach your final judgement.
That is it.
You do not need six body paragraphs.
You need a small number of well-developed, relevant and evaluated arguments.
Do You Need an Introduction in a 25-Mark Business Question?
A short introduction can be useful, but it is not where most of your marks come from.
Do not waste time writing:
In this essay I am going to discuss the advantages and disadvantages...
That adds almost nothing.
Instead, use two or three sentences to:
- define an important concept if necessary
- identify the central issue
- establish what the answer is likely to depend on
Then start analysing.
How Many Paragraphs Should a 25-Mark AQA Business Answer Have?
There is no AQA rule stating that a 25-marker must contain a particular number of paragraphs.
AQA marks according to the quality of the response.
Its top Level 5 descriptor looks for depth and range of knowledge, developed analysis, effective application, balance and judgements built on that analysis.
For most students, a very effective approach is:
2 strong PeCAN PiE paragraphs + 1 strong AJIM conclusion.
If you can produce a third genuinely developed argument without reducing the quality of your evaluation or running out of time, you can.
But do not chase paragraph numbers.
How Long Should a 25-Mark AQA Business Answer Be?
There is no required word count.
The examiner does not award marks because your answer reaches a particular number of pages.
A focused two-page response can outperform a four-page answer filled with repetition.
Focus on:
depth, not length.
Every paragraph should help answer the question.
If a sentence does not provide useful Business knowledge, application, analysis or evaluation, ask whether it needs to be there.
How Long Should You Spend on a 25-Mark Question?
Paper 1 gives you 120 minutes for 100 marks.
As a rough guide, that equates to around 1.2 minutes per mark.
A 25-mark question therefore deserves approximately:
30 minutes.
You may adjust this slightly depending on your own exam strategy, but spending 45 minutes on one essay creates a serious risk of losing easier marks elsewhere.
Use a few minutes to plan your two arguments and final judgement before you begin.
A good plan can actually save time because you are less likely to reach the middle of a paragraph and realise you have nowhere to go.
Plan the Conclusion Before Writing the Essay
This is one of the most useful changes you can make to your exam technique.
Before writing Paragraph 1, decide:
What is my likely overall answer?
What is my strongest reason?
What could change my judgement?
What is the most important factor?
You do not have to stick rigidly to your initial judgement if your analysis changes your mind.
But knowing where the essay is heading makes it much easier to create relevant arguments.
Common Mistakes on AQA Business 25-Mark Questions
The most common weaknesses include:
- writing several shallow points rather than developing two strong ones
- describing Business theory rather than analysing its consequences
- giving generic arguments that could apply to almost any business
- saying “it depends” without explaining what it depends on
- leaving all evaluation until the conclusion
- writing an enormous introduction
- making a judgement that is not supported by the body of the essay
- repeating the question in the conclusion
- introducing completely new arguments at the end
- choosing a weak counterargument purely to create “balance”
- using memorised paragraphs that do not answer the exact question
- running out of time before writing a proper conclusion
Remember that AQA's highest level requires the response to remain focused on the key demands of the question.
A* Tip: Find the Evaluation Hook
Before writing, ask:
“What makes the answer to this question uncertain?”
That is your evaluation hook.
If the question asks whether lower prices will increase profit, perhaps the hook is:
price elasticity of demand.
If the question asks whether expansion will improve performance, perhaps it is:
the method of growth and the firm's ability to manage it.
If the question asks whether higher pay improves productivity, perhaps it is:
the actual cause of low productivity.
Finding this early gives your entire essay more direction.
Don't Force Business Models Into Every Answer
Models can be extremely useful.
But mentioning Maslow, Ansoff, Porter or Handy does not automatically increase your mark.
Use a model when it helps answer the question.
A well-developed argument using simple Business logic is better than forcing an irrelevant theory into the essay merely to show that you remember it.
AQA rewards well-selected knowledge, not everything you can recall.
Practise 25-Mark Questions Under Timed Conditions
Reading model answers can help you understand what a strong response looks like.
But eventually you need to practise producing one yourself.
