A1.7: What is your organisation's main business?
What is your main business?
Source: IASME Cyber Essentials Danzell question set v16.3
A1.7 asks you to choose the sector that best describes your organisation's main occupation from IASME's list, which runs from academia and aerospace to waste management and water. If nothing fits, choose 'Other' and describe your sector in the notes. It is used for statistics and has no bearing on the technical marking.
Is A1.7 an automatic fail?
No. A1.7 records information about your organisation and is not marked against a technical requirement, so no answer to it fails the assessment. Inaccurate or contradictory details may be returned by the assessor for correction.
- Answer type
- Multiple choice + notes a multiple choice question
- IASME guidance
- Please summarise the main occupation of your organisation. If you have selected ‘Other’ please describe in the notes field which sector you are operating in.
- Requirement enforced
- Section A1 collects the details that appear on the certificate and shape which later questions are shown.
- Outcome if non-compliant
- Not marked against a requirement; inaccurate details may be returned for correction
What does A1.7 ask?
A1.7 asks: “What is your main business?”
A1.7 asks what your main business is. IASME's guidance asks you to summarise the main occupation of your organisation by choosing from a list of sectors, and to describe the sector in the notes if you choose 'Other (please describe)'.
The list includes education (pre-schools to universities), charities, construction, finance, health, legal, the managed services categories (IT and other), manufacturing, retail, telecoms and transport, among others. MSPs choosing 'Managed Services - IT' should expect the assessor to look closely at how client access is controlled, because third-party and MSP accounts are in scope.
Which option should you choose for A1.7?
Choose the option for A1.7 that is enforced today across the whole scope, and complete the notes wherever the option requires them.
Choose the sector that most of your revenue or activity comes from. If you span two, pick the main one; the choice is for IASME's statistics and does not change the questions you see. Use 'Other' only when no listed sector fits, and describe it in a few words.
What mistakes do applicants make with A1.7?
A common mistake with A1.7: choosing 'Other' and leaving the notes blank.
- Choosing a customer's sector rather than your own, for example 'Defence' for an IT supplier to a defence company.
- Spending time on it: this answer is not marked against any control.
- Inconsistency with the description of the business in A2.2 for a partial scope.
How do you get A1.7 right?
Work through these steps before you enter A1.7 in the portal:
- Choose the sector most of your activity comes from.
- If you choose 'Other', write a few words describing the sector in the notes.
How do assessors check A1.7?
Where to go next
- SectorsCyber Essentials by sector
- Third-party accounts and MSPsScope rules
- How to get certifiedThe application, step by step
- What Cyber Essentials costsIASME fee bands and assessor prices
- All A1 questionsYour organisation
- Cyber Essentials checklistThe evidence to gather for every question
- Check your readinessScore your answers, auto-fails first
Other A1 questions
- A1.6A1.6Yes/NoDo you have more than one legal entity, including subsidiaries, within the scope of this assessment?Yes/No
- A1.6.1A1.6.1Multiple choice + notesPlease provide the name, company number and registered address of any additional legal entities that are included.Multiple choice + notes
- A1.8A1.8NotesWhat is your website address?Notes
- A1.9A1.9Renewal or first timeIs this application a renewal of an existing certification or is it the first time you have applied for certification?Renewal or first time
Frequently asked questions
A1.7 in the 2026 Danzell Cyber Essentials question set asks: "What is your main business?" It is a multiple choice question.
A1.7 asks you to choose the sector that best describes your organisation's main occupation from IASME's list, which runs from academia and aerospace to waste management and water. If nothing fits, choose 'Other' and describe your sector in the notes. It is used for statistics and has no bearing on the technical marking.
No. A1.7 records information about your organisation and is not marked against a technical requirement, so no answer to it fails the assessment. Inaccurate or contradictory details may be returned by the assessor for correction.
No. A1.7 is recorded for IASME's statistics and context. The same technical questions apply to every sector.
'Managed Services - IT Managed Services' is the closest match in the list. MSPs should also make sure the accounts and remote tools they use are covered in sections A2 and A7.
Would you pass the 2026 question set?
Answer 24 yes or no questions, built by the assessors who mark Cyber Essentials, and get a readiness score in about five minutes, with any auto-fail questions you miss flagged first in your results.
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