Cambridge AS & A Level Business 9609/22 is the May/June 2026 Paper 2 (Business Concepts 2), variant 2. It is an AS Level component that lasts 1 hour 30 minutes, is worth 60 marks and is sat by every 9609 candidate. It has two compulsory 30-mark case studies, Public Television (PT) and Zorba’s Flowers (ZF), each with six parts. The biggest parts are the two 12-mark evaluation questions, where half the marks are for judgement. 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.

9609/22 at a glance

The rubric is: answer all questions.

Part	Question 1: Public Television	Question 2: Zorba’s Flowers	Marks each
(a)(i)	Identify a method of employee selection	Identify a type of inventory	1
(a)(ii)	Explain the term public sector	Explain the term redundancy	3
(b)(i)	Calculate female employees who left in 2025	Calculate capital expenditure at set-up	3
(b)(ii)	Why PT matters to country A’s development	One way to manage trade payables better	3
(c)	Advantage and disadvantage of targeting the mass market	Benefit and limitation of a business plan	8
(d)	Most likely impact of the diversity and equality plan	Importance of improved supply chain management	12
	Total (30 per question)		60

Question-by-question walkthrough

Question 1: Public Television (30 marks)

PT is a public sector broadcaster and online streaming service in country A, whose mission is to target the mass market and support the country’s welfare and cultural health. A new law on workplace diversity and equality had drawn criticism of PT’s treatment of women, who make up 40% of its 20 000 staff. Table 1.1 compared 2025 averages: women earned $23 500 against $30 000 for all employees, reported 41% job satisfaction against 76%, and had labour turnover of 20% against 12%. The directors’ plan included encouraging men to take parental leave, free childcare for under-fives, selection targets for women at every level including senior management, and equal access to training.

• 1(a)(i) One method of employee selection (1 mark): CVs or résumés, application forms or letters, interviews, references or background checks, testing, or assessment centres. Only this list, or specific examples of these methods, was accepted.
• 1(a)(ii) Explain the term public sector (3 marks): 1 mark for knowledge (businesses owned, controlled or funded by the government) and up to 2 for characteristics: funded through taxation, usually not profit-seeking, meeting a social need, providing merit or public goods, free at the point of use, or an example such as healthcare or the police. No further marks without the knowledge point. Saying PT is an example earned nothing, because it repeats the case. “Owned by the government, not privately owned” earned only 1, since the second half restates the first.
• 1(b)(i) How many female employees left PT in 2025 (3 marks): 40% of 20 000 = 8000 female employees, and 20% of 8000 = 1600. The correct answer earned all 3 marks with or without working. Otherwise, 1 mark each went to the labour turnover formula (leavers ÷ total employees × 100) and the 8000, with the final mark available on the own figure rule after one slip.
• 1(b)(ii) One reason PT is important to country A’s development (3 marks): 1 for a reason, 1 for explaining it and 1 for linking it to PT. Reasons included providing jobs and incomes, education and news, training and transferable skills, encouraging entrepreneurship, tax revenue and contributing to GDP. Context could come from PT’s 20 000 staff, its mission, its programmes or its plan. A bare reason such as encouraging entrepreneurship among country A’s residents earned 1, because naming the country is not context.
• 1(c) One advantage and one disadvantage of targeting the mass market (8 marks): advantages included more customers, standardised products with lower costs, economies of scale, less market research and lower risk. Disadvantages included more competition, more marketing, difficulty building a brand or adding value, and less customisation. Analysis took each through to revenue, cost and profit. The mark scheme’s model answer linked more competition from other broadcasters and streaming services across country A to higher marketing costs and lower profit.
• 1(d) Evaluate the most likely impact on PT of its diversity and equality plan (12 marks): knowledge was 1 mark for equality (equal opportunities and protection from discrimination) and 1 for diversity (recognising and valuing differences). Analysis chains included a larger pool of applicants and better recruits, different perspectives improving decisions and marketing, more innovation, lower labour turnover and employment costs, becoming an employer of choice, and a better reputation. Evaluation weighed whether benefits outweigh costs, short-term against long-term effects, how employees react, and what the outcome depends on, such as how well directors implement it, whether men take up parental leave and how many employees use the childcare. The mark scheme’s examples show the climb: “costs will rise” is Level 1; explaining that extra benefits add to employment costs is Level 2; naming the free childcare as the cost is Level 3.

