Business, Economics and Computer Science

AQA A Level - exam board website.

Topics

In Year 1, the following topics are covered:

• What is Business: why do businesses exist? (can every stakeholder be satisfied?) 
• Managers, leadership and decision-making: does scientific management always guarantee better business decisions? 
• Decision-making to improve marketing performance: can I improve the marketing decisions a business makes to improve competitiveness?
• Decision-making to improve financial performance: how do I calculate and then interpret quantitative data to improve the performance of the business?
• Decision-making to improve human resource performance: how do businesses manipulate human resources to maximise productivity?
• Decision-making to improve operational performance: will the development of technology and the importance of ethical behaviour ultimately redefine production?

In Year 2, the following additional topics are covered:

• Analysing the strategic position of a business: can I analyse the strategic position of a business? (where are we now and where do we want to be?)
• Choosing strategic direction: what strategic decision-making tools can I use to compete on a larger scale? (how do I achieve strategic goals?)
• Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies. Why do strategies fail? The role of the external environment (what are the implications of growth on change management)
• Managing strategic change: can I capture, and then manipulate, the ever-changing internal environment? (do culture and ‘the way we do things’ help or prohibit?)

Take this course if...

You are interested in the world of business and want to understand how businesses operate, recruit employees, market their goods and provide services.

Where it could take you

The majority of Business A Level students progress onto university to read Business, Business Administration, Economics, Human Resources, or Marketing with a combination of other courses. Students will also find that A-level Business will open up a range of employment opportunities in professions such as accountancy and finance, retail management, journalism, law, marketing & advertising, human resources, sport and leisure, and tourism.

Skills and experience you will need

The majority of A Level students will have studied GCSE Business Studies, however while this provides very useful foundation knowledge it is not essential and motivated students can master the relevant concepts. You will need strong numeracy skills and an ability to write clearly under pressure, so good grades in both English and maths are required.

Level 3 BTEC National - exam board website.

This course covers very similar content to the A Level in Business Studies, but is assessed through a mixture of coursework and exams, and there are resit opportunities for the examined units. It is available in two sizes - an Extended Certificate equivalent to one A Level, and a Diploma with twice as many lessons each week, additional units, and equivalent to two A Levels.

Pearson Edexcel BTEC Extended Certificate - exam board website

Pearson Edexcel BTEC Diploma - exam board website

Topics covered in both courses

Year 12: 

• Unit 1: Exploring Business: can Innovation and enterprise ensure the success and survival of businesses? 
• Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Campaign: using marketing research and through appropriate segmentation, can you create a campaign and develop your own product/service?

Year 13: 

• Unit 3: Personal and Business Finance: do you understand the financial decisions you will need to take throughout your life & how risk can affect you and your choices. 
• Unit 8: Recruitment and Selection Process: is successful recruitment the key to maintaining the success of a business?

Additional topics covered in the diploma course

Year 12:

• Unit 4: Managing an Event: Using your creativity and organisational skills; can you produce successful, memorable events, whether for profit or social enterprise. 
• Unit 5: International Business: What are the strategic and operational approaches to developing business in an international context

Year 13: 

• Unit 6: Principles of Management: What are the issues that managers and leaders consider in making businesses more efficient and ensuring their survival and growth. 
• Unit 19: Pitching for a New Business: can you explore potential business opportunities, select viable business ideas, prepare appropriate business plans and pitch these ideas to potential investors?

Take this course if...

You are interested in the world of business and want to understand how businesses operate, recruit employees, market their goods and provide services. The content is very similar to the A Level Business Studies course, but the assessment suits students who prefer coursework to exams.

Where it could take you

Many BTEC Business students progress onto university to read Business, Business Administration, Human Resources, or Marketing with a combination of other courses. Students will also find that BTEC Business will open up a range of employment opportunities in professions such as accountancy and finance, retail management, journalism, law, marketing & advertising, human resources, sport and leisure, and tourism.

