A-Level Business

This course suits students interested in how businesses operate and the factors that influence them. You should be confident taking part in discussions, using real-world examples, organising your work and meeting deadlines.

You also need to build clear, logical arguments and be comfortable with numeracy, as around 10% of the assessment involves calculations.

Exam Board - Edexcel

In Year 1, you will study Marketing and People, Finance, Resource Management and External Influences.

In Year 2, you will focus on Business Objectives, Strategy and Decision Making, Change Management, and Global Business.

A-level Business is assessed by three, two-hour written exams at the end of the course:

Paper 1: Multiple-choice questions, short answers and two essays

Paper 2: Three compulsory data response questions

Paper 3: One compulsory case study consisting of six questions

5 GCSEs with a mixture of grades 9-5 in a least 5 different subjects including English Language and Mathematics PLUS grade 5 in Mathematics and English Language GCSE and a minimum of three other subjects at grade 5 or above.

It is not essential for students to have previously studied a business related course at GCSE level. However, it is important that students have strong numerical abilities as A-Level Business assesses quantitative skills, making up a minimum of 10% of the overall marks. The skills tested include ratios, averages, fractions, percentages and calculation of profit and loss.

This course prepares you for both employment and higher education.

Career paths include Marketing, Event Management, E-commerce, Finance and Recruitment, as well as a wide range of business roles. It also leads to degrees in Business, Marketing, Retail Management, Public Relations and Finance.