Business Studies - KS5

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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

The A Level Business course gives students real-world skills in marketing, finance, and enterprise. It is the perfect preparation for university, apprenticeships, or thinking of starting your own business.

Exam Board: Edexcel (Pearson)

Qualification: A Level Business

Edexcel Business A Level SpecificationBusiness and Economics Curriculum map

A-level Business has no coursework and is 100% exam based.

What Will You Study?

A-level Business explores how businesses operate, make decisions, and respond to change. You’ll study key areas including:

  • Marketing – how businesses identify and meet customer needs
  • Finance – managing budgets, cash flow, and profitability
  • Operations – producing goods and services efficiently
  • Human Resources – recruitment, motivation, and leadership
  • Business Strategy – planning for growth and responding to external influences
  • Global Business – international trade, emerging markets, and globalisation

You’ll apply theory to real business examples and develop analytical, evaluative, and decision-making skills.

Course Overview:

In Year 12 students will learn about:

  • Entrepreneurs, business aims and objectives and legal structure for ownership
  • Internal and external sources of finance
  • Sales, revenue, costs, quantitative sales forecasting, budgeting, break-even, interpreting financial statements, liquidity, ratio analysis and using quantitative information to assess the performance of a business
  • Production, productivity, and efficiency, including stock control, capacity utilisation, quality management and lean production
  • Internal and external methods of growth, advantages and disadvantages of growth to a business
  • Theories of corporate strategy including Ansoff’s Matrix and Porter’s matrix
  • External influences, PESTLE and SWOT analysis
  • Marketing and promotion including global niche and mass markets and global marketing strategy
  • Human resources, leadership, and motivation
  • Introduction to globalisation and businesses decisions to operate on an international scale

In Year 13 students will learn about:

  • Trade blocs, protectionism and global competitiveness
  • Ethics and the impact of MNCs, including reasons for global mergers and joint ventures and controlling MNCs
  • The market, including supply and demand, price elasticity of demand and income elasticity of demand
  • Investment appraisal techniques such as payback, ARR and Net Present Value
  • Decision making techniques, such as decision trees, and project planning tools such as Critical Path Analysis
  • Corporate influences, such as Corporate Culture and stakeholders versus shareholders
  • Causes and effects of change, such as scenario planning and business failure
Assessment is through three written exams at the end of Year 13:
  • Paper 1: Marketing, people, and global businesses (35%)
  • Paper 2: Business activities, finance, and operations (35%)
  • Paper 3: Investigates a pre-released context with synoptic questions on all topics (30%)
    Each paper is 2 hours long and includes data response, case studies, and extended writing. 
You’ll develop:
  • Strong analytical and decision-making skills
  • Confidence in interpreting data and financial information
  • Commercial awareness and strategic thinking
  • Communication and teamwork skills
  • Problem-solving abilities
A-level Business supports progression to:
  • Business-related degrees (e.g. Marketing, Finance, Management)
  • Apprenticeships in areas like Accounting, Retail, and Business Administration
  • Careers in:
    • Marketing and advertising
    • Finance and banking
    • Human resources
    • Sales and retail management
    • Logistics and supply chain
    • Business consultancy
    • Entrepreneurship

For students to be successful in Business A Level they must be both interested in the subject and able to write

Entry Requirments:  

  • A minimum of a grade 6 in GCSE Business (if taken) or 6 in GCSE English if it hasn't been studied previously.
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