Cambridge AS & A Level Business 9609/12 is the May/June 2026 Paper 1 (Business Concepts 1), variant 2. It is an AS Level component that lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, is worth 40 marks and is sat by every 9609 candidate. You answer five questions: the four short compulsory questions in Section A, worth 20 marks together, and one of two 20-mark questions in Section B. The biggest single part is the 12-mark Section B essay, where half the marks are for evaluation. This guide goes through every question and shows what the official mark scheme gave marks for. The paper and its mark scheme are free on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

For an overview of all four 9609 papers from this series, see A Level Business 9609 May/June 2026 past papers: what came up and how it was marked.

9609/12 at a glance

The rubric is: answer all questions in Section A and one question in Section B.

Question	Section	Topic	Marks
1	A (compulsory)	Define intrapreneurship (2); why business objectives change over time (3)	5
2	A (compulsory)	Define work-life balance (2); a disadvantage of off-the-job training (3)	5
3	A (compulsory)	Define psychographic market segmentation (2); a disadvantage of market segmentation (3)	5
4	A (compulsory)	One impact of operating over maximum capacity	5
5	B (option)	Lack of accurate cost information and business failure (8); budgets and a large road construction project (12)	20
6	B (option)	Satisfying human needs at work (8); trade unions and industrial action in a public sector railway (12)	20
		Total answered (Questions 1–4 + one of 5 or 6)	40

There is no case study on Paper 1. Application marks come from the setting each question names (any business in Section A, a road project or a railway in Section B).

Question-by-question walkthrough

Section A: the 2-mark definitions

Questions 1(a), 2(a) and 3(a) share one rule: 2 marks for a definition that shows clear understanding, 1 for partial understanding.

• 1(a) Intrapreneurship: an employee working inside a business who thinks and acts like an entrepreneur, or who is encouraged to innovate, take risks or start new ventures, earned 2. “Someone who has new ideas or takes risks” earned 1, because it leaves out the fact that the person is an employee of the business.
• 2(a) Work-life balance: how employees divide their time between work and their private, family or social life earned 2. Partial answers such as not working too many hours, or being able to have a social life, earned 1.
• 3(a) Psychographic market segmentation: dividing a market into groups based on customers’ beliefs, values, lifestyles, interests, attitudes or social status earned 2. Saying only that it helps a business understand its target market earned 1. The psychographic criteria are what make the definition clear.

Section A: the 3-mark “explain one” questions

Questions 1(b), 2(b) and 3(b) split 1 mark for knowledge (naming a relevant point) and 2 for application (1 for a limited explanation, 2 for a developed one). Only one point is needed; a second earns nothing extra.

• 1(b) Why business objectives may change over time: credited reasons included business growth, objectives already achieved, earlier objectives that were unrealistic or not SMART, a move to more ethical behaviour, changing market conditions, new technology, new laws, new leadership and a changed financial position. Developed explanations included moving from survival to profit maximisation as a business grows, a recession forcing a return to survival, new management bringing new products and new objectives, and a switch to electric cars changing a manufacturer’s aims.
• 2(b) A disadvantage of off-the-job training: cost (course fees and paying for outside expertise on top of wages), time away from work and disrupted output, training that is hard to apply to the real job, less control over the course content, courses not being available when needed, favouritism in who is sent, and new staff confused by tools and practices that differ from the workplace. The mark scheme also accepted answers that treated off-the-job training as training given before an employee starts work.
• 3(b) A disadvantage of market segmentation: expense, time, segments too small to be profitable, neglecting the mass market, decisions based on limited or inaccurate information, and the difficulty of managing several products, prices and promotions. Developed explanations included higher research, development and production costs from several product versions, separate promotions for each segment that lose marketing economies of scale, and higher stock-holding costs.

Question 4: operating over maximum capacity (5 marks)

The marks split 1 knowledge, 2 application and 2 analysis, and the mark scheme is explicit that nothing can be awarded unless a relevant impact is identified. Impacts credited included overused machinery, pressure on employees, being unable to meet extra demand, higher production costs, lower quality and running short of inventory. Positive impacts were accepted too, such as meeting a short-term spike in demand through overtime or round-the-clock working.

