Business at KS4

At Key Stage 4 we offer two Business courses;

GCSE in Business

BTEC Level 2 Award in Business.

Both courses are equivalent of one GCSE however the key difference is the way in which they are both assessed. Students will have 5 timetabled lessons per fortnight and will be taught in mixed ability classes. A range of teaching strategies including case studies, role-plays, group work and ICT will be used.

Guest speakers and visits to local businesses also form a key feature of the course. Students will be expected to emerge themselves in a business-like mind-set and pay attention to the world around them. The teaching, learning and assessment approaches encourage independent and active learning.

Exam Information

Edexcel GCSE (9 – 1) in Business

Year 10

Theme 1 Investigating small businesses. This unit is externally assessed at the end of Year 11 by 1 hour and 30 minutes paper of calculations, multiple choice, short answers and extended writing worth 50% of the qualification.

Year 11

Building a Business. This unit is externally assessed at the end of Year 11 by a mixture of multiple choice selections, short and extended/long answers. This accounts for 50% of the overall GCSE grade.

GCSE Revision

GCSE revision materials and past papers may be accessed on student resources via remote access in Student Resources>Subjects>Key Stage 4>Business>GCSE Y11

Edexcel BTEC Level 2 Award in Business Enterprise

This course has 3 components

Component 1 - Exploring Enterprises

Aim – examine different enterprises to develop knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of enterprises and skills needed by entrepreneurs.

Internally assessed assignment - weighting 30%

Component 2 - Planning for and Running an Enterprise

Aim – select an enterprise idea to plan, pitch for and run.

Internally assessed assignment - weighting 30%

Component 3 – Promotion and Finance for Enterprise

Aim – explore promotional methods, financial records, planning and forecasting.

Externally sat exam 2 hours, 60 marks. Students are provided with a case study of a small to medium enterprise and complete a series of activities - weighting 40%

Year 10

Component 1, learning aims A and B

Component 3 – sat in May

Year 11

Component 1, learning aim C

Component 2