Business Studies 

You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.

Steve Jobs

Market activities have profound impact on the UK economy and global economy changes in which can have a significant impact on our daily lives. 

At St George’s Catholic School, our Business students experience an exciting well-designed curriculum that reflects these patterns and strives to give students a better analytical and evaluative understanding of market forces. We are committed to develop students to be the leaders and entrepreneurs of the future who create, share and use their understanding to help businesses flourish in local, national and international markets. Thus students strive to be positive contributors to their local communities, enriching their community with knowledge and transfer life-skills.

Our curriculum is a blend of theory and real-life application of how businesses react and adapt and we purposefully sequence knowledge that enables our students to analyse supply and demand, creating innovative solutions in response.

Our students learn the detail underpinning business ownership, operations, human resources, marketing, finance and how they react to external influences such as the economy, competition, globalisation and legislation. This ensures the bedrock of knowledge for successful businesses to succeed in competitive markets.

Through modelling and nurturing deep interest in Business Studies, our students will become:

• Equipped with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the wider business world
• Curious and creative thinkers, with the ability to find solutions
• Confident when making decisions in ever changing, often challenging circumstances
• Aspirational when making business and employment choices
• Articulate and highly informed leaders of the future

Want to find out more? 
If you wish to find out more about Business Studies at St George’s please feel free to contact Mr M Jackman at m.jackman@stgeorgesrc.org

KS4

St George’s Business Studies department is following the AQA GCSE Business 9-1 Specification. Please see course outline below:

1. Business in the real world
2. Influences on business
3. Business operations
4. Human resources
5. Marketing
6. Finance

The exam consists of two papers both lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes.

KS5

At KS5 we offer both A-Level Business Studies and BTEC Level 3 Business Studies. Below is an outline of the courses we offer.

Subject content

1. What is business?
2. Managers, leadership and decision making
3. Decision making to improve marketing performance
4. Decision making to improve operational performance
5. Decision making to improve financial performance
6. Decision making to improve human resource performance
7. Analysing the strategic position of a business
8. Choosing strategic direction
9. Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies
10. Managing strategic change

Assessment

Paper 1: Business 1

What's assessed
All content above

Assessed

• Written exam: 2 hours
• 100 marks in total
• 33.3% of A-level

Questions

Three compulsory sections:

• Section A: 15 multiple choice questions (MCQs) worth 15 marks.
• Section B has short answer questions worth 35 marks.
• Sections C and D have two essay questions (choice of one from two and one from two) worth 25 marks each.

Paper 2: Business 2

The above content is assessed in this paper.

Assessed

• All content above

• 100 marks in total

• 33.3% of A-level

Questions

Three data response compulsory questions worth approximately 33 marks each and made up of three or four part questions

Paper 3: Business 3

The above content is assessed in this paper.

Assessed

• Written exam: 2 hours
• 100 marks in total
• 33.3% of A-level

Questions

One compulsory case study followed by approximately six questions.

Before the qualification can be awarded, students must undertake all the assessments.

BTEC Level 3 Business Studies

We offer three BTEC’s in the Business Studies department:

• Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Business
• Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Travel and Tourism

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Business

The Extended Certificate is for learners who are interested in learning about the business sector alongside other fields of study, with a view to progressing to a wide range of higher education courses, not necessarily in business-related subjects. It is designed to be taken as part of a programme of study that includes other appropriate BTEC Nationals or A Levels.

• Equivalent in size to one A Level
• 4 units of which 3 are mandatory and 2 are external
• Mandatory content (83%)
• External assessment (58%)

Units studied:         

• Unit 1 Exploring Business
• Unit 2 Developing a Marketing Campaign
• Unit 3 Personal and Business Finance
• Unit 8 Recruitment and Selection

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Business

The Diploma is designed to be the substantive part of a 16–19 study programme for learners who want a strong core of sector study. This programme may include other BTEC Nationals or A Levels to support progression to higher education courses in business areas before entering employment. The additional qualification(s) studied allow learners either to give breadth to their study programme by choosing a contrasting subject, or to give it more focus by choosing a complementary subject. This qualification can also be used to progress to Higher Apprenticeships.

• Equivalent in size to two A Levels
• 8 units of which 6 are mandatory and 3 are external
• Mandatory content (83%)
• External assessment (45%)

Units studied:

• Unit 1 Exploring Business
• Unit 2 Developing a Marketing Campaign
• Unit 3 Personal and Business Finance
• Unit 4 Managing an Event
• Unit 5 International Business
• Unit 6 Principals of Management
• Unit 8 Recruitment and Selection
• Unit 14 Investigating Customer Service

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Travel and Tourism

This qualification is designed to support learners who are interested in learning about the travel and tourism industry alongside other fields of study, with a view to progressing to a wide range of higher education courses, not necessarily in travel and tourism-related subjects. The qualification is designed to be taken as part of a programme of study that includes other appropriate BTEC Nationals or A Levels.

• Equivalent in size to one A Level
• 4 units of which 3 are mandatory and 2 are external
• Mandatory content (83%)
• External assessment (58%)

Unit studied:

• Unit 1 The World of Travel and Tourism
• Unit 2 Global Destinations
• Unit 3 Principals of Marketing in Travel and Tourism
• Unit 9 Visitor Attractions