Business

“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.”
Madam C.J. Walker, first female self-made millionaire

“If you push through that feeling of being scared, that feeling of taking risk, really amazing things can happen.”
Marissa Mayer, businesswoman and investor

Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts
Winston Churchill

The Purpose

This GCSE Business course equips students with the skills and confidence to explore how different business situations affect decision-making. They develop their understanding of concepts, objectives and terminology, and the impact of contemporary issues on business operations. The course will challenge the students to become critical thinkers as they are able to assess the economy around them and make key decisions so a business supports and thrives within that economy. The knowledge and skills gained from this GCSE will provide our students with a firm foundation and with lifelong skills to study Business and or Economics at higher levels.

The Business Studies curriculum aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the business world. Our curriculum offers opportunities to study a wide range of business ideas and scenarios – from a sole trader start-up to large multinational corporations, and to demonstrate to students that there are many career opportunities for them. Students are introduced to the concepts of enterprise and entrepreneurs, and the importance of people and problem-solving in business. Students develop an appreciation of business ethics and legislation, as well as the environmental impact of business activity.

Content overview	Assessment overview
Business Activity, Marketing and People	Business 1: business activity, marketing and people (01) 80 marks 1 hour 30 minutes paper 50% of total GCSE
Operations, Finance, Influences on business and the Interdependent nature of business	Business 2: Operations, finance, and influences on business (02) 80 marks 1 hour 30 minutes paper 50% of total GCSE

Key Stage 4

KMA Business Learning Journey

Assessment and feedback

In Year 11 there are three Summative Assessment tests called mocks. In Year 10 there is one mock at the end of the year. These are cumulative in nature and the purpose is:

To confirm the track point of the student
To promote longer term recall by testing earlier topics and to meet the demands of a linear course.

There are ‘End of Unit Tests’ for each of the 3 topics studied per year. These are exam style questions that cover all the knowledge the students have not only learnt in that topic but will be cumulative and have a number of questions from previous units. There will be 3 mid unit tests which will assess how they are getting on in that unit only. However, there are regular in-class assessments, including key terms tests, multiple choice assessments on Teams and 6,7, and 9 marker exam questions. Students will also be expected to complete multiple choice questions on Satchel One as part of revision and homework.

Feedback is given regularly by class teachers in the form of marked assessments, verbal whole-class feedback or one-to-one advice.