Exam Board and Specification
Business follows the Edexcel specification 9BS0. More detailed information on the course content can be found in the Course Specification, pages 5 to 31.
Course Content and Assessment
The qualification is structured into four themes and consists of three externally examined papers. Students build knowledge and understanding of core business concepts in Themes 1 and 2 at AS-level, and then build on this and apply their knowledge to more complex concepts and models in Themes 3 and 4 at A2-level.
Students will need to apply their knowledge and understanding to both familiar and unfamiliar contexts in the assessments and demonstrate an awareness of current economic events and policies. Students are encouraged to use an enquiring, critical and thoughtful approach to the study of Business, to understand that business behaviour can be studied from a range of perspectives and to challenge assumptions.
Topics/Skills Taught
Year 12
Theme 1: Marketing and People
Students will develop an understanding of:
meeting customer needs
the market
marketing mix and strategy
managing people
entrepreneurs and leaders.
Theme 2: Managing business activities
Students will develop an understanding of:
raising finance
financial planning
managing finance
resource management
external influences.
Year 13
Theme 3: Business decisions and strategy
This theme develops the concepts introduced in Theme 2 and focuses on business economics
Students will develop an understanding of:
business objectives and strategy
business growth
decision making techniques
influences on business decisions
assessing competitiveness
managing change
Theme 4: A global business
This theme develops the macroeconomic concepts introduced in Theme 1.
Students will develop an understanding of:
globalisation
global markets and business expansion
global marketing
global industries and companies (multinational corporations).
Assessment
Final assessment is at the end of Year 13 consisting of three written exams.
Paper 1: Marketing, people and global businesses
Paper 2: Business activities, decisions and strategy
Paper 3: Investigating business in a competitive environment (includes pre-released material)
Extra-Curricular Opportunities
Lunchtime drop in sessions
