At KS4 the department offers two Business Studies courses, AQA GCSE and a Level 2 Btec Certificate in Business. Both courses concentrate on the analysis of the internal workings of businesses, from sole traders to multi-national corporations, providing students with both practical and theoretical business knowledge. This occurs through studying the major departments within businesses, Marketing, Human Resources, Operations and Finance.
The main difference is how the two qualifications are assesses. The GCSE course consists of two one hour exams and a controlled assessment completed on a local business. The course is now linear with all exams taken in the summer of Year 11. The Btec course is predominantly examined by use of assignments, allowing students to apply their theoretical understanding to actual business scenarios. There are three assignments that they will study during year 10 and 11, whereby activities within lessons develop into independent research which students then use to write up a report in controlled conditions on different business scenarios and topics. The external assessment within the Btec course is the finance unit. Students would be expected to perform a variety of business calculations and then analyse the results to provide advice on how a business could improve its current performance. Unlike the GCSE, this exam is on a computer and is sat at the beginning of year 11 rather than at the end. Students are also able to re-sit this exam as often as they'd like to improve their grade, however a re-sit fee would be attached to this.
Both of the above courses continue at KS5 through the opportunity to study an A level in Business Studies and the extended Level 3 National Diploma in Business. We also offer Economics at A level too. Economics provides a more scientific approach to studying the practical problems that face a variety of economic agents in today’s fast moving economic climate. Students are taught to model economic problems and then find solutions to contemporary issues such as youth unemployment and high levels of national debt.
More information on the above courses and what they include can be found in the school's prospectus or by simply asking a member of the business and economics department.
The main difference is how the two qualifications are assesses. The GCSE course consists of two one hour exams and a controlled assessment completed on a local business. The course is now linear with all exams taken in the summer of Year 11. The Btec course is predominantly examined by use of assignments, allowing students to apply their theoretical understanding to actual business scenarios. There are three assignments that they will study during year 10 and 11, whereby activities within lessons develop into independent research which students then use to write up a report in controlled conditions on different business scenarios and topics. The external assessment within the Btec course is the finance unit. Students would be expected to perform a variety of business calculations and then analyse the results to provide advice on how a business could improve its current performance. Unlike the GCSE, this exam is on a computer and is sat at the beginning of year 11 rather than at the end. Students are also able to re-sit this exam as often as they'd like to improve their grade, however a re-sit fee would be attached to this.
Both of the above courses continue at KS5 through the opportunity to study an A level in Business Studies and the extended Level 3 National Diploma in Business. We also offer Economics at A level too. Economics provides a more scientific approach to studying the practical problems that face a variety of economic agents in today’s fast moving economic climate. Students are taught to model economic problems and then find solutions to contemporary issues such as youth unemployment and high levels of national debt.
More information on the above courses and what they include can be found in the school's prospectus or by simply asking a member of the business and economics department.