Q1 · Difficulty 1/3
The four elements of the marketing mix are product, price, place and:
- promotion
- profit
- people
- process
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — promotion
The 4Ps are product, price, place, promotion.
OCR · GCSE · Business Studies
Free OCR GCSE Business Studies
Practice Paper
8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real OCR GCSE papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.
Take a Mini Mock →What the real OCR GCSE Business Studies paper looks like
Paper 1
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification.
Paper 2
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification.
Paper 3
Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions.
Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Grading: Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass.
Grading: Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass.
Mini practice paper: 8 questions
Mixed-difficulty questions from across the Business Studies syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3
Which stage of the product life cycle typically generates the highest total profit for a business?
- Maturity stage
- Growth stage
- Introduction stage
- Decline stage
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Maturity stage
The maturity stage generates the highest total profit because sales volume is at its peak and development/launch costs have already been recovered. The growth stage sees rising profits but they have not yet peaked. The introduction stage usually runs at a loss due to high launch costs. The decline stage sees falling sales and profits.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3
A manager tells her team: 'I trust you to manage your own projects. Come to me only if you need support.' Which leadership style does this best describe?
- Paternalistic leadership
- Autocratic leadership
- Laissez-faire leadership
- Democratic leadership
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Laissez-faire leadership
Laissez-faire leadership gives employees maximum freedom and autonomy, with the leader adopting a 'hands-off' approach and only intervening when asked. Autocratic leaders control all decisions. Paternalistic leaders guide and protect employees. Democratic leaders actively involve the team in decision-making.
Q4 · Difficulty 2/3
Revenue is calculated as:
- profit + tax
- price × quantity sold
- price − cost
- cost × quantity
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — price × quantity sold
Revenue = price × quantity sold.
Q5 · Difficulty 2/3
According to the Boston Matrix, which type of product typically generates the most cash for a business with little need for further investment?
- Cash Cow
- Problem Child
- Dog
- Star
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Cash Cow
A Cash Cow has high market share in a slow-growing market. Because the market is not growing rapidly, little investment is needed to maintain position, so it generates strong cash surpluses. A Star needs investment to maintain its position in a fast-growing market. A Problem Child requires heavy investment to grow share. A Dog generates little cash and may need to be divested.
Q6 · Difficulty 2/3
A business wants to gather detailed qualitative opinions from a small group of consumers about a new advertisement. Which research method is most appropriate?
- Organising a focus group discussion
- Reviewing published industry reports
- Analysing competitor sales data
- Conducting a large postal questionnaire
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Organising a focus group discussion
A focus group involves a small number of participants discussing a topic in depth, making it ideal for collecting qualitative, detailed opinions about something specific like an advertisement. A large postal questionnaire is better for quantitative data from many respondents. Competitor sales data and published industry reports are both forms of secondary research.
Q7 · Difficulty 2/3
Costs that rise as output increases (e.g. materials) are:
- overheads
- sunk costs
- variable costs
- fixed costs
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — variable costs
Variable costs change with output.
Q8 · Difficulty 2/3
Money coming into and going out of a business over time is its:
- cash flow
- profit
- capital
- revenue only
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — cash flow
Cash flow tracks money in and out.
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OCR GCSE Business Studies FAQ
What does the OCR GCSE Business Studies exam look like?
The OCR GCSE Business Studies exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification. Paper 2: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification. Paper 3: Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions. Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Can I download a free OCR GCSE Business Studies past paper?
Real OCR past papers are published directly by OCR on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is OCR GCSE Business Studies graded?
Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.