In recent years, Business Studies has become an increasingly popular subject choice.
The Business Studies department endeavours to make the students’ learning experience as real, applicable, relevant, varied and interesting as possible. Students are encouraged to learn by using local and national business, the media, Internet, their friends and family.
As well as the core issues, Business helps to develop many important skills, such as numeracy, literacy, ICT, problem solving, information collecting, as well as analytical, evaluative and social skills. Students partake in a considerable amount of group study, practical activities and project work.
GCSE
GCSE Business Studies is designed for students finishing secondary school to learn skills for running a business, such as managing money, advertising and employing staff.
Examination Board: AQA
Specification code: 8123
The Subject Content of this course
Paper 1 – Influences of operations and HRM on business activity
What’s assessed
• Business in the real world • Influences on business
• Business operations • Human resources
How it’s assessed
Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes 90 marks
Questions on the Exam Paper
Section A has multiple choice questions and short answer questions worth 20 marks. Section B has one case study/data response stimuli with questions worth approximately 34 marks. Section C has one case study/data response stimuli with questions worth approximately 36 marks.
50% of GCSE
Paper 2 – Influences of marketing and finance on business activity
What’s assessed
• Business in the real world • Influences on business
• Marketing • Finance
How it’s assessed
Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes 90 marks.
50% of GCSE
A LEVEL
Business Studies theorises and applies the knowledge for young people to understand the business world around them so that they may make informed financial decisions and have the skills to be able to run their own business.
Every single one of us has been involved with some sort of business transaction today and all have relied upon a mutual understanding between a consumer and a provider. Business Studies theorises and applies the knowledge for young people to understand the business world around them so that they may make informed financial decisions, be the next great innovator or entrepreneur and have the skills to be able to run their own business.
The course in Business Studies enables you to apply your personal experiences to the world about you and to have this richly exemplified by a number of business persons visiting the school. Throughout the course there will be an expectation that you will gain first-hand experiences as much as possible through visits to factories, start-up businesses and multinational companies.
Every single one of us has been involved with some sort of business transaction today and all have relied upon a mutual understanding between a consumer and a provider.
As the course progresses students will develop their skills from a knowledge base approach to a more synoptic and evaluative approach and will be expected to demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge and understanding to problems and issues arising from both familiar and unfamiliar business situations. They will also learn to evaluate, distinguish between and assess appropriateness of fact and opinion, and judge information from a variety of sources.
If you are interested in starting your own business or working in any of the areas of a large company such as Marketing, Accounting, Law or Personnel Management then this is this the course for you.
A Level Specification
You will be studying the topics: What is a Business?; Managers, Leadership and Decision Making; Decision Making to Improve Marketing Performance; Decision Making to Improve Operational Performance; Decision Making to Improve Financial Performance; Decision Making to Improve Human Resource Performance; Analysing the Strategic Performance of a Business; Choosing Strategic Direction and Managing Strategic Change.
Assessment
Three 2 hour exams of 100 marks each. Each exam accounts for 33.3% of the paper.
Career Opportunities
If you are interested in starting your own business or working in any of the areas of a large company such as Marketing, Accounting, Law or Personnel Management then this is this the course for you.
