A-Level Business

A level Business is a dynamic subject. You will learn about the diverse nature of business enterprise and the interdependence of the various parts of the business world.

You will explore business success and business failure, investigate local national and global business markets, and understand how businesses need to adapt and respond strategically to the changing environment in which they operate. The constant evolutionary process makes business a fascinating subject.

Through studying business, you will become skilled in making decisions, solving problems, applying numerical skills and understand the business environment.

• In the first year (Theme 1 and Theme 2) you will learn about how businesses work. You will investigate entrepreneurs and business start-ups before being introduced to marketing and people functions. You will also explore how business finance and operations work and understand the impact of external influences.

  • What a business is
  • The role of managers and leaders
  • The decision making process and how it contributes to improvements in marketing performance
  • Operational performance
  • Financial performance
  • Human resource performance

  The second year (Theme 3 and Theme 4) moves from functions to strategy. You will explore influences on business strategy and decision-making and understand how businesses mitigate risk and uncertainty. You will also explore global business and the opportunities and issues facing businesses in today's global world. 

  • Analysing the strategic position of a business
  • How to choose a strategic direction
  • Strategic methods
  • Managing strategic change

You will need 4 GCSEs at grade 5 or above with at least a Grade 5 in GCSE English Language.

You will have external exams at the end of the course and internal assessments throughout the two years.

Paper 1: Marketing, people and global businesses
Questions drawn from Theme 1 and Theme 4
100 marks, 2 hours 35% of qualification

Paper 2:
Business activities, decisions and strategy
Questions drawn from Theme 2 and Theme 3
100 marks, 2 hours 35% of qualification

Paper 3:
Investigating business in a competitive environment
Questions drawn from all four themes
100 marks, 2 hours 30% of qualification.
This paper has a pre-released context to enable students to investigate an industry or market in which businesses operate.

Business Studies is an ideal subject for preparation to progress onto a wide range of university courses and apprenticeships, especially in areas such as business, economics, management, retailing, enterprise, finance, accountancy and administration. It is a very useful starting point for careers in the business world as you will have a firm grounding of the day to day running of a business.

• Business Adviser
• Business Development Manager
• Business Analyst
• Business Owner
• Marketing Manager