Set yourself approximately 30 minutes and complete a full 25-mark question without notes.
Then check:
Did I actually answer the question?
Did both paragraphs contain developed analysis?
Did I evaluate each main argument?
Did I use relevant context?
Did my conclusion make a clear judgement?
Did I explain what my judgement depended on?
The more often you repeat this process, the easier the structure becomes under pressure.
Need More AQA Business 25-Mark Practice?
If you're taking AQA A-Level Business in 2027, practising with questions you have not already seen is particularly valuable.
Once you have completed the official past papers several times, you may begin remembering the arguments and mark schemes rather than genuinely testing your exam technique.
Our AQA A-Level Business Predicted Papers for 2027 provide full Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 practice with detailed mark schemes.
They can help you practise:
- 25-mark Paper 1 essays
- developed chains of analysis
- contextual application
- evaluation
- calculations
- data-response questions
- case-study questions
- full papers under timed conditions
→ Explore the AQA A-Level Business Predicted Papers for 2027
For students aiming for the highest grades, our AQA A-Level Business A Revision Bundle* also combines exam practice with model answers, examiner guidance and topic-based case-study practice.
→ Explore the AQA A-Level Business A* Revision Bundle
AQA Business 25-Mark Question FAQs
What is the best structure for an AQA Business 25 marker?
A useful and widely used structure is:
Short introduction → PeCAN PiE paragraph → PeCAN PiE paragraph → AJIM conclusion.
PeCAN helps structure knowledge, application and analysis, while PiE encourages evaluation within each paragraph and AJIM helps create a justified overall conclusion.
What does PeCAN PiE mean in Business?
PeCAN is a paragraph framework based around making and explaining a point, contextualising it and developing a chain of analysis.
PiE then adds evaluation of that specific argument.
The aim is not to memorise letters but to produce contextualised analysis followed by meaningful evaluation.
What does AJIM mean in A-Level Business?
AJIM is a useful conclusion framework:
A – Answer the question
J – Justify the judgement
I – Explain what it depends on
M – Identify the most important factor
It helps prevent conclusions from becoming simple summaries.
How many marks is evaluation worth in an AQA Business 25 marker?
AQA's 25-mark evaluative questions allocate 10 marks to AO4 evaluation. This is more than any of the other individual assessment objectives.
How many paragraphs should an AQA Business 25 marker have?
AQA does not specify a required number.
Two thoroughly developed and evaluated body paragraphs followed by a strong conclusion can provide an effective structure. Quality is more important than writing a fixed number of paragraphs.
Do I need a conclusion for a 25-mark Business question?
You should make an overall judgement.
AQA's highest level specifically rewards judgements that are built effectively on analysis, demonstrate balance and remain focused on the overall question.
A developed conclusion is therefore extremely important.
Do I need evaluation in every paragraph?
For a 25-mark evaluative question, including evaluation within your main arguments is a very effective approach.
It stops your answer becoming two long analytical paragraphs followed by an unsupported judgement.
Ask what each argument depends on, whether it applies in all circumstances and how significant it really is.
Should I use real businesses in a Paper 1 25 marker?
Relevant real-business examples can strengthen application where appropriate, but they should help your argument rather than simply being included for the sake of mentioning a company.
The priority is always answering the exact question.
How long should I spend on an AQA Business 25 marker?
A useful target is approximately 30 minutes, based on the 120 minutes available for the 100-mark Paper 1.
Make sure you leave enough time for both 25-mark essays and the other sections of the paper.
Final Advice
If you remember only one thing, remember this:
Don't write more. Develop more.
A strong AQA Business 25-marker is not a collection of everything you know about a topic.
It is a carefully constructed argument.
Use:
PeCAN PiE
to create developed, contextualised and evaluated paragraphs.
Then use:
AJIM
to make a clear, justified final judgement.
Keep asking:
Why?
What happens next?
What does it depend on?
Which factor matters most?
If you can answer those four questions throughout your essay, you will be much closer to producing the type of developed analysis and balanced judgement AQA rewards at the top of the mark scheme.
