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A Level Business

A Level Buisness

Course Outline

The Edexcel A Level Business course is taught over two years and structured into four interrelated themes:

Year 12

  • Theme 1: Marketing and People – Students explore how businesses identify and meet customer needs, investigate the marketing mix, and understand the importance of effective people management.
  • Theme 2: Managing Business Activities – This covers how businesses raise finance, plan and manage budgets, and improve operational efficiency.

Year 13

  • Theme 3: Business Decisions and Strategy – Students build on Year 12 knowledge, focusing on strategic decision-making, growth strategies, and assessing competitiveness.
  • Theme 4: Global Business – Learners examine international trade, globalisation, and how businesses operate in diverse global markets.

This structure allows students to progress from understanding core business functions to evaluating strategic decisions in a complex, global context.

 

What You Will Learn to Do

Students will develop the ability to:

  • Apply business concepts and theories to real-life case studies
  • Analyse data and evaluate decisions made by different types of businesses
  • Investigate local, national, and international business contexts
  • Explore the ethical and environmental issues facing businesses
  • Take a critical approach to solving commercial problems and proposing strategic solutions

This is a highly applied subject that encourages independent thinking and a deep awareness of current economic and business issues.

 

Skills You Will Need

To succeed in A Level Business, students benefit from:

  • Strong analytical and written communication skills
  • Good numeracy for interpreting business data and financial figures
  • An interest in current affairs, business trends, and economics
  • Logical reasoning and problem-solving ability
  • Self-motivation and willingness to participate in discussions

No prior Business GCSE is required, but you will need an average GCSE point score of 6 including a minimum of grade 6 in both Maths and English due to the analytical and data-based elements of the course.

 

How You Will Be Assessed

The qualification is entirely exam-based and assessed through three papers at the end of Year 13:

  • Paper 1: Marketing, People and Global Businesses
    (Themes 1 & 4) – 2 hours – 35% of A Level
  • Paper 2: Business Activities, Decisions and Strategy
    (Themes 2 & 3) – 2 hours – 35% of A Level
  • Paper 3: Investigating Business in a Competitive Environment
    (Synoptic paper using pre-released industry context covering all themes) – 2 hours – 30% of A Level

Each paper includes data-response and extended written questions based on real-world scenarios.

Exam board

Edexcel – The full specification may be found: HERE and the personal learning checklist: HERE

Head of Department

Ms Gray

Email
GrayJ@cfbs.islington.sch.uk

Entry Requirements