Cambridge AS & A Level Business 9609/42 is the May/June 2026 Paper 4 (Business Strategy), variant 2. It is an A Level component that lasts 1 hour 15 minutes and is worth 40 marks. You answer two compulsory 20-mark questions on one case study, Gas Motels (GM), a European motel chain: one asks you to evaluate its contingency planning between 2018 and 2025, the other to advise its board on a strategy for improving employee performance. Analysis and evaluation carry 15 of each question’s 20 marks. This guide goes through both questions 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.

9609/42 at a glance

The rubric is: answer both questions.

Question	Task	Command word	Marks
1	The effectiveness of GM’s contingency planning, 2018 to 2025	Evaluate	20
2	An appropriate strategy for improving employee performance at GM	Advise	20
	Total		40

The Gas Motels case in brief

GM owns 104 motels across Europe. Its first motel opened in 1958, and it has grown by taking over smaller chains, most recently Travel Pal, a chain of 20 motels, in 2018. The timeline:

Year	Event
2018	Takeover of Travel Pal completed. New legislation requires an updated fire evacuation plan; the HR director’s plan is adopted.
2019	The finance director recommends buying cybersecurity protection. The board chooses product B because it is cheaper.
2020	The pandemic closes every motel. Safety equipment and barriers are required, suppliers raise prices by over 300%, only half the motels reopen and GM makes a $4m loss, its first ever.
2021	Safety equipment is installed everywhere and all motels reopen. GM loses $1m.
2022	GM breaks even.
2023	GM installs self-check-in devices in all motels.
2024	Cybercriminals damage the self-check-in devices, leaving them unusable for two weeks of the summer peak. Staff check guests in by hand, causing delays and complaints.
2025	The board reviews its insurance and decides GM is adequately covered.

Three appendices add detail. Appendix 1, the fire plan, tells people to raise the alarm at a call point on each floor, not to fight the fire and to call the emergency services, with one fire practice a year. Appendix 2 compares the two cybersecurity products: A cost $6000 per motel and protected up to 150 motels; B cost $2500 per motel and protected up to 110. Both covered software, network, cloud and data security, but only A covered hardware. Appendix 3 records the $10m self-check-in investment, which made over 200 employees redundant, and the managing director’s claim that it would keep GM competitive.

Revenue and profit are still below their pre-2020 levels, and the HR director blames poor employee performance.

Question-by-question walkthrough

Question 1: evaluate GM’s contingency planning, 2018 to 2025 (20 marks)

Knowledge (3 marks): 1 mark for knowing what contingency planning is (preparing for and responding to unexpected events that disrupt normal operations) and up to 2 more for explaining it, for example that it anticipates problems, reduces the impact of unexpected events, can protect against cyberattacks and works alongside crisis management, which handles the emergency once it happens.

Application (2 marks): for using details from the timeline and appendices to support a point. The mark scheme lists every event, from the takeover and fire legislation to the insurance review. Context used without being linked to knowledge, analysis or evaluation is treated as repetition.

Analysis (8 marks): the mark scheme expected analysis of each type of plan GM made, weighing its benefits against its costs:

• Fire evacuation plan: reassures guests about safety, building loyalty and repeat bookings; but it took time and money, and it was required by law, so not having it risked fines.
• Cybersecurity: protecting customer data could reassure guests and strengthen the brand; but it is costly and cannot stop every threat. The 2024 attack damaged hardware that the chosen product did not protect, and GM had no plan in place, putting pressure on staff, upsetting customers and hitting profit.
• The pandemic: no plan could reasonably have foreseen it, so GM’s response was reactive and expensive; but the safety equipment let motels reopen and the business recover to break-even.
• Insurance: being adequately covered reassures owners and investors; but premiums cost money for events that may never happen, lowering profit and shareholder returns.

Answers not set in context could analyse general effects of contingency planning, such as motivating staff, reassuring customers and local residents, and better publicity, against the time, training and updating costs.

Evaluation (7 marks): you have to answer the question: how effective was GM’s contingency planning? The judgement can depend on the external environment, GM’s objectives and attitude to risk, the cost of planning, and the likelihood and seriousness of each event. In the mark scheme’s examples, saying the planning lessened the impact of some events is Level 1; adding that this boosted morale and reassured customers is Level 2; at Level 3, the answer attributes the 2024 cyberattack to GM buying the wrong package to save money, or explains how the pandemic measures kept losses down.

Question 2: advise on a strategy for improving employee performance (20 marks)

Knowledge (3 marks): 1 mark for relevant knowledge of HR strategy or employee performance, and up to 2 more for explaining it. The topics listed include workforce planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, motivation, management and leadership, organisational structure, delegation, centralisation, communication, hard and soft HRM, flexible contracts, management by objectives and the role of IT and AI in HRM. The mark scheme’s model shows the build-up: defining motivation earns 1, adding financial incentives as an example earns 2, and adding non-financial incentives such as belonging earns 3.

Application (2 marks): the advice must be applied to GM, using any part of the case or appendices linked to another objective. Useful context includes the 104 motels, the Travel Pal takeover, the pandemic losses, the self-check-in devices, the 2024 complaints and the aim of returning revenue to pre-2020 levels.

