Why we teach Business Studies

Business Studies equips students with skills needed to access diverse career opportunities in a dynamic economy. At St Pauls Academy, GCSE Business Studies is offered at KS4. At KS3, students are introduced to the subject through Enterprise. They learn about enterprise and budgeting in year 7, finance and decision-making in year 8, and business and finance in year 9. At KS4, students learn the fundamental concepts of investigating a small business (Year 10) and of building a business (Year 11). Students gain the business and finance knowledge and skills needed to develop their entrepreneurial and employability skills, allowing them to identify business problems and opportunities. Business studies enable students to analyse and evaluate the micro and macro business environment and the factors that influence businesses in the UK and across the world. We intend to academically equip our students with the knowledge and skills needed to understand underlying business theories which can be applied to a variety of case studies related to the real world of business. The business studies curriculum is designed to develop team working skills as well as problem-solving, decision-making and critical analysis.

GCSE Business Studies 

Exam board: Edexcel 

What will I study? 

GCSE Business Studies explores the world of small businesses through the lens of an entrepreneur. It offers students the opportunities to study different types of business in different industries, including many real-life case studies. It looks at why businesses exist, how they are set up and how they are run. Studying GCSE business will assist you with the skills of developing business ideas, using maths skills to analyse data, making business decisions including financial, operational, marketing and human resources. This is explored through two themes; Theme 1'Investigating Small Business' and Theme 2 'Building a Business'. The skills learnt in GCSE Business Studies are transferable to a number of career paths. 

What skills will I develop? 

In year 10, you will study Theme 1: "Investigating Small Business": 

• Enterprise and Entrepreneurship 
• Spotting a business opportunity 
• Putting a business idea into practice 
• Making the business effective 
• Understanding external influences on business 

And in year 11, you will study Theme 2: "Building a Business": 

• Growing the Business 
• Making Marketing Decisions 
• Making Operational Decisions 
• Making Financial Decisions 
• Making Human Resource Decisions 

How will I be assessed? 

The qualification will be assessed by two equally weighted exam papers. 

Paper 1 assesses Theme 1.

Paper 2 assesses Theme 2.

There is no coursework. 

Each paper includes multiple choice, calculations, and extended-writing questions. There are three sections in each of the papers. Section A starts with multiple choice questions, moving to short answer questions and ends with extended written questions. Sections B and C are based on real life, relevant business contexts, and examples and include five extended writing style questions between the two case studies. 

Where can this course take me? 

• Business analyst 
• Estate Agent 
• Advertising & Marketing 
•  Business development manager 
• Public Relations Officer 
• Project Management 
• Market Researcher 
• Digital marketer 
• Social Media Manager 
• Recruitment and human resources (HR) 

Head of Department: Mr Kangabuka