A LEVEL
Business Studies
Business Studies at St Paul’s helps you understand how organisations work, how decisions are made, and what drives success in a fast-changing world. You’ll look at how ideas become opportunities, how leaders shape businesses, and how strategy turns vision into action.
Studying Business Studies at St Paul’s gives you the chance to explore how ideas become successful ventures, understand what makes organisations thrive, and develop the skills to think critically and lead with confidence.
You arrive as you are, and you’re celebrated for it. You leave ready to take on the world.
— Sixth Form student
Why Choose Business Studies at St Paul’s?
The Business Studies team at St Paul’s works closely with each student, combining clear teaching with practical insight to help you grow in confidence and apply what you learn to real situations.
Smaller class sizes provide personalised guidance and the chance to discuss ideas in depth.
Dedicated, experienced teachers bring real-world examples into lessons, helping you connect theory to practice.
A collaborative community that encourages teamwork, creativity and confidence in decision-making.
A subject that opens doors to exciting futures in management, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship and beyond.
A place to develop your ambition, grow as a leader and gain the skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Where Business Studies Can Take You
Many of our students continue their studies at university, focusing on areas such as management, marketing, finance or economics. Others take their skills directly into employment, starting their own ventures or working in roles where analytical thinking, teamwork and initiative make a difference.
I thought about leaving, but I realised no one else would care about me the way St Paul’s does. Here, I’m not starting over, I’m moving forward.
— Student Name
What You’ll Study
The course gives you a broad understanding of how businesses function and compete. You’ll learn how organisations make strategic decisions, manage people and resources, and respond to global challenges.
You’ll explore topics including:
Marketing, People and Global Businesses – Understanding what drives customers and how businesses adapt in international contexts.
Business Activities, Decisions and Strategy – Examining how financial, operational and human factors influence success.
Investigating Business in a Competitive Environment – Applying theory to real companies and assessing how they achieve growth and sustainability.
Full details of the course can be found in the exam board’s official Edexcel specification.
You arrive as you are, and you’re celebrated for it. You leave ready to take on the world.
— Sixth Form student
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Business Studies Exam Results
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PASS RATE
...
achieved
A* to C
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achieved
A* to B
...
achieved
A* to A
Entry Requirements
In addition to our standard entry requirements, a number of our courses have specific entry requirements to ensure you are ready to thrive in the subject. For Mathematics, you’ll need:
- Grade 5+ in English Language
These requirements are in place to help set you up for success and make sure you have the right foundation to enjoy the challenge of Sixth Form study.
I thought about leaving, but I realised no one else would care about me the way St Paul’s does. Here, I’m not starting over, I’m moving forward.
— Student Name
Hear From Our Students
I chose to study business since I have an interest in the business environment and thought it would aid me in developing a wider understanding in this sphere, particularly through topics such as leadership and finance, which should help me in the future, whatever it is I choose to do beyond St Pauls.
I do business because I am really interest in the financial elements of the course as I feel it will benefit me with my future career choices.
Dr S Saaka
SUBJECT LEADER FOR BUSINESS
Thank you for your interest in Business Studies at St Paul’s. Our department is committed to helping students understand how businesses operate and succeed in an ever-changing world. We focus on developing analytical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills, qualities that are valued in both higher education and the workplace.
If you’d like to know more about studying Business Studies at A Level, or where it can lead, from university pathways to careers in management, finance and entrepreneurship, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Send me a message
We’d love to hear from you, whether you want to talk about subject choices, entry requirements, or your future career ideas.
Are you ready to think like an entrepreneur, develop real-world skills, and discover how businesses shape the world around us?
Start your Business Studies journey at St Paul’s.
Whatever course you choose, you’ll be joining a community where every student is known and loved. Our mission is not just to help you succeed academically, but to help you grow as a person, supported and celebrated every step of the way.
Business StudiesCourse Content
Gain an holistic understanding of business in a range of contexts and develop your enthusiasm for business through this exciting A Level course.
The subject is taught in four themes:
- Marketing and People – focus is on motivation, HR and marketing, viral advertising, and marketing mix.
- Managing Business Activities – focus is on finance and production.
- Global Business – focus is on impact of globalisation and international businesses.
- Business Decisions and Strategy – focus is on mergers and takeovers, ethical issues.
| PAPER 1Marketing, People & Global Businesses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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WEIGHT |
35% (100 Marks) |
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LENGTH |
2 Hours |
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FORMAT |
Data Responses & Essay |
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Paper 1 is divided into two sections, Section A and B, both comprising of 50 marks each.
| PAPER 2Business Activities, Decisions & Strategy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
WEIGHT |
35% (100 Marks) |
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|
LENGTH |
2 Hours |
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|
FORMAT |
Data Responses & Essay |
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Paper 2 is divided into two sections, Section A and B, both comprising of 50 marks each.
| PAPER 3Investigating Business in a Competitive Environment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
WEIGHT |
35% (100 Marks) |
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|
LENGTH |
2 Hours |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
FORMAT |
Data Responses & Essay |
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The questions in Paper 3 are based on pre-released research theme launched in November. The paper is divided into two sections:
- Section A focuses on the broad context (50 marks).
- Section B focuses on a strand within the context (50 marks).
