The current ICAAE GCSE in Business Studies (Specification B) has been developed to take account of the revised Subject Criteria for Business Studies, the Common Criteria and the revised GCSE General Criteria published by the regulatory authorities in March 2000.  The specification is available in England and Wales only.

This specification has been developed to:

• provide a rigorous yet flexible programme for delivery and promote a student-centred and practical approach;
• enable teachers to create a route through the course which is best suited to the capabilities of their students;
• offer some choice in the mode of assessment to enable students to demonstrate their capabilities in a way which is best suited to them;
• enable students to understand the dynamics of business activity and the influence this has on decision-making processes within a business;
• encourage students to develop independent thinking to solve problems;
• encourage students to develop decision-making skills.

The subject content is divided into five units of study:

Unit 1 - Business and its environment
Unit 2 - Human Resources
Unit 3 - Finance and Accounting
Unit 4 - Marketing
Unit 5 - Production.

Opportunities for developing and generating evidence for the assessment of Key Skills are indicated.

This specification enables students from a wide ability range to demonstrate achievement. There are two tiers of entry - Foundation and Higher. Target grades for the two tiers are C - G and A* - D respectively. To obtain an award students must complete the terminal examination (75%) and either submit a coursework portfolio (25%) or complete a case study paper (25%).

The terminal examination is two hours long and the examination paper will be based on a pre-issued externally set context. The examination will consist of either a combination of a short answer section and structured questions (Foundation) or structured questions only (Higher). The terminal examination will be externally marked.

Students choosing the coursework portfolio option will be required to submit a portfolio of work that shows evidence of individual research. The portfolio will contain one investigative assignment of approximately 2500 - 3000 words, which may focus on a particular unit of work or be synoptic in nature. The portfolio will be internally marked and externally moderated.

Where students choose the case study option, this will relate to one or more units of the specification content and students will be required to use their knowledge to demonstrate their ability to select information in response to a problem or situation, make decisions and evaluate their decisions. There are two tiers of entry; the Foundation tier will be less demanding in that the task will be more structured. The case study is one hour long, all questions will be compulsory and the paper will be externally marked.