Higher exam guide
Higher Business Management
Course code C810 76 · Specification Version 3.0, June 2026 · valid from 2026–27
Your 2027 exam
- Question paper
- – BST
Published national times, in UK local time. Confirm your personal timetable, room and any assessment arrangements with your school or college. Coursework deadlines are set by your centre.
- Results day
- National contingency day
Qualifications Scotland timetable · Version 02, August 2026 · checked .
What changed for 2027?
For 2027, the question paper is reduced from 90 to 70 marks and from 2 hours 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. It contributes 78% of the course result; the assignment contributes 22%. The five areas of study are unchanged.
How the exam is marked
90 course marks after scaling
Question paper
70 marks
78% of the course result
2 hours 15 minutes
Section 1: a 30-mark case study on a real organisation. Section 2: five questions worth 8 marks each, totalling 40 marks. All questions are compulsory.
Assignment
30 marks
Scaled to 20 course marks · 22% of the course result
8 hours (notional)
An independently researched business report, externally marked. The raw mark out of 30 is scaled to 20 for the course total.
Course areas and revision checklist
Use this summary alongside the full official specification. ScotSpark practice covers selected skills, not every item below; your teacher can help you fill the gaps.
Understanding business
Practise this area : Understanding business- Sectors of industry and the economy
- Types of organisation
- Objectives
- Methods of growth
- PESTEC external factors
- Internal factors
- Stakeholders
- Organisational structures
- Decision making and SWOT
- Role of a manager
Management of marketing
Practise this area : Management of marketing- Market-led vs product-led, consumer behaviour
- Market research methods and sampling
- The extended marketing mix (7Ps)
- Product life cycle, extension strategies, portfolio
- Pricing strategies
- Channels of distribution and retailers
- Promotion into and out of the pipeline, PR
- Role of technology in marketing
Management of operations
Practise this area : Management of operations- Inventory management and just-in-time
- Capital- and labour-intensive production
- Quality control, assurance and management
- Benchmarking, quality circles, mystery shopping
- Ethical and environmental operations, fair trade
- Role of technology in operations
Management of people
Practise this area : Management of people- Workforce planning, recruitment and selection
- Training, development and appraisal
- Motivation theories and leadership styles
- Employee relations
- Employment legislation
- Role of technology in HR
Management of finance
Practise this area : Management of finance- Sources of finance for large organisations
- Cash budgeting analysis and cash flow solutions
- Interpreting income statements and statements of financial position
- Profitability, liquidity and efficiency ratios (interpretation only)
- Role of technology in finance
Exam technique
- Match the command word: "describe" needs detail, "explain" needs a reason, "compare" needs both sides.
- You will not be asked to calculate ratios or prepare financial statements, only interpret them.
- In the case study, link your points to the organisation in the stimulus.
Version 3.0, June 2026 · checked . Qualifications Scotland replaced SQA in February 2026; official documents may still use the SQA name. Check for later updates and confirm arrangements with your teacher.