Analysis (8 marks): the mark scheme accepts that higher motivation, productivity or efficiency is the first step, provided you then develop it into the effect on GM as a business. Strategies it analysed, each with a counterbalance:

• Workforce planning: forecasting staff needs could cut unnecessary costs, but central planning may not suit every motel.
• Recruitment and selection: better methods may raise performance but add cost and slow hiring.
• Training and development: adds cost but could raise revenue if it improves customer satisfaction, and personal development can motivate staff.
• Motivation: financial methods add cost with no guarantee of success; non-financial methods are cheaper, but motel managers may lack the skills to use them. Participation through TQM, quality circles or kaizen was also credited.
• Hard or soft HRM: hard HRM may raise efficiency but demotivate; soft HRM may motivate but reduce efficiency.
• Flexible contracts: possible for some roles, such as cleaners, but limited for most motel staff.
• Management by objectives: needs a SMART objective (the HR director’s aim is not one), and suits managers more than other staff.
• IT and AI in HR: for example, filtering applications and drafting job descriptions; costly at first, but it could cut costs over time.

Evaluation (7 marks): you must recommend a strategy and judge how well it would work at GM. The judgement can depend on the type of employee, GM’s objectives, the state of the economy and the motel industry, and the lingering effects of the pandemic. In the mark scheme’s example, recommending soft HRM because it will raise morale is Level 1; explaining that well-treated staff are more motivated and productive, raising productivity and cutting costs, is Level 2; tying that to GM’s recovery from its earlier losses is Level 3.

How the 20-mark grid works

Both questions use the same grid:

Objective	Marks	How the levels work
AO1 Knowledge and understanding	3	1 for limited knowledge; 2 to 3 for developed knowledge
AO2 Application	2	1 for limited application; 2 for developed application to GM
AO3 Analysis	8	1 to 3 limited; 4 to 6 developed analysis of individual elements; 7 to 8 developed analysis of the overall strategy
AO4 Evaluation	7	1 to 2 limited judgement or an attempt at balance; 3 to 5 developed judgement and balanced comments; 6 to 7 effective evaluation in context that draws on the analysis
Total	20

Two rules matter most. No application, analysis or evaluation marks can be given without the knowledge mark. And for both questions, a developed point reaches Level 2 analysis but must be counterbalanced to reach Level 3; doing that twice earns all 8 analysis marks.

Where the marks are on 9609/42

Assessment objective	Question 1	Question 2	Total
AO1 Knowledge and understanding	3	3	6
AO2 Application	2	2	4
AO3 Analysis	8	8	16
AO4 Evaluation	7	7	14
Total	20	20	40

• Analysis and evaluation are 30 of the 40 marks. Knowledge and application together are only 10, though knowledge unlocks everything else.
• Counterbalancing is built into the analysis levels. A one-sided answer cannot get past the middle analysis band.
• The judgement must answer the exact question: how effective the planning was, and which strategy GM should adopt.

How to self-mark 9609/42 with the mark scheme

1. Check your knowledge mark first. Find a clear definition of contingency planning or of your HR concept. Without it, no other marks can be given.
2. Count your explanation points for the 2 further AO1 marks.
3. Underline each use of the case and ask whether it supports a point. Context that is only copied counts as repetition and earns nothing.
4. Pair each analysis point with its counterbalance. One developed point is Level 2; a developed point with a counterbalance is Level 3; two such pairs earn all 8.
5. Place your evaluation in a level. Does your judgement name GM’s events or figures and draw on your own analysis? If yes, it can reach 6 or 7.
6. For Question 1, check you judged each plan against what happened next, for example product B’s lack of hardware cover against the 2024 attack.
7. Log each lost mark by objective and practise the weakest one on another Paper 4 case.

Sit 9609/42 as a timed mock

The paper allows 75 minutes for 40 marks. A workable plan:

Block	Marks	Time
Read the case and appendices; note evidence for each question	–	10 minutes
Plan and write Question 1	20	30 minutes
Plan and write Question 2	20	30 minutes
Check each answer ends with a judgement on GM	–	5 minutes

Spend the first few minutes of each question listing two points with counterbalances and the case evidence for each. That plan is the 8 analysis marks.

Other May/June 2026 9609 papers

• 9609 Paper 12 (Business Concepts 1)
• 9609 Paper 22 (Business Concepts 2)
• 9609 Paper 32 (Business Decision-Making)

Practise and download

• Download 9609/42 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 was the case study on 9609 Paper 42 May/June 2026? +

Gas Motels (GM), a chain of 104 motels across Europe. A timeline from 2018 to 2025 covered a new fire evacuation plan, the choice of a cheaper cybersecurity product, pandemic closures and losses, self-check-in devices that replaced over 200 staff, a cyberattack on those devices and an insurance review.

How many marks is 9609/42 and how long is it? +

It is out of 40 marks and lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. There are two compulsory questions, each worth 20 marks, and both are based on the Gas Motels case.

How are the 20-mark questions on 9609/42 marked? +

Each uses the same grid: 3 marks for knowledge, 2 for application, 8 for analysis and 7 for evaluation. No application, analysis or evaluation marks can be given without the knowledge mark, and Level 3 evaluation needs a judgement in context that draws on your earlier analysis.

How do you get full analysis marks on 9609/42? +

The mark scheme says a developed point reaches Level 2 analysis and must be counterbalanced to reach Level 3. Doing that twice earns all 8 analysis marks. For Question 2, increased motivation or productivity counts as the first step, which you then develop into the effect on the business.

What did the cybersecurity table show in 9609/42? +

Product A cost $6000 per motel and protected up to 150 motels; product B cost $2500 per motel and protected up to 110. Both covered software, network, cloud and data security, but only product A covered hardware. GM chose product B for its lower cost, and in 2024 cybercriminals damaged its self-check-in devices.

Where can I download 9609/42 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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