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Business A-level

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." - Milton Berle

Business is a popular subject to study at A-level, providing a valuable academic and work-related qualification whilst also developing useful life skills. It combines well with any other subject and it is held in high regard by many universities and employers. Business students will learn not only about business behaviour but also about also how businesses adapt to dynamic markets and competition.


Why Business?

  • If you want to learn about the issues involved in managing a business, the Business course will provide you with a stimulating insight into the marketing and business management.‍
  • Learn about financial literacy and problem-solving, working as a team, and managing day-to-day operations of a business.
  • The global factors affecting businesses including Brexit, joint enterprises, and global tax evasion.
  • Study new, existing, and international business by analysing, interpreting and evaluating complex business information.

For Paper 3, students undertake investigations in a specific market to become fluent in its structure, marketing, and opportunities and threats to businesses within the industry. For 2020/21, the topic was the Restaurant & Fast Food market.

We run a trip to a business within the chosen industry to enrich students with the knowledge on how the business works in the industry. This gives application points to use within Paper 3. For 2019/2020, we visited the Manchester Opera House to give students insight into the Entertainment market.


The Course

This is a two-year linear course in A Level Business. After two years of study, candidates can choose to undertake either the AS Level or A-Level Business.

A-Level:

  • Marketing people and global business - data response questions relating to local, national and global businesses (Examination, 35%).
  • Business activities, decisions and strategy - data response questions relating to local, national and global businesses (Examination, 35%).
  • Investigating business in a competitive environment - data response questions relating to local, national and global businesses (Examination, 30%).

Entry Requirements/Co-Requisites

Candidates should have a keen interest in the current business environment, as they will write about real-life businesses in context during their examination.

A minimum of a grade 5 in GCSE Mathematics is required because of the data interpretation and financial calculation part of the course. A grade 4 in GCSE Mathematics may be accepted with a passing grade in the Business Baseline Test, completed in the first week of Year 12.

Studying A-Level Mathematics, Economics, Geography, and/or Computing alongside A-Level Business is useful for studying Business and Management at a higher level.