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WEC13 exam technique: Business behaviour paper

Edexcel IAL Economics · WEC13 Business behaviour

Unit 3 is a two-hour, 80-mark paper. Knowing how each section is marked, what each command word wants, and which diagrams to draw is worth many marks.

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The paper

Section A: 6 multiple-choice questions, 1 mark each (6 marks).
Section B: one data response question in five parts on a source booklet (34 marks).
Section C: two 20-mark essays chosen from three (40 marks).

Total 80 marks, 2 hours; 50% of the IA2 and 25% of the full International A level. Questions can draw on Units 1 and 2. Across the qualification at least 20% of marks test quantitative skills (Appendix 7), and in IA2 units these include cost, revenue and profit calculations (marginal, average and total), percentages and index numbers.

Command words and marks

Command	Typical marks	What it needs
Define	2	Precise meaning of the term
Calculate	2 or 4	Working shown, correct answer, correct units
Draw	4	Accurate, fully labelled diagram
Explain	4	Knowledge, application and a two-stage chain of reasoning
Analyse	6	Chains of reasoning, diagrams where useful, data interpreted; no evaluation needed
Examine	8	Analysis plus brief evaluation
Discuss	14	Full chains, then evaluation of different viewpoints
Evaluate / To what extent	20	Multi-stage chains, assessment of validity and significance, a supported final judgement

From Appendix 6 of the specification.

The 20-mark essay

The January 2021 mark scheme split essays into knowledge, application and analysis (12 marks) and evaluation (8 marks), each marked in levels. Top-level answers have precise knowledge, integrated context and multi-stage reasoning, then weigh different viewpoints and reach an informed judgement. Its notes capped answers at Level 3 if there was no diagram, or no reference to the industry in the question; the June 2025 mark scheme kept the same split and caps.

Plan: 2 or 3 developed points each with a diagram and context; then 2 or 3 evaluation points (magnitude, time scale, elasticity, assumptions of the model, stakeholders affected, the role of contestability or regulation); then a conclusion that answers the question and says what the answer depends on.

Diagrams to master

Cost and revenue curves with MC = MR; perfect competition (firm and industry, short and long run); monopolistic competition long run; monopoly with supernormal profit and deadweight loss; natural monopoly; price discrimination (three panels); monopsony in a labour market; competitive labour market with a minimum wage; LRAC with economies and diseconomies of scale.

Label axes (price/cost and output; wage and quantity of labour), curves, equilibrium points and shaded areas, and refer to the diagram in your writing.

Worked example

Plan the evaluation for: 'Evaluate the view that oligopoly is always bad for consumers.' (20 marks)

Analysis: collusion and high barriers raise prices and restrict output (diagram: collusive outcome similar to monopoly, with supernormal profit).
Evaluation 1: price wars can bring very low prices; depends on whether firms collude or compete.
Evaluation 2: economies of scale and supernormal profit can fund innovation (dynamic efficiency).
Evaluation 3: contestability and competition authorities limit abuse.
Judgement: not always bad; depends on firm behaviour, barriers and regulation, with examples from the industry.

Answer: Weigh behaviour (collusion versus competition), dynamic efficiency, and contestability/regulation, then judge.

Key idea: WEC13: 2 hours, 80 marks: 6 MCQs, a 34-mark data response, two 20-mark essays from three. Essays: 12 marks KAA + 8 evaluation. Always draw a diagram and use the industry context.

Check yourself

How many marks are there in total in Sections B and C of the WEC13 paper?
Show answer
74 marks. 34 + 40 = 74 marks; with Section A's 6, the paper totals 80.
The paper lasts 120 minutes for 80 marks. Roughly how many minutes per mark is that?
Show answer
1.5 minutes. 120 / 80 = 1.5 minutes per mark, so a 20-mark essay deserves about 30 minutes.
In a 20-mark Unit 3 essay, what percentage of the marks are for evaluation?
Show answer
40 %. 8 / 20 x 100 = 40%.
A 6-mark 'Analyse' question requires
- chains of reasoning applied to the context, without evaluation
- a final judgement
- a definition only
- evaluation of different viewpoints
Show answer
chains of reasoning applied to the context, without evaluation. Analyse focuses on depth of reasoning; evaluation is not needed.
According to the January 2021 WEC13 mark scheme, what happened to a 20-mark essay with no diagram?
- It received no marks
- It lost exactly 2 marks
- It was capped at Level 3
- Nothing; diagrams were optional with no effect
Show answer
It was capped at Level 3. The mark scheme notes capped such answers at Level 3.
Which is the strongest evaluation point in an essay on a minimum wage?
- Its effect on employment depends on how far it exceeds the equilibrium wage and on the elasticity of demand for labour
- Minimum wages are set by governments
- Minimum wages exist in many countries
- Workers like higher wages
Show answer
Its effect on employment depends on how far it exceeds the equilibrium wage and on the elasticity of demand for labour. It shows that the outcome depends on identifiable factors, the hallmark of evaluation.
In a 'calculate' question, what did the January 2021 mark scheme penalise in Q7(a)?
- Showing working
- Using a calculator
- Leaving out the unit 'bn'
- Giving the answer to 2 decimal places
Show answer
Leaving out the unit 'bn'. An answer without 'bn' was awarded only 1 of the 2 marks.

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Last updated 8 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.