You will look at the practicalities of setting up a business and how big businesses run and operate. We look at the world around us and discover how powerful businesses are in shaping our lives. We look at each of the four main business functions; finance, marketing, human resources and operations management in depth. This will be useful in later life, regardless of which career you choose. You will learn to be a better business person, consumer and about the basic facts of finance.

Is this the right subject for me?

The course is academic. As an essay-based subject, you will need to be good at written communication and explaining your ideas. You will also need to be good with numbers as there are calculation questions in all topic areas and you will need to use mathematics to solve real business problems.

How will I learn?

We try to make the course as dynamic as possible and we are look at real businesses and how they operate. Once you have been taught the theory you will need to be able to apply it to business situations.

How will I be assessed?

Two exams at the end of year 11.

Paper 1 Investigating small businesses; 50% of the qualification – 90 minutes.

Paper 2 Building a business; 50% of the qualification – 90 minutes. 

What can I do after I have completed the course?

Business is a good preparation for further and higher education.  You will become a more confident business person, better able to interact with businesses both as employees and consumers. It will also help you to set up your own business if this is something that you ever want to do.