Business (Applied)
(Applied General Certificate / Extended Certificate)
Please note: government expectation is that students should not take more than one certificate course as part of an A level programme.
WHY SHOULD I STUDY BUSINESS (APPLIED)?
The modular two-year A Level equivalent course aims to make you think critically about business, in terms of both good and bad aspects, and apply your knowledge to real businesses through independent research and various other activities. Business (Applied) at this level encompasses many disciplines and covers many different forms of business organisation and functional areas. The course also integrates ideas drawn from various disciplines, including economics, accounting, law, government, sociology and psychology.
COURSE CONTENT (AQA)
The course is based firmly on the aims and objectives of businesses, the principles which govern their decision making and the methods of solving business problems. You will learn to look at problems from a number of viewpoints and to take these into account when making business decisions. The course includes a study of enterprise, operations management, human resources management, marketing and financial planning and the different roles that stakeholders play in influencing decisions, both within and outside the company.
The influence that legal factors, economic and environmental constraints and human behaviour have on business decisions will also be explored.
The content of the AQA Business (Applied Certificate) Course in the first year comprises of three compulsory units:
Unit 1: Financial Planning and Monitoring.
Unit 2: Investigating Business.
Unit 3: Personal Enterprise.
PROGRESSION ONTO EXTENDED CERTIFICATE IN THE SECOND YEAR
Students need to have achieved at least a Merit grade on the Certificate Level course and have a good track record of work completion by deadlines. In Year 2 of the course, you will study the following units for the Extended Certificate: Managing and Leading People; Business Planning; Marketing Communications.
ASSESSMENT
Unit 1: Externally assessed by a 1h 30 minutes exam paper.
Unit 2: Internally assessed by portfolio.
Unit 3: Externally assessed by portfolio.
MINIMUM ENTRY CRITERIA
Standard College entry requirements and a minimum of:
| Grade required | Subject required |
|---|---|
|
Grade 5 in one subject group and Grade 4 in the other |
GCSE English Language or English Literature GCSE Mathematics |
|
and |
|
| Grade 5 | In at least one predominantly written based GCSE subject (from English Language, English Literature, History, Religious Studies or Sociology) |
WHAT CAN I DO AFTER STUDYING BUSINESS (APPLIED)?
Students can progress into work-based training in a business environment or onto a business-related degree course at university.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Students are not required to have studied this subject at GCSE, but will be expected to have a good level of numerical and written skills as well as good ICT skills to be successful.
Given the high coursework content of the course, students will be expected to have adequate planning and organisation skills as well as the ability to produce independent work to deadlines.