Skills and experience you will need

The majority of Level 3 BTEC Business students will have studied GCSE Business Studies, however while this provides very useful foundation knowledge it is not essential and motivated students can master the relevant concepts. You will need strong numeracy skills (particularly for a challenging finance exam) and an ability to write clearly, so good grades in both English and maths are required.

OCR A Level - exam board website.

Topics

The A Level builds on the GCSE topics as well as introducing some new areas. There is still a strong emphasis on programming and algorithm so there is an assumption that students have already done some programming.

Unit 1  (examined, 40% of the A Level)

• The characteristics of contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices
• Software and software development
• Exchanging data – databases, networking, web technologies
• Data types, data structures and algorithms
• Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues

Unit 2  (examined, 40% of the A Level)

• Elements of computational thinking
• Problem solving and programming
• Algorithms to solve problems and standard algorithms

Unit 3  (teacher-assessed coursework, 20% of the A Level)

• Choosing their own programming project
• Analysing the problem
• Designing the solution
• Developing the solution
• Testing the program
• Evaluating their program

The Big Questions that we address at A Level are:

• How do we store, share and exchange data?
• How do we use algorithms to solve problems?
• How do we develop a software product from conception through to release?

Take this course if...

You enjoy writing code and want to develop your ability to write complex programs, whilst also exploring how computers actually work and the wider issues that surround their use.

Where it could take you

The ability to program is one of the most sought-after skills in a wide range of industries and workplaces. Many A Level Computer Science students go on to study a related subject at university, for example Computer Science or Game Development.

Skills and experience you will need

The majority of A Level students will have studied GCSE Computer Science, however while this provides very useful foundation knowledge it is not essential and motivated students can master the relevant concepts, as long as you have some experience of programming You will need strong numeracy skills so a good grade in Maths is important.

AQA A Level - exam board website.

Topics

Economics requires students to explore both Micro and Macro Economics. Microeconomics investigates issues such as ‘Are monopolies beneficial?’, ‘Should governments intervene in markets?’ and ‘What impact do cognitive biases have when making economic decisions?’ The Macroeconomic issues covered include ‘How should the government manage inflation?’, ‘What happens to the economy if we decide to spend more?’ and ‘What effects will Brexit have on the national and global economies?’ Throughout the course students will also develop their learning in a European and Global context.

Year 12:

• Price determination: What is meant by scarcity and how do market forces allocate resources most effectively? 
• Macroeconomic objectives: How can you measure a country’s macroeconomic performance? 
• Market structures: What are the main characteristics of markets and what does market competition look like? 
• Aggregate demand & supply analysis: What impacts do changes in the economy have upon government objectives? 
• Market failure and government intervention: How do we avoid market failure in inefficient markets? 
• Macroeconomic policy: What policies could the government implement to avoid trade-offs in its objectives? 

Year 13:

• The labour market and inequality: What are the different labour market structures and how do trade unions and national minimum wages influence overall economic welfare? 
• International economics and economic development: How has trade shaped the globalised world and boosted development in poorer countries? 
• Behavioural economics: How does human behavioural economics explain how individuals make choices and decisions? 
• Financial markets: Why do banks and financial markets exist?  

Throughout the A Level students will develop their analytical and evaluation skills when dealing with economic concepts and scenarios.

Take this course if...

You are interested in the world of business and want to understand how the economy on a national and global scale operates. You enjoy applying mathematical skills and knowledge to understand complex processes, and constructing arguments in essays.

Where it could take you

Economics students progress onto university to read a range of subjects. Many students enjoy the subject so much they go o to study Economics (or Economics in combinatio with another subject) at university and use this practically in their careers in business, government or finance. Students will also find that A Level Economics will open up a range of employment opportunities. Economics students will have developed many transferable skillssuch as communication, independent research, analytical and evaluation skills.

Skills and experience you will need

Students who have studied Economics or Business Studies at GCSE will find the knowledge and skills developed very useful, but many successful A Level Economics students have not taken either course. Strong grades (at least 6) in English and Maths are recommended however, and success in essay writing subjects such as English Literature and History is a good preparation for the demands of A Level Economics exams.