Business Studies A Level

This course will provide you with a good overview of business as a whole, with a particular focus on enterprise. You will also learn about four business areas: marketing, finance, people management and operations. Your study will also involve strategic thinking about business influences and setting up a small business.

You will study operational aspects of a business such as human resources, marketing, finance and accounting. You will develop analytical and critical skills, as well as a creative approach to problem solving.

You could progress on to further study of a business-related subject at higher education level or alternatively enter the employment market. Degree courses can include business and management, business and finance, or business and accounting.

What you'll learn

You will gain a good understanding of business and a number of associated areas by studying this A-level. You will study various functions within business such as marketing, finance, people management and operations.

You will study the following topics:

Unit 1: financing and planning a business
Unit 2: managing a business
Unit 3: strategies for success
Unit 4: the business environment and change

How you'll learn and be assessed

You will be taught in our well-equipped classrooms by our experienced staff. You will study different aspects and theories on business. We often have visiting speakers from local employers such as John Lewis to talk about their business and career opportunities and also Logica, who have previously sponsored a student.

Your Business AS level can be a stand-alone qualification or lead on to A2 study. This course offers good progression to business and finance or marketing-related degree courses. A large proportion of students gain high grades in this subject.

You will have your own specialist personal tutor who you will meet individually or as part of a tutorial. They will help you set review and achieve your targets. There is an extensive programme of support to help you make higher education decisions and moving on to university. The vast majority of A-level students progress successfully to higher education.

There is an extensive programme of enrichment opportunities on offer and you will be encouraged to select from a range including volunteering, work experience sport and performing.

Formal assessment is through examinations. For AS Business there will be two 1 ½ hour papers covering: The local business environment (50% of the total AS level), and The wider business environment (50% of the total AS level). The content of AS Level Business includes: Business objectives and strategic decisions, External influences facing business, Marketing and marketing strategies, Operational strategy, Human resources, and Accounting and financial considerations.

The AS now constitutes 40% of the full A-level value for university applications. Any achievement made at AS does not carry over to determine the full A-Level result. However the subject material studied at AS Level forms approximately 50% of the total full A-Level content.

To achieve the full A-Level in Business, three 2 hour papers each worth 33.33% of the total A-level have to be successfully taken at the end of the second year of study.

These second year papers will cover: Operating in the local business environment, The UK business environment and, The global business environment. The content of the full A-Level will include all topic areas identified above for AS Level Business, but further extended and developed, with the addition of a topic known as The global business environment.

Each question paper will be based on the case studies of real businesses (one small/ local, one medium/ national and one large/ international).

There will be a wide range of question types including multiple choice, short answer and extended writing. You will have the opportunity in these papers to demonstrate your quantitative, reflective and decision-making skills to solve business problems.