BUSS4 Essay Technique - An Invitation to an Argument

When a board of directors meets to discuss an important business decision, they might as well be answering a typical question in Section A or Section B of the AQA BUSS4 paper. For an “item on the agenda”, read “essay question”. The subsequent introduction by the Chairman, discussion and analysis of the issue, followed by a concluding vote is a great structure to remember as you get to grips with practising some BUSS4 essay questions.

You only have to write two essays in BUSS4. However, the problem for most exam candidates is that the preceding units in the AQA course haven’t exactly provided a huge amount of practice in writing the kind of long-form essays that are required for the final, synoptic paper.

Forget bullet points; ditch short paragraphs. Its time to write two proper essays. So what is involved? We’re writing a series of blog posts which we hope will help BUSS4 candidates in their exam preparation. Lets start by considering the nature of an essay.

An essay question invites the student to build or develop an argument. The essay title will invariably offer several different ways of approaching the question. But the most important thing to remember is to write an essay which directly addresses and answers the question.

A good essay is balanced. By that we mean that more than one point of view is explored, even if the essay ends with a conclusion that comes down firmly in favour of one particular side. Every argument should have at least two sides. So your essays should demonstrate to the examiner that you have considered both sides, or the most important alternatives in sufficient depth.

That might sound a bit daunting. However, writing a balanced essay in an A2 business exam is, in fact, surprisingly easy. Why? Because there is no such thing as a correct or certain answer in business studies.

All business decisions and issues involve uncertainty. Ask ten experienced business people to come up with a solution to a business problem or to identify the best strategy. Chances are that they would each identify a different answer, or approach the problem in different ways. After all, “strategy is choice”. Business strategy involves identifying, analysing and evaluating different options - all in the context of a rapidly changing external and competitive environment. By definition, it must be possible to consider at least two options, or alternative viewpoints. You can be sure that the BUSS4 essay questions (you have a choice) will be worded in such a way as to invite a fruitful discussion and argument.

A key part of writing a convincing essay in A2 business studies is to show the examiner that you appreciate and can articulate the uncertainties that confront business people every day.

In later posts in this series of blogs on essay technique, we’ll take you through some suggestions as to how you can structure answers to build high market-scoring essays.