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Business Studies

Time allocation
Students will study GCSE Business for two 1 hour lessons per week from Year 9. 

Exam Board: OCR 

Why you should consider studying Business:  

  • Relevant and contemporary – GCSE Business uses a variety of real business contexts to consider issues and challenges facing entrepreneurs and commercial organisations. 

  • Skills for a modern world – Students have the opportunity to develop as enterprising individuals with a practical set of key skills, including problem solving and decision-making, interpreting and analysing data, and many more. 

  • Opportunities for progression – This qualification offers an ideal foundation to gain insight into future career paths in business. It can provide a useful stepping stone to many further education qualifications including A Level Business. 

Course Content: 

 

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Autumn

Business Activity:

  • Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
  • Business Planning
  • Business Aims and Objectives
  • Stakeholders
  • Business Ownership
  • Growth of Business

Marketing:

  • The role of marketing
  • Market Research
  • Market Segmentation
  • The Marketing Mix

Finance:

  • The Role of the Finance Function
  • Sources of Finance
  • Revenue, Costs, Profit and Loss
  • Break-Even
  • Cash and cash flow

Spring

 

Operations:

  • Production Processes
  • Quality of Goods and Services
  • The Sales Process and Customer Service
  • Consumer Law
  • Business Location
  • Working with Suppliers

Influences on Business

  • Ethical and Environmental Considerations
  • The Economic Climate
  • Globalisation

Summer

People:

  • The Role of Human Resources
  • Organisational Structures and Different Ways of Working
  • Communication in Business
  • Recruitment and Selection
  • Motivation and Retention
  • Training and Development
  • Employment Law

 

 


Formative Assessment
Students will be assessed throughout the course. This may take the form of written assessments or case study extended questions. Homework will also be set in line with the school homework policy. This may include research or answering exam-style questions. 

Summative Assessment
The J204 Business GCSE Specification was first assessed in June 2019. The GCSE (9–1) in Business is a linear qualification with 100% external assessment. 

It consists of two examined components: 

Business 1: Business Activity, Marketing and People (01) 

  • This component is worth 80 marks, split into two sections and assesses content from business activity, marketing and human resources. 

  • Section A contains multiple choice questions. This section of the component is worth 15 marks. 

  • Section B includes short, medium and extended response style questions which use stimulus material that draws on real business contexts. This section of the component is worth 65 marks. 

Business 2: Operations, Finance and Influences on Business (02) 

  • This component is worth 80 marks, split into two sections and assesses content from operations, finance and influences on business. This component assumes knowledge of business activity, marketing and human resources. 

  • Section A contains multiple choice questions. This section of the component is worth 15 marks. 

  • Section B includes short, medium and extended response-style questions which use stimulus material that draws on real business contexts. This section of the component is worth 65 marks. Synoptic questions are included in section B. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

What opportunities will a GCSE in Business lead to? 
After studying Business you will have an insight into just how businesses operate, including how to set up a business of your own. This is a practical course, using real businesses as examples. You will learn skills to help you in decision making and be one step ahead in understanding how businesses operate. 

A GCSE Business course could lead to work in a business-related profession such as accountancy, law, marketing, management or the leisure and tourism industry. It may also help to give you direction with regard to future career choices as you will gain an insight into how organisations are managed, and the different types of departments within them. 

What skills profile should a GCSE Business student have?  

  • You should have an interest in current affairs 
  • You should have an interest in finding solutions to business problems 
  • You should have a good Maths brain and be comfortable managing data 
  • You should be able to write explain their reasoning and justify it 

Famous entrepreneurs include:  Sir Richard Branson, Sir Alan Sugar, Levis Roots, Roman Abramovich, Lord Sainsbury and Bernie Ecclestone. 

For more information, contact Ms Butcher - Curriculum Leader for Business.