Year 10

The content is divided into 6 areas:

Business activity

Students will learn about the nature of business activity and how it is concerned with meeting the needs of customers by providing a product or service, in most cases, for a profit. At the heart of business activity is enterprise and entrepreneurs, who initiate and grow businesses, with a wide range of aims and objectives.

Influences on business

Students will learn that all businesses operate in an external environment and there are a number of external influences that impact on business activity. The success or failure of a business will often depend on its willingness and ability to recognise and anticipate these external influences.

Business operations

Students will learn that business operations are concerned with the efficient management of the key functions and resources within a business to maximise profit. Businesses will organise their operations in different ways, depending on their size, the types of goods or services they sell and the markets they operate in.

Finance

Students will learn that the finance function manages the financial activities of a business. It will have a number of roles including start-up finance, the preparation and creation of financial accounts, maintaining financial records, paying bills and analysing financial performance.

Marketing

Students will understand that marketing involves identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs in a profitable way. Marketing affects all functions of a business and includes a wide range of activities including researching the market, analysing the market and developing a marketing strategy through the implementation of the marketing mix.

Human resources

Students will understand that human resources focus on the human function within a business. It involves the recruitment, training, organisation, retention, development and motivation of employees. Human resource managers will work with other business functions to contribute and direct the business aims and objectives.

Content covered in Year 10

As well as learning the theory of Business Studies, the specification requires the development of a range of skills and these will be assessed in the examination papers:

• A minimum of 10% of total qualification marks will assess quantitative skills –

these include the calculation and interpretation of quantitative data.

• Reading and using qualitative data in order to make informed judgements.
• Showing good business acumen.
• Apply knowledge and understanding to different business contexts.

This highlights the importance of doing working hard in maths and English to do well in Business Studies.

The content is not divided into individual units. The specification is truly linear with 100% external assessment at the end of the 2-year course. This means that both examination papers could ask questions about any of the content covered over the 2 years.

There are two examination papers that are sat at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework.

Unit                                   Length of exam                         Total marks     Qualification weighting

1 Business World          2 hours                                           100                     62.5%

2 Business Perceptions 1 hour 30 mins                          60                        37.5%

The focus for each unit is the style of the examination paper:

• Unit 1 Business World – is a mixture of short and structured questions that cover a broad sample of the content.
• Unit 2 Business Perceptions – is a data response/case study paper. Students are expected to apply their understanding of business content to specific contexts.

Year 11

The content is divided into 6 areas:

Business activity

Students will learn about the nature of business activity and how it is concerned with meeting the needs of customers by providing a product or service, in most cases, for a profit. At the heart of business activity is enterprise and entrepreneurs, who initiate and grow businesses, with a wide range of aims and objectives.

Influences on business

Students will learn that all businesses operate in an external environment and there are a number of external influences that impact on business activity. The success or failure of a business will often depend on its willingness and ability to recognise and anticipate these external influences.

Business operations

Students will learn that business operations are concerned with the efficient management of the key functions and resources within a business to maximise profit. Businesses will organise their operations in different ways, depending on their size, the types of goods or services they sell and the markets they operate in.

Finance

Students will learn that the finance function manages the financial activities of a business. It will have a number of roles including start-up finance, the preparation and creation of financial accounts, maintaining financial records, paying bills and analysing financial performance.

Marketing

Students will understand that marketing involves identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs in a profitable way. Marketing affects all functions of a business and includes a wide range of activities including researching the market, analysing the market and developing a marketing strategy through the implementation of the marketing mix.

Human Resources

Students will understand that human resources focus on the human function within a business. It involves the recruitment, training, organisation, retention, development and motivation of employees. Human resource managers will work with other business functions to contribute and direct the business aims and objectives.

Content covered in Year 11

As well as learning the theory of Business Studies, the specification requires the development of a range of skills and these will be assessed in the examination papers:

• A minimum of 10% of total qualification marks will assess quantitative skills – these include the calculation and interpretation of quantitative data.
• Reading and using qualitative data in order to make informed judgements.
• Showing good business acumen.
• Apply knowledge and understanding to different business contexts.

This highlights the importance of doing working hard in maths and English to do well in Business Studies.

The content is not divided into individual units. The specification is truly linear with 100% external assessment at the end of the 2-year course. This means that both examination papers could ask questions about any of the content covered over the 2 years.

There are two examination papers that are sat at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework.

The focus for each unit is the style of the examination paper:

• Unit 1 Business World – is a mixture of short and structured questions that cover a broad sample of the content.
• Unit 2 Business Perceptions – is a data response paper. Students are expected to apply their understanding of business content to specific contexts.