KS4 Overview

WJEC Eduqas GCSE Business Studies

Topics:
The content is covered in six clear and distinct topic areas: 
1)    Business activity – Focuses on products and services, entrepreneurs, ownership and stakeholders 
2)    Influences on business – Considers external factors and influences such as technology and ethics
3)    Business operations – Includes methods of production, quality control and sales processes
4)    Finance – Covers sources of finance, cash flow forecasting, breakeven and data on financial performance
5)    Marketing – Includes market research, marketing strategy and decision making and the marketing mix
6)    Human resources – Covers recruitment, training, organisation, development and employee motivation

Component 1: Business Dynamics        2 hours exam            62.5%
A mix of short answer and structured questions based on stimulus material covering all of the specification content.

Component 2: Business Considerations        1 hour 30 minutes exam    37.5%    
Data response questions covering all of the specification content     
Both components assess content from all six topic areas, so learners will be required to draw together knowledge, skills and understanding from across the subject content in each assessment.

Edexcel BTEC Tech Award in Enterprise

Component 1: Exploring Enterprises
Internal assessed assignments                 30%
In this component, you will have the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the different types of enterprise and their ownership, looking at the characteristics of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs with reasons for levels of success. It is important for you to develop relevant skills in market research and to analyse and be able to interpret your findings to support your understanding of customers and competitors. You will explore why enterprises are successful, looking at the impact of factors both inside and outside the control of the enterprise, and investigate ways in which situational analysis can be used to support decision making. You will discover how success can be monitored in an SME.
Component 2: Planning for and Pitching an Enterprise Activity.

Internal assessed assignments                 30%
In this component, you will use the research knowledge gained from Component 1 to consider a number of ideas before developing a plan for a realistic micro-enterprise activity. You will have the opportunity to plan how best to set up the chosen enterprise and how to fund it. You will need to take responsibility for creating and then delivering a pitch for your developed idea to an audience using your knowledge of business, and demonstrating entrepreneurial characteristics, qualities and skills. In the final part of the component you will use feedback to review your plan and pitch for the micro-enterprise activity, reflecting on your plan, your pitch and the skills you demonstrated when pitching.
Component 3: Promotion and Finance for Enterprise.

Externally assessed synoptic task                40%
In this component, you will assess and analyse financial information in an enterprise context to monitor the performance of an enterprise and strategies to improve its performance. You will investigate cash flow forecasts and statements, exploring the effects that positive and negative cash flow can have on an enterprise, and suggesting ways to improve them. You will consider the different elements of the promotional mix in order to be able to identify target markets and put forward strategies that enterprises can use to increase their success in the future.  

KS5 Overview

WJEC Eduqas  AS/A’Level Business Studies

What does the AS course include?
The AS course lays the foundation of understanding how businesses function and builds a knowledge of how managers make decisions.  There are six areas within the subject content: marketing; accounting and finance; people at work; operations management; external influences and companies’ objectives and strategies.

What does the A’Level course involve?
Business Studies can be continued at A’Level where you can further develop a critical understanding of organisations and the markets they serve through deeper study of the above subject areas. 

Will it suit me?
These courses are open to all students, whether they have taken Business Education at Key Stage 4 or not. This course will allow students to use a critical approach to distinguish between fact and opinion, build arguments and make informed judgements. It will also help them to develop and apply knowledge, understanding and skills to contemporary issues in local, national and global contexts.

Where could this lead?
An AS/A’Level in Business is a qualification contributing to university entrance requirements in any chosen area of study. It is a good foundation for studying the various options within a Business Studies degree course e.g. Human Resources, Marketing and Financial Management. It is a very useful qualification if you decide to go straight into the workplace, e.g. into Accounting or Administration. Students gaining this Certificate will have demonstrated that they have learnt the skills of research, analysis and evaluating data as well as being able to communicate their findings. These skills are in great demand and are highly valued by employers.

Edexcel BTEC National Extended Certificate in Business

What does the course include?
The course covers a broad range of business topics to include units on the environment that a business operates in, learning how businesses can successfully innovate and the stages and documents involved in recruitment and selection.

What does the BTEC course involve?
This course gives you an understanding of the essential knowledge needed to help you progress in a broad range of business careers. It can also open up further areas of study to you. You will be assessed on 6 portfolios of work and two external exams. This course is designed to be adaptable to your needs, abilities and career aspirations.

Will it suit me?
You will be assessed on six portfolios of work and two external assessments. This means that your level of attainment mainly depends on the amount of work you are willing to put in. So, if you are interested in learning about what makes a business tick, this could be the course for you. You will gain confidence through developing independent learning skills as well as your ability to work with others to complete projects.

Where could this lead?
A BTEC National Extended Certificate in Business is a qualification contributing to university entrance requirements in any chosen area of study. It is a good foundation for studying the various options within a Business Studies degree course e.g. Human Resources, Marketing and Financial Management. Students gaining this Certificate will have demonstrated that they have learnt the skills of research, analysis and evaluating data as well as being able to communicate their findings. These skills are in great demand and are highly valued by employers.

Extra Curricular Opportunities

The Business Studies computer room (B1) is open for students to come and complete coursework at break and lunch every day. The room is also available for students after school until 4pm from Tuesday to Thursday.
There are a number of Business challenges for students to get involved with throughout the year including the Tenner Challenge; which allows students to come up with unique and innovative ideas to generate a return from their £10 investment.  The department is always keen to get involved with national competitions and also runs several in school events throughout the year that students can get involved in, including; concerts, movie nights, fetes, quiz nights and many more. 
Trips
The Business Studies department run several visits from local business people and there are also opportunities to go out and investigate how businesses run in practice.
In previous years we have visited Cadbury World to investigate chocolate production; West Midlands Safari Park to study the different functional areas and also many large retailers to observe and evaluate customer service.
The department also runs several residential trips including Disneyland Paris; this allows students to learn about the management and structure of the theme park as well as the marketing strategies they employ. The Business Studies department will also be returning for another trip to New York in 2020. 
Next steps or Where the subject leads

No matter which route you follow; all these business courses can help you prepare for further and higher education such as AS/A2 Levels and BTEC courses. You will become skilled in making decisions, being creative, solving problems, understanding finance, dealing with data, communicating and working as part of team. A Business Studies course could lead to work in a business-related profession such as accountancy, law, marketing or the leisure and tourism industry.
Research by UnLtd shows that over 247,000 companies are founded by young people. A report from Santander also estimated that 80,000 UK university students run a business, and a quarter of these plan to turn it into a career when they graduate.
Emma Jones, founder of small business network Enterprise Nation, said: “These statistics show that younger generations are no longer pinning all their hopes on finding the perfect job, they are taking their destiny into their own hands and creating a business around a skill, a passion or a hobby."
Maybe it’s time to find out where a qualification in Business could take you?

Useful Links
•    Edexcel BTEC Tech Award in Enterprise
•    WJEC Eduqas GCSE Business Studies
•    WJEC Eduqas AS/A Level in Business Studies 
•    Edexcel BTEC National Extended Certificate in Business