Developed analysis followed the impact through to the business. Examples in the mark scheme: no time for maintenance, so machines break down, orders are delayed and reputation suffers; stressed and tired staff make mistakes, absenteeism and labour turnover rise and recruiting gets harder; rushed production lowers quality; and lost revenue or higher costs squeeze profit and, at worst, risk liquidation.

Question 5: cost information and budgets (20 marks)

• 5(a) Two reasons a lack of accurate cost information may lead to business failure (8 marks): for each reason, 1 mark for knowledge, 1 for application and up to 2 for analysis. Reasons credited included losing business direction, poor decisions, not understanding operating costs, setting the wrong price (underpricing and overpricing counted as two separate reasons), failing to get the right funding, breaking accounting rules, and a higher risk of bankruptcy. Analysis chains in the mark scheme: overpricing that threatens the business’s viability; using long-term finance where short-term would do, adding unnecessary interest costs; being unable to budget and so losing control of spending; being fined for inaccurate accounts; and running out of cash to pay for purchases.
• 5(b) Evaluate the importance of budgets for the success of a large road construction project (12 marks): knowledge covered what budgets do (measure performance, control costs, monitor progress, set priorities) and what success means for a project (on time, within cost, to specification). Application drew on the road setting: materials such as cement and tarmac, bridges and tunnels, removing houses or farmland, bad weather delays and noise for local people. Analysis showed budgets working as a financial action plan, comparing actual with budgeted spending, flagging overspending, helping manage cash flow and setting the priorities for each phase. Evaluation questioned what “success” means (cost and time, or environmental and social effects too), whether the project could be controlled at all without budgets, and whether effective project management matters more than the budget itself.

Question 6: human needs and trade unions (20 marks)

• 6(a) Two advantages of satisfying human needs at work (8 marks): the same 1 + 1 + 2 split for each advantage. Credited advantages: more motivated staff, better performance, more loyalty and lower labour turnover, a better reputation and avoiding pressure group criticism. Application could refer to the levels of need (physical, security, belonging, esteem, self-actualisation) or a supportive working culture. Analysis included higher productivity feeding through to higher profit, staff staying longer so the business keeps experience, better quality work when jobs become more meaningful, and a reputation that attracts skilled recruits and customers.
• 6(b) Evaluate the view that removing trade union involvement is the only way to stop industrial action in a public sector railway (12 marks): knowledge covered the public sector, industrial action and the role of trade unions. Application used railway features such as train drivers and signal operators, track and signalling, fares and safety. Analysis recognised that unions may organise strikes, go-slows and work-to-rule when collective bargaining breaks down, but also that disruption on a railway can come from poor management, skill shortages, weather and low investment in equipment. Evaluation challenged the word “only”: laws could restrict union action instead, unions may not be militant, management may be more to blame, and removing unions throws away their positive role in collective bargaining and better working conditions. Better communication and consultation between managers and employees was credited as an alternative.

How the Section B marks work

The 8-mark (a) parts give 2 marks for knowledge, 2 for application and 4 for analysis. Analysis has two levels: limited (1 to 2 marks) and developed (3 to 4), where developed analysis traces the causes, impacts or consequences of a point in more depth.

The 12-mark (b) parts give 2 marks each for knowledge, application and analysis (1 for limited, 2 for developed) and 6 for evaluation, which runs from a supported judgement in context at the top to a basic attempt at balance at the bottom:

• 5 to 6 marks: a developed, supported judgement or balanced evaluative comments, made in the context of the road project or railway.
• 3 to 4 marks: a developed judgement or balanced comments, but without that context.
• 1 to 2 marks: a judgement with little support, or only an attempt to balance the arguments.

Judgements can appear anywhere in the essay, not only in the conclusion.

