Demonstrating Application - What's the SCORE?

Making sure your exam answers are fully in context is a key part of success in A Level Business. Here's a great approach - SCORE - which helps identify key elements of the contexts you are provided in well-structured answers.

We introduced A Level Business students to the SCORE approach in our Strong Foundations workshops and we develop it further in our Grade Booster workshops as we fine-tune exam technique for Year 13 students taking AQA Business or Edexcel Business.

Here's what the SCORE acronym stands for:

S = SIZE & SECTOR

Factors to consider here include:

• How large is the business (e.g. revenues, number of employees, number of brands & business units)
• What sector does it operate in (e.g. public v private; primary / secondary / service, digital)

C = COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Factors to consider here include:

• In which markets and market segments does the business operate?
• How attractive are those markets (e.g. market growth rate, market profits, threat of disruption)?
• Who are the main competitors and what are their competitive advantages and disadvantages?
• Who are the key customers and buyers in the market and how much power do they have?
• How is the competitive environment changing (e.g. technological disruption, social change)

O = OWNERSHIP & OBJECTIVES

Factors to consider here include:

• Who owns the business?
• What is the type of ownership? (e.g private v public)
• Is ownership divorced from control (e.g. most shareholders are not directly involved in day-to-day management)
• What are the key corporate objectives and are these consistent with the aims and mission of the busines

R = RESOURCES

Factors to consider here include:

• Are the financial resources of the business adequate to support the chosen business strategy?
• Does the business have sufficient operational / production assets and capacity?
• How capital or labour intensive is the business and what are the implications of this?
• Does the business have intangible resources (e.g. brands, IP) that need protecting / developing?
• Does the business have sufficient resources overall to support planned investment?

E - EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Factors to consider here include:

• What are the key changes in the external environment to which the business needs to respond?
• Overall, does the external environment pose more threats than opportunities (or the other way round)?