“Creating informed, discerning employees, consumers and future leaders”
Business gives students the opportunity
to understand how organisations are started, developed and managed, and how decisions affect customers, employees, owners and the wider community. Through the OCR GCSE Business course, students build knowledge of real business situations and learn to apply, analyse and evaluate business decisions.
Students who choose GCSE Business follow OCR GCSE (9–1) Business, specification J204. The course is designed to help students become confident with business terminology, interpret information, use quantitative skills and make justified judgements in context.
- Understand why businesses exist, how entrepreneurs spot opportunities and how businesses grow.
- Explore how marketing, people, operations and finance contribute to business success.
- Develop confidence with calculations including revenue, costs, profit, break-even and cash flow.
- Consider how ethics, the environment, the economy and globalisation influence business decisions.
- Use case studies to practise application, analysis and evaluation, preparing students for OCR exam questions.
OCR GCSE Business (9–1) – J204
Students complete two written examination papers at the end of the course. Each paper is 1 hour 30 minutes, worth 80 marks and contributes 50% of the GCSE.
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Business 1: Business activity, marketing and people (J204/01) |
Business 2: Operations, finance and influences on business (J204/02) |
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80 marks • 1 hour 30 minutes • 50% |
80 marks • 1 hour 30 minutes • 50% |
Year 10
- Business Activity – enterprise and entrepreneurship, business planning, ownership, aims and objectives, stakeholders and business growth.
- Marketing – the role of marketing, market research, market segmentation and the marketing mix.
- People – the role of human resources, organisational structures, communication, recruitment and selection, motivation and retention, training and development, and employment law.
Year 11
- Operations – production processes, quality, the sales process and customer service, consumer law, business location and working with suppliers.
- Finance – the role of finance, sources of finance, revenue, costs, profit and loss, break-even, cash and cash flow.
- Influences on business – ethical and environmental considerations, the economic climate and globalisation.
- The interdependent nature of business – making links between different areas of the course and considering how one business decision can affect another area.
- Exam preparation – applying knowledge to case studies, quantitative skills and developing extended answers using clear chains of analysis and justified conclusions.
Links to other subjects
- Mathematics – percentages, averages, financial calculations and interpreting numerical data.
- English – reading case studies, selecting evidence and constructing analytical and evaluative written responses.
- ICT / Computing – technology in business, online research and the impact of digital systems.
- Geography – location, globalisation, economic change and environmental considerations.
- PSHE / Citizenship – employment rights, consumer law, ethics and responsible decision-making.
Skills students develop
- Problem solving, decision-making and justified judgement.
- Numeracy, data interpretation and financial awareness.
- Communication, teamwork and an understanding of the workplace.
- The ability to consider different stakeholder viewpoints before reaching a conclusion.