GCSE (9-1)
Business
This draft qualification has not yet been accredited by Ofqual. It is published to enable teachers to have early sight of our
proposed approach to Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Music (1MU0). Further changes may be required
and no assurance can be given at this time that the proposed qualification will be made available in its current form, or
that it will be accredited in time for first teaching in September 2016 and first award in 2018.
Specification
Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Business (1BS0)
First teaching from September 2017
First certification from 2019 Issue 2
,Summary of Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1)
in Business specification Issue 2 changes
Summary of changes made between previous issue and this current issue Page
number
The paper timings have been updated for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 from 4, 5, 13,
21
‘1 hour and 30 minutes’ to
‘1 hour and 45 minutes’
In Assessment information the following has been updated: 13, 21
‘Questions in Sections B and C will be based on business contexts given in the paper’
to
‘Questions in Sections B and C will be based on business contexts given in a Source
Booklet.’
If you need further information on these changes or what they mean, contact us via our website at:
qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/contact-us.html.
,Contents
1 Introduction 2
Why choose Edexcel GCSE Business? 2
Supporting you in planning and implementing this qualification 3
Qualification at a glance 4
2 Subject content and assessment information 6
Theme 1: Investigating small business 7
Theme 2: Building a business 14
Assessment Objectives 22
3 Administration and general information 23
Entries 23
Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments, special consideration and malpractice 23
Student recruitment and progression 25
Appendix 1: Command word taxonomy and definitions of business
terms 29
Appendix 2: Quantitative skills 31
Appendix 3: Formulae 32
Appendix 4: Calculators 33
Appendix 5: The context for the development of this qualification 34
Appendix 6: Transferable skills 36
Appendix 7: Codes 37
, 1 Introduction
Why choose Edexcel GCSE Business?
We’ve listened to feedback from all parts of the business subject community, including
teachers, subject associations, professional bodies and higher education. We’ve used this
opportunity of curriculum change to redesign a qualification that is engaging and inspiring,
and which reflects the demands of a truly modern and evolving business environment – a
qualification that enables your students to develop as commercially minded and enterprising
individuals and helps them to succeed in their chosen pathway.
Developing enterprising minds
Familiar course content and approach – we’ve retained the structure of our current
specification while building in new content areas to give you as much continuity as possible,
starting the course with an exploration of how and why businesses start, moving through to
the issues and decisions businesses make as they grow.
Clear and simple structure – based on your feedback we’ve taken the opportunity to make
some improvements to the clarity and structure of our new specification and exam papers to
make sure you are clear about the new teaching and assessment requirements from your
first glance.
Engaging and contemporary contexts – our engaging themes will spark your students’
imagination and inspire commercial thinking as they develop their business knowledge. We
know you use contemporary business contexts in your teaching and our new specification will
enable you to continue to bring practical and engaging case studies into the classroom. We
also know that real and relevant business examples engage your students so you’ll continue
to see these in our assessments.
Clear and accessible assessment for all – our new papers will build confidence through
ramped questions which increasingly challenge students as they move through the paper.
Our consistent assessment structure and straight forward mark schemes make the
expectations clear to teachers and students.
Trusted expert support when you need it – we’ll provide detailed content and
assessment guidance as well as course planners, case studies and guides for how to include
investigative tasks within the teaching and learning, to help you implement the new
specification with confidence. Our Subject Advisor Colin Leith is available to answer your
questions and provide guidance and support.
2 Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Business – Specification
Issue 2 – July 2022 © Pearson Education Limited 2022
Business
This draft qualification has not yet been accredited by Ofqual. It is published to enable teachers to have early sight of our
proposed approach to Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Music (1MU0). Further changes may be required
and no assurance can be given at this time that the proposed qualification will be made available in its current form, or
that it will be accredited in time for first teaching in September 2016 and first award in 2018.
Specification
Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Business (1BS0)
First teaching from September 2017
First certification from 2019 Issue 2
,Summary of Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1)
in Business specification Issue 2 changes
Summary of changes made between previous issue and this current issue Page
number
The paper timings have been updated for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 from 4, 5, 13,
21
‘1 hour and 30 minutes’ to
‘1 hour and 45 minutes’
In Assessment information the following has been updated: 13, 21
‘Questions in Sections B and C will be based on business contexts given in the paper’
to
‘Questions in Sections B and C will be based on business contexts given in a Source
Booklet.’
If you need further information on these changes or what they mean, contact us via our website at:
qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/contact-us.html.
,Contents
1 Introduction 2
Why choose Edexcel GCSE Business? 2
Supporting you in planning and implementing this qualification 3
Qualification at a glance 4
2 Subject content and assessment information 6
Theme 1: Investigating small business 7
Theme 2: Building a business 14
Assessment Objectives 22
3 Administration and general information 23
Entries 23
Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments, special consideration and malpractice 23
Student recruitment and progression 25
Appendix 1: Command word taxonomy and definitions of business
terms 29
Appendix 2: Quantitative skills 31
Appendix 3: Formulae 32
Appendix 4: Calculators 33
Appendix 5: The context for the development of this qualification 34
Appendix 6: Transferable skills 36
Appendix 7: Codes 37
, 1 Introduction
Why choose Edexcel GCSE Business?
We’ve listened to feedback from all parts of the business subject community, including
teachers, subject associations, professional bodies and higher education. We’ve used this
opportunity of curriculum change to redesign a qualification that is engaging and inspiring,
and which reflects the demands of a truly modern and evolving business environment – a
qualification that enables your students to develop as commercially minded and enterprising
individuals and helps them to succeed in their chosen pathway.
Developing enterprising minds
Familiar course content and approach – we’ve retained the structure of our current
specification while building in new content areas to give you as much continuity as possible,
starting the course with an exploration of how and why businesses start, moving through to
the issues and decisions businesses make as they grow.
Clear and simple structure – based on your feedback we’ve taken the opportunity to make
some improvements to the clarity and structure of our new specification and exam papers to
make sure you are clear about the new teaching and assessment requirements from your
first glance.
Engaging and contemporary contexts – our engaging themes will spark your students’
imagination and inspire commercial thinking as they develop their business knowledge. We
know you use contemporary business contexts in your teaching and our new specification will
enable you to continue to bring practical and engaging case studies into the classroom. We
also know that real and relevant business examples engage your students so you’ll continue
to see these in our assessments.
Clear and accessible assessment for all – our new papers will build confidence through
ramped questions which increasingly challenge students as they move through the paper.
Our consistent assessment structure and straight forward mark schemes make the
expectations clear to teachers and students.
Trusted expert support when you need it – we’ll provide detailed content and
assessment guidance as well as course planners, case studies and guides for how to include
investigative tasks within the teaching and learning, to help you implement the new
specification with confidence. Our Subject Advisor Colin Leith is available to answer your
questions and provide guidance and support.
2 Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Business – Specification
Issue 2 – July 2022 © Pearson Education Limited 2022
