Business Studies

Welcome to Business Studies!

Business is one of the many optional subjects available in Key Stage 4. It aims to develop knowledge and understanding of a wide range of business activities and the GCSE follows the AQA syllabus (3132 Specification A) which is broken down into the following sections:

  • Business Environment
  • Business Structure
  • Control and Organisation
  • Organising to Achieve Objectives
  • People in Organisations

Essentially this covers all the major functions of a business (Marketing, Finance, Personnel, Production, etc) and well as looking at the external influences on a business, be it legislation, exchange rates or simply consumer demand.

Pupils will experience a variety of teaching and learning styles during the course, ranging from formal lessons, case study work, problem-solving tasks group work. Pupils will also be encouraged to explore the business environment through contact with firms, organisations and agencies, both local and national, to enhance their understanding. This is often where family contacts prove invaluable. Two out of the five lessons per cycle will be spent in a dedicated IT room.

Assessment

Pupils knowledge and understanding of the syllabus is assessed by one 2 hour paper at the end of the course (worth 75% of their final grade) and by one piece of coursework submitted in Year 11 (worth 25%). The examination is available in two tiers (Higher and Foundation) and the paper is centred around a pre-seen case study, usually based on a well-known company such as Boots, which is issued 6-8 weeks before the exam. The single piece of coursework is taken from the Enterprise option in the syllabus and involves the pupils planning their own small business. This usually takes about 6-8 weeks to complete, during which time all lessons and homework are dedicated to its completion. Pupils are expected to use ICT to assist in the research, analysis and presentation of their coursework.

Throughout the course, pupils will also be given ‘milestone’ pieces of work and tested on their subject knowledge for internal monitoring purposes.

Equipment

All pupils will be supplied with an exercise book and text book. In addition, pupils should have a calculator and access to the school network, and a revision guide is often useful as they approach their Year 11 mock exams. Access to the internet at home is useful for research purposes, but not essential.

Mr Doust