BTEC International Level 2 Business

Unit 15: Starting a Small Business — assessment criteria

Learners will use their understanding of how to start a small business and the different activities involved in producing a business plan for a start-up business and pitch their plan to potential investors.

Internal60 GLH18 criteria4 learning aims
Teaching this subject at Level 3?
🔄 View Level 3 Business units →

Assessment criteria

Reproduced verbatim from the Pearson specification — the same grid the assignment brief carries. A unit grade is the highest band where all criteria in that band (and every band below it) are met.

Pass

9 criteria
A.P1Describe an idea for a start-up business, its aims and objectives.
A.P2Identify the resources required for the business.
A.P3Carry out a skills audit of own strengths and weaknesses needed to run the business.
B.P4Plan and carry out market research activities to support the new business.
B.P5Use market research results to devise a promotional plan to support the start-up business.
C.P6Produce a basic financial plan for a start-up business.
C.P7Describe sources of finance, risks and legal considerations for the start-up business.
D.P8Produce a business plan with ideas for communicating with potential customers to promote the product/service.
D.P9Pitch the plan to potential investors using communication and presentation skills.

Merit

6 criteria
A.M1Assess the benefits of running your own business and give detailed reasons for choice of business idea.
A.M2Analyse skills and attributes needed to run a business successfully. promotional plan for a new business
B.M3Analyse the results of the market research activities and amend the business idea and brand identity accordingly. a small business
C.M4Produce a detailed and clear financial plan.
D.M5Deliver a detailed business plan.
D.M6Review the plan using feedback.

Distinction

3 criteria
A.D1Evaluate the likelihood of being able to achieve the aims and objectives.
BC.D2Assess the validity of the market research and the financial plan in contributing to a successful business plan.
D.D3Deliver a comprehensive plan, making recommendations for improvements.

Command verbs in this unit

The verb decides the depth expected — that is what separates Pass from Merit and Distinction work on the same learning aim.

EvaluateDescribeIdentifyCarryAssessAnalysePlanUseProduceDeliverPitchReview
Pearson's ladder runs Identify → Describe → Explain → Compare / Analyse → Evaluate / Justify / Assess. A Merit or Distinction criterion on the same aim always implies the Pass beneath it: an “evaluate” answer that never first “explains” fails, however polished it reads. Hover a verb for what it demands.

Learning aims

  • A. Explore the benefits of running a business and ideas for a start-up
  • B. Research the market and produce a promotional plan for a new business
  • C. Produce a financial plan for starting a small business
  • D. Prepare a business plan

How checkb.tech checks this unit

Upload a learner's submission and checkb.tech reads it against exactly these criteria, reporting each one as met, partly met, or not met — with the evidence that informed the verdict cited, so every call is auditable.

The check runs against the official Pearson documents for this unit, and identical evidence always produces an identical result — the same script gets the same verdict every time.

It never awards a grade. You stay the assessor: confirm, dismiss, or act on every criterion before your assessment decision is final.

Verification & Quality Tools for Unit 15

Free Lead IV and assessor utilities configured for Pearson BTEC International specifications.

More Level 2 Business units

Criteria and aim text reproduced for teacher reference from the official Pearson qualification documentation (Pearson BTEC International Level 2 Qualifications in Business). BTEC is a registered trademark of Pearson Education Limited. checkb.tech is an independent tool — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Pearson. It never awards a grade; the teacher stays the assessor.