Support

As a valued student of Start Learning you will have the facility to use our personal tutor service.  At Start Learning we have a friendly team of highly qualified and experienced tutors.  A tutor will be allocated to our student for 12 months, starting from when study materials are received.  The tutors are contacted via email and are responsible for marking assignments and guiding you through the course to ensure you are ready for your examinations.

Entry Requirements

No entry requirements.
At Start Learning we believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further.  Students will be given plenty of resources to help them overcome obstacles.  Start Learning tutors will also aid our students and answer queries.      

Recommended Hours of Study

It is recommended that 180 hours of your time should be allocated towards studying for the GCSE examinations.

Course Contents

Unit 1: Business Activity and the Changing Environment

1.1 - Objectives
1.2 - Types of organisation
1.3 - Factors of Production
1.4 - Primary, secondary and tertiary activity
1.5 - Location
1.6 - Government influences on business activity and objectives
1.7 - External influences
1.8 - Judging Success
End of Unit Submission

Unit 2: Human Resources

2.1 - Internal Organisation
2.2 - Communication
2.3 - Recruitment and Selection
2.4 - Training
2.5 - Motivation and Rewards
End of Unit Submission

Unit 3: Accounting and Finance

3.1 - External and Internal Sources of Finance
3.2 - Budgets and Cash Flow Forecasts
3.3 - Cost and Break Even Analysis
3.4 - Financial Statements
3.5 - Ratios and Performance
End of Unit Submission

Unit 4: Marketing

4.1 - The Market
4.2 - The Marketing Mix
4.3 - Market Research
End of Unit Submission

Unit 5: Production

5.1 - Economies and Diseconomies of Scale
5.2 - Methods of Production
5.3 - Productivity
5.4 - Quality
End of Unit Submission

We have deliberately designed the course to make it as interactive as possible with lots of self-assessment exercises for you to carry out prior to you taking the End of Unit submissions. These are assignments which you will send them to your tutor and receive feedback to improve your knowledge and skills in handling examination questions.

Qualification

GCSE in Business Studies

Language of Examination

English

Examination Centre

Start Learning will provide you with a list of examination centres. 

The contract for sitting exams is between you and the centre and we will provide you with comprehensive instructions on when and how to deal with the examination centre.

Please email for a list of centres and we will provide you with a link or a PDF for you to contact centres directly.

What will be in the examinations?

This Edexcel IGCSE in Business Studies is assessed through a written examination paper.

Paper 1: Business Studies Paper code: 4BS0/01
• Externally assessed

Overview of content

• Business Activity and the Changing Environment – examines the objectives of businesses, the changing environment and the criteria for judging success. The focus is on the importance of having clear business objectives and how the business environment provides opportunities for, and imposes constraints upon, the pursuit of those objectives.
• Human Resources – looks at people in organisations focusing on their roles, relationships and management in business.
• Accounting and Finance – explores the use of accounting and financial information as an aid to decision making.
• Marketing – focuses on identifying and satisfying customer needs in a changing and competitive international environment.
• Production – examines the way organisations use and manage resources to produce goods and services.
Overview of assessment
• The assessment of this qualification is through a two-hour examination paper, set and marked by Edexcel.
• Single tier of entry.
• The total number of marks available is 100.