Edexcel AS Level Business Tutors Online

Edexcel AS Level Business is code 8BS0, and its full title is the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Business. First teaching was September 2015 and first certification was 2016. This page works from Issue 1, dated September 2014.

The qualification is structured into two themes and consists of two externally examined papers. Students must complete all assessment in May and June in any single year, so both papers are sat in the same summer.

Theme 1 is Marketing and people, and students develop an understanding of meeting customer needs, the market, marketing mix and strategy, managing people, and entrepreneurs and leaders. Theme 2 is Managing business activities, covering raising finance, financial planning, managing finance, resource management, and external influences.

Paper 1 is Marketing and people, code 8BS0/01. It is externally assessed, worth 50% of the total qualification, and it is a written examination of 1 hour 30 minutes carrying 80 marks. It is available in May and June.

Paper 2 is Managing business activities, code 8BS0/02. It is also externally assessed, worth 50%, and it is a written examination of 1 hour 30 minutes carrying 80 marks, available in May and June. So the two papers are identical in weight and length, and neither can be set aside.

Both papers have the same three-section structure, and the third section is the interesting one. Sections A and B each comprise one data response question broken down into a number of parts. Section C comprises one extended, open-response question.

The cross-over is what makes this qualification distinctive. On Paper 1, the questions in Sections A and B are drawn from Theme 1 content, but the question in Section C is also drawn from Theme 2 content, requiring students to make connections between marketing and people and managing business activities. On Paper 2 the arrangement is mirrored: Sections A and B come from Theme 2, and Section C is also drawn from Theme 1, requiring connections between managing business activities and marketing and people.

So the long writing question on each paper is deliberately set in the theme that paper is not about. A student who revises one theme thoroughly and treats the other as background will find the highest-mark question on their chosen paper is built on the theme they neglected.

Nothing is optional. Students answer all questions from all sections, on both papers, so there is no question to choose and no topic to leave out. The questions are drawn from local, national and global contexts, which means the same concept can appear in a corner shop or a multinational.

The assessment objectives are four. AO1, demonstrate knowledge of terms, concepts, theories, methods and models to show an understanding of how individuals and organisations are affected by and respond to business issues, is 30 to 32 per cent. AO2, apply knowledge and understanding to various business contexts to show how individuals and organisations are affected by and respond to issues, is 25 to 28 per cent. AO3, analyse issues within business showing an understanding of the impact on individuals and organisations of external and internal influences, is 22 to 24 per cent. AO4, evaluate qualitative and quantitative evidence to make informed judgements and propose evidence-based solutions to business issues, is 19 to 21 per cent.

Knowledge is the largest single objective here, at 30 to 32 per cent, which is worth knowing because it changes what revision looks like. A student needs the terms and models secure before application and evaluation can carry them. The four objectives also run in a deliberate order, from knowing, to applying, to analysing, to evaluating and proposing solutions, which is broadly the order a long answer should follow.

The two papers carry identical objective weightings. Each is 15 to 16 per cent AO1, 12.5 to 14 per cent AO2, 11 to 12 per cent AO3 and 9.5 to 10.5 per cent AO4, so neither paper is easier by design and neither leans more towards recall.

The specification describes the approach it wants. Students are introduced to business by building knowledge of core business concepts and applying them to business contexts, and they are encouraged to use an enquiring, critical and thoughtful approach, to understand that business behaviour can be studied from a range of perspectives, and to challenge assumptions. That last point is why the extended open-response question rewards a judgement rather than a summary.

The qualification is graded on a five-grade scale from A to E using the total subject mark, and individual papers are not graded. The first certification opportunity was 2016. Students below the minimum judged by Pearson to be of sufficient standard receive an unclassified U result.

On codes: the qualification number is 601/4672/2, the subject code is 8BS0, and the paper codes are 8BS0/01 and 8BS0/02. Two discount codes are printed, AA3 for KS4 performance tables and 3210 for 16 to 18 performance tables.