In the Business department, we offer two courses: Applied and A
Level Business. For A level Business, there is no coursework and for
Applied Business it is a mix of coursework and exams.

Yes! Most of our students at A Level have never studied Business
before – maybe because it wasn’t offered at their school. This is
fine! We assume you have no prior knowledge of Business and start
right at the beginning with such knowledge as ‘What is a business?’
and ‘what are the key characteristics of an entrepreneur?’

You need a genuine interest in businesses and the world outside of
education. You need to be able to work individually or in groups to
research into or discuss a particular business situation, questioning
at every opportunity. Business complements all subjects because
every student will be an employee at some point, whether as an
engineer, a dancer etc, so will benefit from learning more about
businesses.

A level Business is suitable to take with a wide variety of other A
levels and / or BTECs. We attract many students who also take
Sociology, Psychology, Law, Economics or Accounting but also a lot
that take Maths or even creative subjects such as Textiles! For
some, they feel it is complementing their current subject choice and
may aid their university choice and for others they take the subject
because it is a little different to the other subjects they are
studying. In the end, we recommend to students that they take the
subjects that they think they will enjoy!

A level Business covers a broad range of topics. Many of our
students go on to study Business at university. Business graduates
work in various fields, such as advertising, public relations,
accounting, banking, finance, Human resource management and
many more. Even if entering a different field, employers will
appreciate that you have a good idea of how a company works due
to studying A Level Business, which should put you in an excellent
position to be a top candidate for the job. Apprenticeships
(including degree level apprenticeships) are is another area where
A Level Business students can be successful.

A lot of the content that you may have studied in GCSE Business will
also be covered in the first year of A Level Business – but in a lot
more detail and depth! There is a lot more focus on analysis and
evaluation skills in A Level business. In the second year, the course
gets broader with an international focus including topics such as
strategy, change management and contingency planning. There
will be loads more content covered! The key assessment objectives
focus more on analysis and evaluation as the two years progress as
well.

Yes, normally in Business we have a wide range of extracurricular
activities including enterprise events and competitions, trips to
local and national businesses, residential trips and speakers from
the world of Business and Higher Education.

In Business, there is a mix between short answer questions (e.g.
definitions) and longer, extended answers (e.g. 12 mark evaluation
questions). The final paper also includes a 10 and 20-mark essay. In
class, we will guide you through how to structure the answers to
the types of questions you could expect in your exams, with special
focus on command words and assessment objectives.

In Business, students will be required to perform basic calculations
of things such as a percentage change or a firms level of profit this
will make up a minimum of 10% of the overall A level marks. We
will offer support to any student who feels they need additional
support with numerical aspects of the course.

In Business, we have a large team of highly supportive staff, we
have dedicated student support sessions as well as drop in sessions
where students can seek additional help. In addition, we have
tailored course materials and assessments so students can track
their own progress.