What do I need to know, or be able to do, before taking this course?
It is unlikely that you will have studied business before taking this course, but that does not matter.  You might have an interest in business, and want to start your own business one day.  You may have an enquiring mind and be interested in learning about the world around you, how businesses are set up, and what it is that makes someone a great entrepreneur.

Is this the right subject for me?
This course is both active and enjoyable. You need to be good at communicating and explaining your ideas, and not afraid of learning new things and working with numbers to solve business problems.  You will learn how to be a creative thinker and how to make decisions.  What’s more, you will also learn about the world of business through research and investigation, as well as through practical tasks.

What will I learn?
While studying the first two units of this course you are likely to learn a lot of new things.  You will be introduced to the world of small businesses and will look at what makes someone a successful business person.  You will find out how to develop an idea and spot an opportunity, and turn that into a successful business.  You will understand how to make a business effective and manage money well.  You will also see how the world around us affects small businesses and all the people involved.

GCSE in Business Studies
You will learn more about how small businesses are developed and discover how businesses promote themselves and keep their customers happy.  You will learn how businesses manage both their finances and the people who work for them.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment will be by

• Controlled assessment
• Terminal examination where the questions will be a mixture of multiple-choice, data response, short-answer, extended-writing and scenario-based questions.

What can I do after I’ve completed the course?
GCSE Business Studies prepares you for AS/A2 Levels as well as BTEC and NVQ courses in many different subjects.  You will become skilled in making decisions, being creative, solving problems, understanding finance, dealing with data, communicating and working as part of a team.  Even if you do not want to go on to study business further you will have benefited from studying a GCSE Business course because many jobs you do will involve working for a business.  However, a GCSE Business course could lead to work in a business-related profession such as accountancy, law, marketing or the leisure and tourism industry.