The Definitive Guide to the WBS12 6-Mark Analyse Question

The first thing to understand about the 6-mark Analyse question is that it operates on a completely different system from the 8, 10 and 20 markers. Those are levels-based — the examiner reads holistically and places your answer in a band. The 6-marker is points-based. Every single mark is a discrete, individually awardable unit.

DISCUSS  (8mk)   → Levels-based. Holistic read.
ASSESS   (10mk)  → Levels-based. Holistic read.
EVALUATE (20mk)  → Levels-based. Holistic read.
ANALYSE  (6mk)   → POINTS-BASED. Mark by mark.

This changes everything about how you should write it. On a levels question, a brilliant paragraph can compensate for a weak one because the examiner forms an overall impression. On a points question, every mark is binary — you either hit the criterion or you don't. A brilliant analysis point cannot compensate for a missing application mark. They are independent.

The 6 marks are distributed as follows:

AO1 Knowledge:     2 marks  (K2)
AO2 Application:   2 marks  (App2)
AO3 Analysis:      2 marks  (An2)
TOTAL:             6 marks

ZERO AO4 marks exist on Analyse questions.
Evaluation content earns nothing and wastes time.
This is confirmed in every WBS12 examiner report.

The architecture is two reasons, each with its own K→App→An structure. Every mark is earned individually. Every mark can be lost individually.

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#PART 2: WHAT EACH MARK ACTUALLY REQUIRES

KNOWLEDGE MARKS (K2):

You earn K marks in one of two ways. Either:

Option A — State two reasons (one K mark per reason stated):

"Arditi Tours may maintain four services to cope with sudden increases in demand." (K1) "Arditi Tours may maintain four services in order to compete with rival operators." (K1)

Option B — Define the concept being asked about (earns both K marks at once):

"Under-utilisation occurs when a business has too many resources to produce the level of output currently demanded." (K2)

Critical warning: If you choose Option B (define the concept), you have used both K marks on one sentence. You cannot then earn App or An marks for that definition — because you cannot apply or analyse a definition. Option B locks you into earning a maximum of 4 marks (K2 + the App and An from your two reasons). But if your definition is imprecise, you may earn K1 only and cap yourself at 5.

Option A is safer. State two reasons clearly, then build App and An for each.

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APPLICATION MARKS (App2):

One application mark per reason. The application mark requires the extract data to be used — not stated.

The examiner report repeats this every single series. It is the most consistently cited error in WBS12 marking. The exact wording from the official report:

"Stating a part of the extract in isolation is NOT application. It must be applied to the reason."

STATING — earns zero App marks:
"Demand varies considerably throughout the year."
(This is copying. The data floats on its own.)

APPLYING — earns the App mark:
"As demand from students, tourists and families
varies considerably throughout the year — with
some weeks at full capacity and others below
quarter capacity — Arditi Tours may wish to
maintain all four services so it can meet demand
whenever peaks occur, regardless of when they
happen."
(The data is connected to the reason. It proves
why the reason is valid for this specific business.)

The test: Ask yourself — is this piece of extract data doing work in my argument, or is it just sitting there? If it is just sitting there, it earns zero.

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ANALYSIS MARKS (An2):

One analysis mark per reason. The analysis mark requires a cause or consequence — a chain that explains why the reason matters or what happens as a result of it.

NO ANALYSIS (zero An marks):
"Arditi Tours keeps four services to meet demand."
(This states the reason. Nothing more.)

ANALYSIS PRESENT (An mark earned):
"This allows Arditi Tours to increase the number
of passengers it can transport across different
times of day, meaning it is less likely to lose
customers to competitors who offer more
convenient departure times — helping it maintain
or grow its market share."
(Cause and consequence chain. Specific business
outcome named.)

The analysis mark requires at least one signal word: because / therefore / this means / as a result / which leads to / so / consequently / meaning. Without a signal word, the chain almost certainly stops too early.

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#PART 3: THE EXACT ARCHITECTURE OF A 6/6 ANSWER

Two reasons. Each follows the identical structure. Nothing more is required. Nothing less will score full marks.

REASON 1:
[KNOWLEDGE TRIGGER]
State the reason clearly. One sentence.
Signal: "One reason why [business] may [action]
is that..."

