Q: Do I need to have studied Business before?
Absolutely not! In fact, about 65% of people who take A-Level Business haven’t studied Business before! Lots of schools no longer offer the subject at GCSE level so the course covers everything from the basics to the more advanced management topics.
Q: Is there any coursework in A-Level Business?
No, the marks that go towards your final grade all come from the 3 exams at the end of the second year, there is no coursework or controlled assessment in this course. That does mean you have a full two years to learn the content and get to grips with the exam technique though!
Q; What is the difference between the A-Level and the BTEC in Business?
The A-Level is 100% exam, where as the BTEC is a mixture of assessment methods. Although you will study many of the same topics in both courses, there is some flexibility with the units studied in the BTEC course, where as the A-level covers everything you see in the AQA specification 7132.
Q: Is there loads of Maths involved?
Yes, there is a Maths element to the course. There are equations that you will need to learn and use to help assess how well a business is performing and of course, finance is a major part of Business so you will have to use Maths skills here too. Most of the Maths we will use requires nothing more than the four functions; +, -, × and ÷. The most complicated stuff you will have to do is work out percentages or ratios and we will help and support you in doing this if you’re struggling.
Q: What else does the department offer apart from the lessons?
As a department we also run the Young Enterprise Company Programme, which is done on Wednesday afternoons as an enrichment option. You don’t have to do this, but it is a great way of putting the skills and knowledge you learn in your Business lessons into practice by creating a Business with a small group of other students. You are responsible for everything from choosing a name to developing a product, finding suppliers and making sales. Throughout the process you will have help from a Business Advisor and will gain recognition for having taken part in a global scheme. The best part is you get to keep any profit that you make!
Q: How can I get help when I need it?
We run lunchtime subject support sessions, which act as drop in sessions for you to come and get additional help outside of lessons. It might be you want some help with a bit of homework, you want to clarify something you missed when you were ill or you just want to go over a topic again and get some more practice in. It might be for 5 minutes or 50, but your teacher is there to help you.
Q: What Businesses will we look at?
The course is based entirely on real-world Businesses, so you might not always know much about them, but it’ll be very rare you come across a business you don’t know full stop.
Q: How many lessons will I have and how much work outside of lessons will I need to do?
A: All subjects at Bilborough have 3 lessons a week, which are 1.5 hours each. You will also get set homework every week, which will be a mixture of flipped learning activities, additional practice, exam questions and research. The expectations for this independent work are the same across all subjects.
Q: Can I study both Business and Economics together?
Business and Economics are completely different subjects. They complement each other well and there are a handful of topics that you will find in both subjects, but Business looks at the decisions and management of 1 firm – competing to be the best at what they do. Economics has two parts to it; Microeconomics looks at individual marketplaces – for example the housing market, or leisure market. Macroeconomics looks at how all of these markets interact with each other. So really Business is like micro-microeconomics! Lots of our students choose to study both subjects, especially if they are interested in entering financial careers.
We hope that the Course video, FAQs and Subject Live chat have answered all your questions about the course. If you do have any other generic questions, please contact the course leader alexandra.bennieston@bilborough.ac.uk
Please note that queries about your individual progression onto the course should be directed to admissions@bilborough.ac.uk