Question 2: Zorba’s Flowers (30 marks)

Zorba, a former engineer made redundant the previous year, used all his savings to open a flower shop and wrote a business plan even though he needed no extra finance. Table 2.1 listed his planned expenditure: $10 000 for fixtures and fittings, a $20 000 delivery van, and monthly costs of $5000 rent, $3000 for employees and $7000 for inventory. ZF opened in January 2026 and faced supply chain problems: changeable weather made flower supplies uncertain, the shop worked over capacity at busy times, and the stock was perishable and easily damaged in transit. After three months he had no working capital left because he had not managed his trade payables.

• 2(a)(i) One type of inventory (1 mark): raw materials or components, work in progress, finished products, maintenance, repair and operations items, or spare parts. Examples such as “flowers”, and methods of managing inventory, were not accepted.
• 2(a)(ii) Explain the term redundancy (3 marks): 1 mark for knowledge (an employee’s job is no longer needed) and up to 2 for explanation: it is a form of dismissal, redundancy pay may be due based on pay and length of service, it may cut a business’s costs, selection must be fair and cannot be based on age, gender, disability or pregnancy, and the employee may be offered another job or time off to look for one. “Through no fault of their own” was not credited as an explanation, and Zorba’s own redundancy was not accepted as an example.
• 2(b)(i) Zorba’s capital expenditure at set-up (3 marks): $10 000 + $20 000 = $30 000. The correct answer earned 3 with or without working. Otherwise, 1 mark each for knowing what capital expenditure is (spending on non-current assets) and identifying both capital items. Adding one monthly cost by mistake (for example $35 000 with the rent) still earned 2 on the own figure rule; adding two earned 1; adding all three earned 0.
• 2(b)(ii) One way to manage trade payables better (3 marks): knowledge, explanation and context, 1 mark each, with nothing possible without the knowledge point. Ways credited: a source of finance such as an overdraft, refinancing, delaying or reducing payments, negotiating better terms, returning or selling items, and budgeting to time payments. The full-mark example asked suppliers for more time so Zorba could sell the flowers before paying for the $7000 of monthly inventory. Delaying payment to check flowers for damage earned only 1, because that context has nothing to do with managing payables.
• 2(c) One benefit and one limitation of using a business plan (8 marks): benefits included reviewing ideas, an overview of the business, lower risk, measurable targets, raising finance and setting objectives. Limitations included an uncertain future, lack of experience, not allowing for change or external factors, no guarantee of success, the time and cost involved, and missing new opportunities. The model answer used Zorba spending all his savings for the benefit, and the weather changing which flowers are available for the limitation, so he might plan for the wrong inventory and miss customer orders.
• 2(d) Evaluate the importance of improved supply chain management to ZF’s future success (12 marks): knowledge covered the flow of products and information from sourcing materials, through moving inventory, to delivery to customers. Analysis credited cheaper supplies, better supplier relationships, shorter lead times, fewer bottlenecks, better communication with customers and faster deliveries, each linked to profit, sales or reputation. Evaluation compared supply chain management with marketing, people or finance, and asked what its importance depends on, such as supplier relationships, Zorba’s objectives and the distance from suppliers and customers. In the mark scheme’s examples, “vital because of the nature of the product” is Level 1; adding that flowers must be sold quickly is Level 2; tying it to perishable stock, ordering the right inventory and delivering on time is Level 3. A second example made the judgement depend on supplier relationships and, at Level 3, linked it to Zorba’s lack of working capital.

How the 8 and 12-mark parts are marked

The 8-mark (c) parts give 2 marks for knowledge, 2 for application and 4 for analysis. Examiners annotate the advantage or benefit in one margin and the disadvantage or limitation in the other, so both sides need to be clearly there. Analysis is limited (1 to 2 marks) or developed (3 to 4).