      ↓

[APPLICATION ANCHOR]
Connect to specific extract data. Same sentence
or next sentence. The data must support the
reason — not float independently.
Signal: "As [extract detail] shows..." /
"Given that [specific data from extract]..." /
"Since [extract fact]..."

      ↓

[ANALYSIS CHAIN]
Cause or consequence. Reach a specific business
outcome for THIS company.
Signal: "This means..." / "Therefore..." /
"As a result..." / "This allows [business] to..."
"...meaning [specific outcome for this business]."


REASON 2:
Identical structure. Different reason.
Different extract data.
Different business outcome.

That is the complete answer. No conclusion. No evaluation. No third reason. No introductory sentence. The marker is reading for six specific things — two knowledge triggers, two applications, two chains — and awarding each independently.

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#PART 4: THE FIVE RULES THAT COST STUDENTS MARKS

These are sourced directly from WBS12 examiner reports across six series. Every rule here has cost real marks to real students in real exam conditions.

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RULE 1 — ZERO EVALUATION MARKS EXIST.

The command word is Analyse. The AO split is K2+App2+An2. There is no AO4 component whatsoever. If you write evaluation content — "however this may not work if..." / "it depends on whether..." — you earn zero marks for it and waste 60–90 seconds that should be spent on your second reason.

This is not a borderline case. It is structural. The mark scheme has no evaluation mark to award. Examiner reports confirm this error costs students approximately one full reason's worth of time every sitting.

Stop writing. Move to Reason 2.

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RULE 2 — TWO REASONS, NOT ONE REASON REPEATED.

A common trap is writing one reason in two different ways. "Arditi Tours can cope with demand spikes" and "Arditi Tours can serve more customers when busy" are the same reason stated twice. The mark scheme awards K1 for the first occurrence. The second occurrence earns nothing.

The two reasons must be genuinely distinct — different causes, different mechanisms, different business motivations. The mark scheme for Q1c lists: coping with demand changes, meeting customer needs, competition, OR any other suitable reason. These are distinct categories. Pick two from different categories.

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RULE 3 — APPLICATION MUST BE LINKED, NOT STANDALONE.

The most common error on every 6-mark question across every series. A sentence that quotes extract data but does not connect it to the reason being made earns zero application marks.

The fix is structural: never write a sentence that contains only extract data. Every extract reference must be embedded inside a sentence that also contains the reason it is supporting. The data and the reason live in the same clause.

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RULE 4 — THE CHAIN MUST REACH A SPECIFIC BUSINESS OUTCOME.

"This allows the business to make more money" is not analysis. It is an assertion — a vague, unsupported claim about a generic outcome. The analysis mark requires the consequence to be specific to the named business in the extract.

Compare:

• Generic: "This would increase revenue." (assertion — Level 2 quality, no An mark)
• Specific: "This would allow Arditi Tours to retain customers who might otherwise use a competitor offering a more convenient departure time, helping it maintain market share in a route served by several rival operators." (specific outcome — An mark earned)

The specificity is what separates an assertion from analysis. The business name, its specific situation, and a named consequence must all be present.

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RULE 5 — THE DEFINITION ROUTE IS A TRAP FOR MOST STUDENTS.

Using the K2 definition option means you spend both knowledge marks on one sentence that cannot be applied or analysed. The remaining four marks (App2+An2) must all come from your two reasons. If your definition is slightly imprecise — which is common under timed conditions — you earn K1 at best and you have locked yourself into a maximum of 5.

The safer route for almost every student is Option A: state two reasons (K1+K1), then build App and An for each. This distributes the marks across the answer rather than concentrating risk in one opening sentence.

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#PART 5: MARK-BY-MARK BREAKDOWN OF WHAT EARNS AND WHAT DOESN'T

Using Q1c of this paper as the worked example:

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ATTEMPT 1 (the original answer — scored 4/6):

"Since demand fluctuates considerably throughout the year where some weeks it operates at full capacity and others at a quarter capacity, Arditi Tours may keep four bus journeys a day in order to capitalise on any spikes of demand..."

K1: "capitalise on any spikes of demand" — reason
    stated. ✓ AWARDED

App: "some weeks full capacity, others quarter
    capacity" — this is extract data but stated
    as a standalone clause, not connected to
    the reason as active evidence. ✗ NOT AWARDED

An: "allows them to capture more demand and
    therefore more revenue" ✓ AWARDED
    (chain reaches a business outcome)

"Since Arditi has several competitors offering the same routes at various times each day, Arditi needs to compete..."

