Business Studies - KS4

Choose a subject

Students at SJB study Business to improve their commecial awareness, enhance their strategic thinking and develop a greater understanding of the global business environment and how to influence it

At SJB students can choose to take Business as one of their GCSE options. Below you can find out more about the subject to help you decide if this is something you would like to study.

Exam Board: AQA

Qualification: GCSE Business

AQA GCSE Business SpecificationBusiness and Economics Curriculum map

The course gives you a practical understanding of how businesses work and how they make decisions in the real world in areas such as business basics, production, marketing, external influences and finance.

Throughout Year 10 and 11 students will be assessed through quizzing in class, topic tests, assessed homeworks and end of year exams, all based on exam style questions.

GCSE Business offers students a practical and engaging insight into how businesses operate in the real world. Throughout the course, students will explore six key areas:

  1. Business in the Real World
    Learn about different types of ownership and how businesses set aims and objectives.

  2. Influences on Business
    Investigate how external factors such as technology, legislation, and the economy impact business decisions and behaviour.

  3. Business Operations
    Discover how businesses produce and sell goods and services efficiently.

  4. Human Resources
    Learn how businesses recruit, train, and manage staff.

  5. Marketing
    Examine how businesses identify and meet customer needs through market research and the marketing mix.

  6. Finance
    Gain an understanding of financial concepts such as revenue, costs, profit, cash flow, break-even analysis, and sources of finance.

The final assessment for GCSE Business is entirely through written exams. There are two exam papers, each worth 50% of the final grade.
  • Paper 1: Business basics, influences, operations and HR
  • Paper 2: Business basics, influences, marketing and finance
    Each exam lasts 1 hour 45 minutes. There’s no coursework. Questions are a mix of multiple-choice, short and longer answer questions
Across the course students are assessed through 3 assessment objectives - Knowledge, Application and Analysis/Evaluation.  This means throughout the course you will gain lots of skills that will benefit you both in this subject and other aspects of your studies, such as:
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving skills 
  • Numerical and analytical skills
  • Communication and teamwork abilities 
  • Commercial awareness
GCSE Business is an excellent stepping stone to further study and careers such as:
  • A-Level Business or Economics
  • Vocational qualifications such as BTEC Business
  • Apprenticeships in areas like retail, finance, marketing, and administration
  • University degrees in Business, Management, Finance, Marketing, and related fields
  • Careers in:
    • Marketing and advertising
    • Finance and accounting
    • Human resources
    • Retail and sales
    • Project management
    • Business administration
    • Logistics and supply chain
    • Customer service
    • Entrepreneurship and self-employment
Back