The 12-mark (d) parts give 2 marks each for knowledge, application and analysis, and 6 for evaluation:

• 5 to 6 marks: a developed judgement, or balanced evaluative comments, made in the context of PT or ZF.
• 3 to 4 marks: a developed judgement or balanced comments without that context.
• 1 to 2 marks: a judgement with limited support, or an attempt to balance the arguments.

In every part, case material only counts as application when you use it to support a point. Copying the case earns nothing.

Where the marks are on 9609/22

Split by question type across both case studies:

Question type	Question 1	Question 2	Total
Identify (a)(i)	1	1	2
Explain (a)(ii) and (b)(ii)	6	6	12
Calculate (b)(i)	3	3	6
Analyse (c)	8	8	16
Evaluate (d)	12	12	24
Total	30	30	60

• The two evaluate parts are 40% of the paper, and within them 12 marks are for evaluation alone.
• The short parts are strict. The 1-mark parts accept only listed answers, and the 3-mark explain parts give nothing without the knowledge point.
• Both calculations reward method. Even a wrong total can earn 1 or 2 marks if the formula or the key figures are right.

How to self-mark 9609/22 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.
2. Mark the 1-mark parts against the list. If your answer is an example (flowers) or a method rather than a type, it scores 0.
3. For the 3-mark parts, find your knowledge point first. Without it, award 0. Then look for explanation and, in (b)(ii), a genuine link to the case.
4. Rework both calculations and award method marks as the mark scheme does, applying the own figure rule where one slip was made.
5. For the (c) parts, check you have one point on each side, then score knowledge, application and analysis separately.
6. For the (d) parts, place your judgement in a level, then ask whether it uses a specific fact from the case. Use the mark scheme’s Level 1, 2 and 3 examples as a ruler.
7. Log each lost mark as a listed-only answer, missing knowledge, repetition of the case or an unsupported judgement.

Sit 9609/22 as a timed mock

The paper allows 90 minutes for 60 marks, one and a half minutes per mark. A workable plan:

Block	Marks	Time
Read the Public Television case and Table 1.1	–	4 minutes
Question 1(a) and (b)	10	12 minutes
Question 1(c)	8	11 minutes
Question 1(d)	12	16 minutes
Read the Zorba’s Flowers case and Table 2.1	–	4 minutes
Question 2(a) and (b)	10	12 minutes
Question 2(c)	8	11 minutes
Question 2(d)	12	16 minutes
Check calculations and (d) judgements	–	4 minutes

Keep the short parts short: a 1-mark answer needs only the term, and a 3-mark answer needs one point, explained and linked to the case.

Other May/June 2026 9609 papers

• 9609 Paper 12 (Business Concepts 1)
• 9609 Paper 32 (Business Decision-Making)
• 9609 Paper 42 (Business Strategy)

Practise and download

• Download 9609/22 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 case studies were on 9609 Paper 22 May/June 2026? +

Two short cases, each worth 30 marks. Public Television (PT) was a public sector broadcaster with 20 000 employees planning to improve diversity and equality. Zorba's Flowers (ZF) was a new flower shop that had supply chain problems and ran out of working capital in its first three months.

How many marks is 9609/22 and how long is it? +

It is out of 60 marks and lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. Both questions are compulsory, and each follows the same pattern of 1, 3, 3, 3, 8 and 12 marks.

What was the answer to 9609/22 Question 1(b)(i)? +

1600. Women were 40% of PT's 20 000 employees, which is 8000, and their labour turnover was 20%, so 20% of 8000 = 1600 female employees left in 2025. The three marks were for the labour turnover formula, the 8000 and the answer.

What was Zorba's capital expenditure in 9609/22 Question 2(b)(i)? +

$30 000: the $10 000 of fixtures and fittings plus the $20 000 delivery van. Rent, wages and inventory are revenue expenditure. Adding one of them by mistake still earned 2 marks on the own figure rule; adding two earned 1, and adding all three earned 0.

What type of inventory answer was accepted for 9609/22 Question 2(a)(i)? +

Only a type from the mark scheme's list: raw materials or components, work in progress, finished products, maintenance, repair and operations items, or spare parts. Examples such as flowers, and ways of managing inventory, were not accepted.

Where can I download 9609/22 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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