Where the marks are on 9609/12

Split by assessment objective, for a candidate answering Section A and one Section B question:

Assessment objective	Section A	Section B	Total
AO1 Knowledge and understanding	10	4	14
AO2 Application	8	4	12
AO3 Analysis	2	6	8
AO4 Evaluation	0	6	6
Total	20	20	40

• Knowledge is the largest single objective. Fourteen marks reward accurate definitions and correctly named points, so precise vocabulary matters more on this paper than on Papers 3 and 4.
• Every evaluation mark is in one essay. The 12-mark (b) part carries all 6 AO4 marks, so leave enough time for a real judgement.
• Application means using the setting. Even in Section A, a developed explanation shows the point working in a business, not just restated.

How to self-mark 9609/12 with the mark scheme

1. Learn the layout. A slash or “or” separates alternative ways of making the same point; semicolons and bullets separate different points. Bracketed content is for the examiner and not required.
2. Mark the definitions as clear or partial. Compare your wording with the 2-mark examples. If an essential feature is missing (the employee in intrapreneurship, the psychographic criteria in 3(a)), give yourself 1.
3. For the 3-mark parts, find the knowledge point first. Without it the application marks cannot be given. Then decide whether your explanation is limited (1) or developed (2).
4. Check Question 4 starts with a named impact. If it does not, the whole answer scores 0.
5. For the 8-mark part, mark each reason separately: 1 knowledge, 1 application, up to 2 analysis. Count the links in each chain of reasoning.
6. For the 12-mark essay, score AO1 to AO3 first, then evaluation. Ask whether your judgement is supported and whether it is about the road project or the railway rather than business in general.
7. Log every lost mark as a weak definition, a missing knowledge point, a list instead of a chain, or a judgement without context.

Sit 9609/12 as a timed mock

The paper allows 75 minutes for 40 marks, a little under two minutes per mark. A workable plan:

Block	Marks	Time
Read both Section B questions and choose one	–	3 minutes
Questions 1 to 3 (definitions and explain parts)	15	24 minutes
Question 4	5	7 minutes
Section B part (a)	8	13 minutes
Section B part (b)	12	23 minutes
Check definitions and the essay judgement	–	5 minutes

Choose your Section B question by part (b), not part (a): the 12-mark essay holds 6 evaluation marks, so pick the debate you can judge in context.

Other May/June 2026 9609 papers

• 9609 Paper 22 (Business Concepts 2)
• 9609 Paper 32 (Business Decision-Making)
• 9609 Paper 42 (Business Strategy)

Practise and download

• Download 9609/12 and its mark scheme on the Learning Portal →
• All 9609 May/June 2026 papers: overview and marking patterns
• Try a free A Level Business quiz

Need help with a 9609 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an A Level Business tutor →

Frequently asked questions

What topics were on 9609 Paper 12 May/June 2026? +

Section A asked for definitions of intrapreneurship, work-life balance and psychographic market segmentation, why objectives change, a disadvantage of off-the-job training, a disadvantage of segmentation and an impact of operating over maximum capacity. Section B offered an essay on cost information and budgets for a road construction project, or one on human needs and trade unions in a public sector railway.

How many marks is 9609/12 and how long is it? +

It is out of 40 marks and lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. You answer all four Section A questions (20 marks) and one of the two Section B questions (20 marks), five questions in total.

How are the 2-mark definitions on 9609/12 marked? +

Two marks for a clear definition and one for a partial one. For intrapreneurship, an employee inside a business who thinks and acts like an entrepreneur earned 2; someone who has new ideas or takes risks earned only 1, because that could describe any entrepreneur.

How is the 12-mark essay on 9609/12 marked? +

It is worth 2 marks each for knowledge, application and analysis and 6 for evaluation. The top evaluation level (5 to 6 marks) needs a developed, supported judgement made in the context of the business in the question, such as the road project or the railway.

What gave marks on 9609/12 Question 4? +

Five marks: 1 for identifying an impact of operating over maximum capacity, 2 for applying it and 2 for analysing its consequences. The mark scheme states that no marks can be awarded unless a relevant impact is identified first.

Where can I download 9609/12 May/June 2026 and its mark scheme? +

Both are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal, on the Cambridge AS & A Level Business 9609 past papers page.

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