Business Studies KS5
GCE AS & A Level Business Studies
This school, together with Aberdare High School, in the Cynon Valley Consortium share delivery of Business Studies at AS & A level in Years 12 and 13. We follow the WJEC examination board specification.
The AS specification has been designed to serve as a standalone course for those wishing to follow one year of study and as the first half of the full A level course.
The AS course is made up of 2 units – BS1 and BS2.
BS1 – Business Framework gives an introduction to Business Studies, looking at what a business is, marketing, goods and services, types of business organisation and external influences on a business.
BS2 – Business Functions looks at more complex concepts from topics already studied eg international marketing, as well as accounting and finance topics (budgeting, cash flow, profit & loss accounts, break even analysis), people in organisations (recruitment, motivation, leadership styles, organisation structures) and operations management (productivity, quality, technology).
The A2 course is made up of a further 2 units BS3 and BS4.
BS3 – Business Decision-Making provides an overview of business strategy. Business organisations need to assess their own strengths and weaknesses and consider how they can best respond to the threats and opportunities posed by changes in the external environment.
BS4 – Business Strategy and Practice focuses on how business objectives are to be achieved once they have been decided.
There is no coursework. All units are examined.
BS1 is a 1 hour 15 minute paper of short answer questions, all compulsory
BS2 is a 1 hour 45 minute paper of data response and short answer questions, all compulsory
BS3 is a 2 hour paper is a case study paper and will include synoptic questions
BS4 is a 2 hour paper will have two sections. Section A will have compulsory short answer questions and problem solving questions. In Section B one synoptic essay question needs to be answered from a choice of three.
Grades are awarded A* – E.
Further information on the qualification can be found here.
