OxfordAQA International A-Level Business: Are You Sitting 9625 or 9725? (Exam Preparation)

OxfordAQA currently has two International A-Level Business specifications live at once. 9625 is the established specification: its final May/June AS exam series was 2026, with a further AS resit series in January 2027; its final A-level (A2) exam series is June 2027, with a further A2 resit series in January 2028 – after which there are no more exams for 9625. A student who fails the earlier (AS) series still has the January 2027 resit before AS closes, and likewise a January 2028 resit for A2. 9725 is the revised replacement: first teaching for AS starts September 2026 (first AS exams May/June 2027), while first teaching for A2 starts a year later, September 2027 (first A-level exams May/June 2028) – the AS and A2 changeovers happen in different years, not together. Both keep the same four-paper modular shape – two AS papers at 20% of the A-level each, two A-level papers at 30% each – but the papers themselves differ in detail. These notes complement the site’s guides to What is Business? and Marketing, both written under the shared 9625/9725 code.

Confirm which specification your school is teaching, first

This is the single most important step before revising anything else: 9625 and 9725 have different paper timings (9625’s AS papers are 90 minutes; 9725’s AS units are 75 minutes) and, per OxfordAQA’s own qualification page, each 9725 A2 paper has separate topics and a simplified structure, with all questions based on case studies, unlike 9625’s legacy A-level papers. Exam-preparation priority: check your specification code with your teacher or exam entry before assuming either paper structure applies to you.

Both specifications keep the same weighting shape

Whichever code applies, the shape is identical: two AS papers each worth 20% of the full A-level, and two A-level papers each worth 30%. Exam-preparation priority: the “A2 papers matter more than AS papers” revision-time principle holds for both specifications even though the paper content and timing differ.

9725’s A-level papers are described as simplified and case-study-led

OxfordAQA’s qualification page for 9725 says: “Following feedback from teachers, each A2 paper has separate topics and a simplified structure, with all questions based on case studies.” The 9725 specification gives each A2 paper (Unit 3 Business analysis and Unit 4 Business strategy) two compulsory sections, each with one case study followed by five short answer and extended response questions worth 40 marks, and the summary of changes notes that all four sections of BSS3 and BSS4 are based on case studies. Exam-preparation priority: candidates on 9725 should expect to apply theory to two separate case studies in every A2 paper, with no stand-alone essay section.

Command words at A-level demand evaluation, not just explanation

Across both specifications, the highest-mark A-level questions use command words like “evaluate” or “to what extent,” which require a weighed judgement rather than a list of points. Exam-preparation priority: practise reaching and justifying a conclusion in every extended answer, not just describing both sides.

Worked routine: annotating a business case study before answering

The routine below is an original model written for this resource, not a reproduction of any official past paper or mark scheme.

Step 1 - read the whole case study once, without writing anything:
Get the overall business situation before hunting for detail.

Step 2 - reread and underline every figure, date and named
stakeholder:
These are what application marks are built on.

Step 3 - note which topic area each question targets:
Marketing, finance, operations, strategy -- match before drafting.

Step 4 - draft using the case study's own figures and context:
Generic theory without the case's specific numbers or stakeholders
scores lower than theory applied directly to them.

Step 5 - close with a judgement tied to the case's own priorities:
What matters most for this specific business, given what the case
states about its situation -- not business in general.

Step 4 is where most marks are actually won or lost: examiners consistently reward answers that use the case’s own figures over answers that could have been written about any business in the topic area.

Before/during exam checklist

• Before the exams: confirm whether you are entered for 9625 or 9725, since paper timings and A-level structure differ; revise both specifications’ shared weighting principle (A-level papers > AS papers in priority); if on 9725, expect a case-study-led A-level structure specifically.
• During any paper: annotate the case study for figures, dates and stakeholders before drafting any answer.
• In every extended answer: apply theory to the case’s own specific numbers and context, and close with a stated judgement rather than a balanced list.

Self-test

1. What is the key first step before revising for this qualification, and why?
2. How do the AS and A-level papers differ in weighting, across both specifications?
3. What structural difference does OxfordAQA describe for 9725’s A-level papers compared with 9625’s?
4. What makes a case-study answer score more highly than generic theory?

Answers: 1. Confirm which specification code (9625 or 9725) you are entered for, since paper timings and A-level structure differ between them. 2. AS papers are 20% of the A-level each; A-level papers are 30% each, in both specifications. 3. Each 9725 A2 paper has separate topics and a simplified structure, with all questions based on case studies (two case-study sections per paper), following teacher feedback. 4. Using the case study’s own specific figures, dates and stakeholders, rather than writing generic theory that could apply to any business in the topic area.

Written against the assessment sections of OxfordAQA’s own International AS/A-level Business qualification pages for both 9625 (legacy) and 9725 (revised) (official OxfordAQA pages, both verified 2026-08-28); the weightings (20/20/30/30) and the wind-down/launch dates are exactly as the board’s own Assessment sections state them. The case-study routine above is an original model written for this resource, not a reproduction of any official past paper or mark scheme. Always check the current specification for your examination series at oxfordaqa.com (9625) or oxfordaqa.com (9725).