Business

GCSE Maths grade 5 or above

GCSE English Language grade 5 or above

5 GCSE’s at grade 4 or above

No prior study of Business required

Year 1

Theme 1: Marketing and People

You’ll explore how businesses identify and meet customer needs, and how effective leadership and people management support success.

Key topics include:

• Market research and customer behaviour
• Marketing strategy and positioning
• Recruitment, training and motivation
• Leadership and decision making

Theme 4: Global Business

This theme explores how and why businesses expand globally.

You’ll learn about:

• Globalisation and emerging markets
• International marketing and operations
• Cultural and ethical considerations
• Global strategy and risk

Year 2

Theme 2: Managing Business Activities

This theme focuses on the financial and operational side of running a business.

You’ll explore:

• Raising and managing finance
• Resource management and productivity
• Break-even, cash flow and investment appraisal
• Influences such as economic and legal factors
• Theme 3: Business Decisions and Strategy

You’ll analyse data, evaluate performance and consider how businesses make long‑term strategic decisions.

Topics include:

• Decision‑making techniques
• Competitive strategy
• Innovation and change management
• Strategic analysis tools (e.g., ratios, analytics)

Skills Developed

Throughout the course, you’ll build skills in:

• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Communication and structured analysis
• Interpreting and applying data
• Ethical and global awareness
• Decision making and evaluation

Lessons combine clear explanations, case studies, group tasks, exam practice and independent research. We make sure concepts feel accessible by using real business examples and breaking tasks into manageable steps.

Your final grade is based on three exam papers:

• Paper 1: Themes 1 & 4
• Paper 2: Themes 2 & 3
• Paper 3: Synoptic investigation based on a pre‑released context

You’ll complete regular assessments and receive personalised feedback to help you stay on track.

• Dedicated classrooms and digital resources
• Real business case studies
• Revision and support materials
• Access to online learning platforms

There are no required additional costs. Optional revision guides or enrichment opportunities may involve a small cost.

What can’t you study with [course name]? (H2 title) subjectCombinations

Business works well with subjects like:

• Accounting
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Maths

It is not advisable to take both Business and Economics A-levels together, as some universities (in particular, Russell Groups) consider them to be too similar in content to be accepted as two separate subjects. Students should check that is accepted by their University of Choice.

Business A Level supports progression into:

• Business, Marketing, Management, HR or Finance degrees
• Higher and degree apprenticeships
• Careers in management, marketing, retail, HR, finance, operations or project management

You may have opportunities to take part in:

• Employer talks and workshops
• Enterprise and business challenges
• UCAS and careers preparation events