K1: "compete with its competitors" ✓ AWARDED

App: "several competitors offering the same routes
    at various times each day" — used to contextualise
    the reason ✓ AWARDED

An: "non-loyal customers would switch...resulting
    in Arditi having less sales" ✓ AWARDED

Result: K2✓ App1✗ App2✓ An1✓ An2✓ = 4/6 One application mark dropped on Reason 1 because the extract data was stated, not used.

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WHAT 6/6 LOOKS LIKE ON THE SAME QUESTION:

"One reason Arditi Tours may continue to offer four daily services is to cope with unpredictable fluctuations in demand. As demand from students, tourists and families varies considerably throughout the year — with some weeks operating at full capacity and others below quarter capacity — maintaining four departure times ensures Arditi Tours can capture passengers whenever demand peaks, regardless of time of day. This means Arditi Tours can maximise the number of passengers carried across a full day, allowing profitable services like the 11:00 departure with 29 passengers to offset loss-making ones, thereby maintaining overall daily profitability.

A second reason is to remain competitive against rival operators. Since several bus companies offer the same Pristina-to-Tirana route at various times each day, if Arditi Tours reduced to fewer services, competitors could fill the gaps with their own departures — meaning passengers seeking convenient travel times would have no reason to choose Arditi Tours. As a result, Arditi Tours would risk losing market share to rivals, potentially reducing its passenger numbers below the break-even point of 17 passengers per journey and making the route financially unviable."

MARKING:

REASON 1:
K1: "cope with unpredictable fluctuations in
    demand" ✓
App1: "students, tourists and families...varies
    considerably...full capacity...quarter
    capacity" — embedded in the reason, used
    to explain WHY four services are needed ✓
An1: "maximise passengers...profitable services
    offset loss-making ones...overall daily
    profitability" — specific business outcome ✓

REASON 2:
K1: "remain competitive against rival operators" ✓
App2: "several bus companies offer the same
    Pristina-to-Tirana route at various times
    each day" — used to show why competition
    forces four services ✓
An2: "risk losing market share...below break-even
    point of 17 passengers...route financially
    unviable" — specific, extract-anchored
    business outcome ✓

TOTAL: 6/6

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#PART 6: WHY THIS STRUCTURE AND NOT SOMETHING ELSE

Every component of this structure maps to a specific mark criterion:

COMPONENT          MARK CRITERION IT SATISFIES
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Two clear reasons  K1 + K1 — one per reason stated

Extract data       App1 + App2 — one per reason,
embedded in        only awarded when data is
argument           connected to the point, not
                   stated separately

Chain reaching     An1 + An2 — one per reason,
specific outcome   only awarded when the
                   consequence is named for
                   this specific business

Nothing else       ZERO marks for evaluation,
                   conclusions, introductions,
                   or third reasons. Writing
                   any of these costs time
                   without earning marks.

The 6-mark Analyse question is the most mechanically precise question on the paper. It has the least room for interpretation and the most predictable mark scheme. That means it is also the most reliably scoreable — if you follow the structure. Most students lose 1–2 marks not because they lack knowledge but because they misapply extract data or stop their chain one stage too early.

Both of those are technique errors. Both are fixable in one practice session.

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#PART 7: THE 6-MARKER IN 30 SECONDS — EXAM DAY CHECKLIST

BEFORE YOU WRITE (30 seconds planning):
□ Identify TWO genuinely distinct reasons
□ Note ONE piece of extract data for each reason
□ Know the specific business outcome for each

WHILE YOU WRITE:
□ Reason 1: state it → embed extract data
  inside the reason → chain to specific outcome
□ Reason 2: same structure, different reason,
  different extract data, different outcome
□ NO conclusion
□ NO evaluation
□ NO third reason

BEFORE YOU FINISH:
□ Is your extract data embedded in the argument
  or floating as a standalone sentence?
□ Does each chain reach a SPECIFIC outcome
  for this named business?
□ Have you written any evaluation? DELETE IT.
□ Do you have exactly two distinct reasons?

TIME TARGET: 7 minutes maximum
WORD TARGET: 120–160 words
STOP RULE: Two reasons written with chains.
           STOP. Do not add more.