BUSINESS STUDIES GCSE

Exam Board: Edexcel

Course Overview / Introduction

Our Business course examines the fast-paced and ever changing business environment and current affairs in the wider world. The course prepares you for the highly competitive world of work and allows you to develop life skills that will be beneficial after education.

The course will benefit those interested in business by giving you the ability to extract key information from case studies, develop explanation and analytical skills and make informed judgements from the data and case studies provided. If you want to work in a business or even set up your own, then this course could be well-matched to you. Successful students will have an interest in current affairs and enjoy discussing real issues that face businesses today.

The key areas of marketing and finance are studied in depth. You will also learn about recruitment, staff motivation, employment law and management structures.

What will you study?

Students study the dynamic nature of business in relation to how and why business ideas come about. They also explore the impact of risk and reward on business activity and the role of entrepreneurship. Students will explore how new and small businesses identify opportunities through understanding customer needs and conducting market research. They will also focus on understanding the competition.

Students are introduced to methods of growth and how and why business aims and objectives change as businesses evolve. The impact of globalisation and the ethical and environmental questions facing businesses are explored. Students will explore how each element of the marketing mix is managed and used to inform and make business decisions in a competitive marketplace. 

Teaching includes using real organisations as case studies to understand concepts as well as the opportunity to work as part of a team to work on a new business idea of your choice.

How many exams are there?

This course is assessed through two exams at the end of the syllabus: 

• Theme 1 - Investigating small business - 50%

• Theme 2 - Building a business - 50%

What will you gain from this course?

At the end of the course you will be able to weigh up an argument, evaluate and justify it from real life business examples. You will be able to apply knowledge and understanding to different business contexts. These include businesses ranging from small enterprises to large multinationals and businesses operating in local, national and global contexts.

Our Business course gives you a clear progression into higher education and provides the opportunity to learn key life skills such as team working, presentation and communication skills, market research techniques and negotiation skills.

What does this lead to?

The skills learnt are transferable to other subjects and provide a foundation for those considering the subject at A-level. This respected course has led to many students pursuing careers in Economics, Business, Human Resource Management, International Business and Marketing.

Popular areas of employment for business students include private enterprise and commercial business, HR, finance, marketing, PR and sales. Careers in consulting are another option. Consultants can specialise in a range of fields, including strategic consulting, IT consulting, HR consulting and business process management.

Staff Contact: 

Mr A George,
Head of Business, IT and Computing [Assistant Headteacher]