The 2024 VCE Business Management exam was tightly aligned to the Study Design and rewarded students who demonstrated precision, application and evaluative judgement. The Examiner’s Report makes it clear that most students understood the content, but many lost marks due to execution errors rather than knowledge gaps.
What follows is a focused unpacking of what the 2024 exam and Examiner’s Report show about how students approached the paper, and where marks were gained and lost.
A recurring issue: misunderstanding what the question was really asking
One of the strongest themes in the 2024 Examiner’s Report is that students frequently misinterpreted command terms, particularly in medium- and higher-mark questions.
The report notes that many responses were detailed but did not fully meet the demands of the question because students:
- explained when analysis was required
- described strategies instead of evaluating them
- listed points rather than linking them to business objectives
These responses often demonstrated sound knowledge but were capped because they did not complete the thinking task set by the question .
Definitions appeared where they were not required
The 2024 report again highlights unnecessary definitions as a common issue. Students often began responses by defining key terms even when the question did not ask for a definition.
In many cases, this did not earn marks and reduced the time available for application and evaluation. The report reinforces that definitions are only rewarded when they support explanation or analysis, not when they replace it.
Case study use was present, but often superficial
Most students referred to the case study material in the 2024 exam. However, the report notes that many responses failed to move beyond surface-level application.
Common problems included:
- naming the business without explaining relevance
- describing what the business did rather than why it mattered
- failing to link strategies to objectives, stakeholders or constraints
Stronger responses used specific details from the stimulus to justify effectiveness or limitations of strategies. Simply mentioning the case study was not enough to secure higher marks.
Evaluation remained the key differentiator
As in previous years, evaluation questions in 2024 clearly separated the top end of the cohort from the middle.
The Examiner’s Report notes that many students explained strategies accurately but stopped short of making a judgement. Responses that did not:
- assess effectiveness
- link outcomes to objectives or KPIs
- acknowledge trade-offs
were consistently capped.
High-scoring responses made a clear judgement and justified it using evidence from the case study and course concepts.
Operations and human resource management required tighter linking
The 2024 report comments on confusion between:
- strategies and outcomes
- management styles, skills and strategies
- efficiency and effectiveness
In operations management questions, some students discussed appropriate strategies but linked them to the wrong part of the operations system. In human resource management questions, some students described motivation theories without explaining how strategies influenced employee behaviour or performance.
Extended responses exposed structural weaknesses
For the longer questions, the Examiner’s Report highlights structure as a major factor.
Lower-scoring responses often:
- drifted between ideas
- repeated points in different wording
- failed to address all parts of the question
Higher-scoring responses were clearly organised, sustained a line of reasoning, and integrated multiple course areas where appropriate. Length was not the determining factor; clarity and control were.
What the 2024 exam tells us overall
The 2024 exam reinforces several consistent truths about VCE Business Management:
- knowing the content is not enough
- command terms must be followed precisely
- case studies must be used purposefully
- evaluation requires judgement, not explanation
- structure matters in longer responses
Students who aligned their responses to these expectations were rewarded across the paper.
How ATAR STAR can help
ATAR STAR analyses Business Management exams and Examiner’s Reports in detail so students can see exactly how marks are awarded and lost. We help students refine how they answer questions, apply case studies and execute evaluation — the areas the 2024 report highlights most clearly.
This support benefits students already performing well who want top-end consistency, as well as students whose understanding is not yet translating into marks.
If you want Business Management preparation grounded in how the VCAA actually assessed the 2024 exam, ATAR STAR provides structured, exam-focused guidance.