What will students study in Business A level at KS5?

In Year 12, students will start learning Business A level following the Edexcel syllabus. There will be two Themes running at the same time during the year, Theme 1 and Theme 2. While Theme 1 – Marketing and People, will focus on developing students’ understanding of meeting customer needs, the market, marketing mix and strategy and managing people; Theme 2 – Managing Business Activities will delve into raising finance, financial planning, managing finance, resource management and external influences.

In Year 13, students will move onto the next two Themes to complete their A level studies. In Theme 3, students will build on their knowledge of resource management and external influences from Theme 2 by learning about how businesses grow, various decision-making techniques, assessing competitiveness and managing chance in an organisation. Theme 4 is a continuation of Theme 1 and students develop an understanding of globalisation, global markets and business expansion, global industries and multinational corporations.

What are the major assessments at KS5?

In Year 12, students will have teacher assessments, which will come in the form of end of topic assessments as well as a mock exam at the end of Autumn term and end of year mock in the Summer term.

In Year 13, in addition to the teacher assessments that consist of end of topic as well as mock assessments in the Spring term, there will be three external examinations in May/June exam series. The external examinations will contribute to the overall A level grade as follows:

• Paper 1 – Marketing People and Global Businesses – 35% of the total qualification.
• Paper 2 – Business activities, decisions and strategy – 35% of the total qualification
• Paper 3 – Investigating business in a competitive environment – 30% of total qualification

Each exam paper is 2 hours in length and move from shorter written responses to essays.

What do assessments test?

• Paper 1 will assess marketing, people and global businesses. Questions will be drawn from Themes 1 and 4, and from local, national and global contexts.
• Paper 2 will assess business finance and operations, business decisions and strategy. Questions will be drawn from Themes 2 and 3, and from local, national and global contexts.
• Paper 3 will assess content across all four themes. Questions will be drawn from local, national and global contexts. For Paper 3, there will be a pre-released context document issued by the Exam Board in November of the previous year. The context will focus on a broad context, such as an industry or market in which businesses operate.

What are the expectations of students in Business A Level?

During the course of A Level Business, we will expect that our students will have a genuine interest in the subject which they will be able to demonstrate in how they stay up to date with the business news, participate in class discussions and complete wider reading and independent work. Students will require to spend at least 5 hours (10 hours during exam periods) per week of extended study in addition to their homework completion and lesson attendance.

We will also expect that they will be self-motivating and self-monitoring, willing and able to acquire new information and skills related to not just their A level Business course but also to work-life.

What should students do if they feel they are struggling in Business A Level?

First point of contact should always be their subject teacher(s) as they are subject specialists and know their students best. Students can also use their independent work, research and cognitive skills to seek information outside the lesson by visiting relevant websites such as Tutor2u and Seneca online learning platform, attend webinars, follow our subject YouTube channel and business news.

How can I best support my child in Business A Level?

It would benefit A level Business students to engage in regular conversations with their parents/guardians at home about the world of business. These conversations do not necessarily have to include expert knowledge and vocabulary, however, can be used as a way to engage students in the world around them and see how some of the business concepts are applied. Another way support at home can be offered is by offering students help in creating a routine for good working habits such as regular revision and independent work.

Whom should I contact for further advice or information?

For further advice or information, please contact Mr Ahmad, Head of Computer Science and Business on sahmad@carshaltongirls.org.uk.