Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Business

• The Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Business is designed for schools and colleges.
• It is one of the GCE qualifications offered by Pearson.

Purpose of the Specification

• Sets out the objectives of the qualification
• Includes any qualifications a student needs before taking this one
• Includes the prior knowledge and skills a student needs
• Contains other requirements a student must meet before assessment.
• Lists the knowledge and understanding assessed.
• Describes the assessment method and requirements.
• Lists the criteria against which students are judged.

Rationale

• Meets the purposes defined by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) for GCE qualifications.
• The GCE Qualification Level Conditions and Requirements document was published in April 2014.
• Defines and assesses the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed for students planning to undergo undergraduate study at a UK higher education. This study can be within the same subject area or other.
• Sets an internationally comparable post-16 academic course of study to develop knowledge, skills and understanding.
• Allows UK universities to accurately assess students' attainment levels.
• Provides a way to measure school and college accountability at age 18.
• Provides a benchmark of academic ability for employers.

Qualification Aims and Objectives

• Enable students to develop: an enthusiasm for studying business, holistic understanding of business, critical understanding of organizations' ability to meet society's needs.
• Students will: understand that business behavior can be studied, generate enterprising and creative approaches, be aware of ethical dilemmas, acquire business and generic skills, apply numerical skills.

Qualification Development Context

• Designed according to World Class Qualification Principles and focuses on the student.
• Developed by: reviewing curricula and qualifications, consulting stakeholders, reviewing the legacy qualification.

Pearson’s World Class Qualification Principles

• Ensure qualifications are: demanding, rigorous, inclusive, empowering.
• Focus is on: internationally benchmarked standards, encouraging deep learning, measuring higher-order skills, setting and maintaining standards, developing assessment tasks, continuous learning, promoting transferable skills.

Qualification at a Glance

• Consists of four themes and three externally examined papers.
• Themes 1 and 2 introduce students to core concepts and contexts for how business operates.
• Themes 3 and 4 require students to take a more strategic view.
• Students are encouraged to understand the study of business behaviour through various perspectives and to challenge assumptions.

Theme 1: Marketing and People

• Focuses on: meeting customer needs, the market, marketing mix and strategy, managing people, entrepreneurs and leaders.

Theme 2: Managing Business Activities

• Students learn about: raising finance, financial planning, managing finance, resource management, external influences.

Theme 3: Business Decisions and Strategy

• Students learn about: business objectives and strategy, business growth, decision-making techniques, influences on business decisions, assessing competitiveness, managing change.

Theme 4: Global Business

• Students learn about: globalisation, global markets and business expansion, global marketing, global industries and companies (multinational corporations).

Assessment Completion

• All assessments must be completed in May/June of any single year.

Paper 1: Marketing, People and Global Businesses

• Paper code: 9BS0/01.
• Accounts for 35% of the total qualification.
• Assesses marketing, people and global business topics, from local, national and global contexts (Themes 1 & 4).
• A written examination comprised of two sections.
• Answer all questions from both sections.
• Each section comprises one data response question broken down into parts, including one extended open-response question.
• Duration: 2 hours
• 100 marks are available.
• First assessment: May/June 2017

Paper 2: Business Activities, Decisions and Strategy

• Paper code: 9BS0/02.
• Accounts for 35% of the total qualification.
• Assesses business finance/operations, business decisions, and strategy from local, national, and global contexts (Themes 2 & 3).
• A written examination comprised of two sections.
• Answer all questions from both sections.
• Each section comprises one data response question broken down into parts, including one extended open-response question.
• Duration: 2 hours
• 100 marks are available.
• First assessment: May/June 2017

Paper 3: Investigating Business

• Paper code: 9BS0/03.
• Accounts for 30% of the total qualification.
• Assesses content across all four themes from local, national and global contexts.
• A pre-released context document will be available in November of the previous year.
• Focuses on a broad industry or market and at least one strand within that context, such as a business.
• Sections will contain unseen stimulus materials with quantitative and qualitative evidence to be used in answering the questions.
• Research or investigation data cannot be brought in.
• The written exam has two sections, answered in full, with questions comprising data response, broken down into a number of parts, including one extended open-response.
• Duration: 2 hours
• 100 marks are available.

Assessment Objectives and Weightings

• AO1:* Demonstrate knowledge of terms, concepts, theories, methods, and models (20-22% of GCE)
• AO2:* Apply knowledge and understanding to business contexts (22-24% of GCE)
• AO3:* Analyse issues within business (28-30% of GCE)
• AO4:* Evaluate qualitative and quantitative evidence to make informed judgements and propose evidence-based solutions (26-28% of GCE)

Theme 1: Marketing and People (Content Sections)

• Meeting Customer Needs: mass and niche markets, dynamic markets, competition, risk, product/market orientations.
• Market: Primary/secondary research, ICT, segmentation.
• Market Positioning: mapping, competitive advantage, product differentiation, adding value.
• Market: Factors for demand/supply change, supply/demand interaction and diagrams, price elasticity, income elasticity.
• The Marketing Mix/Strategy: design mix, social trends, promotion/branding types, benefits, changes, pricing strategies determination and changes, distribution channels changes.
• Product Life Cycle: extension, Boston Matrix, suitable markets, consumer behaviour.
• Managing People: staff as assets/costs, flexible workforce, employee relationships, recruitment/selection, training.
• Organisation: structure, hierarchy, chain of command, span of control types, centralised/decentralised structure.
• Motivation: theories, financial/non-financial incentives.
• Leadership: differences between management and leadership, types of style.
• Entrepreneurs/Leaders motives: characteristics, skills, survival, profit maximisation forms of business, opportunity costs.
• Skills necessary to develop from entrepreneur to leader.

Theme 2: Managing Business Activities (Content Sections)

• Raising Finance: internal and external sources, methods, liability implications, relevance of business plan, interpretation and limitations of cash-flow forecast.
• Financial Planning: sales forecasts purpose/factors/difficulties, sales volume and cost calculations, break-even, contribution, margin of safety, interpretation limits, budgets purpose/types/variance analysis/difficulties.
• Managing Finance: profit calculation, statement, profit vs cash, measuring/improving liquidity, working capital management, internal/external causes of business failure.
• Resource Management: production methods, productivity and efficiency, capacity utilization, buffer stock, stock control diagram interpretation, Total Quality Management, continuous improvement.
• Influences: The effects on businesses of economic changes, legislation, the competitive environment.

Theme 3: Business Decisions And Strategy (Content Sections)

• Business Objectives/Strategy: Development of corporate objectives, mission statements and corporate aims
• Corporate Strategy: Ansoff and Porter matrix
• Portfolio Analysis: competitive advantages, human resources, physical and financial considerations
• SWOT Analysis: SWOT, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
• External influences: political, economic, PESTLE analysis
• Business Growth: Scale, internal
• Mergers: Horizontal/Vertical strategies, Reward programs, Distinctions of growth
• Organic methods: Advantages and disadvantages
• Small Business: competitive practices, customer service skills
• Decision making techniques: Quantitative and qualitative metrics
• Sales: Forecasting, trend analysis, scatter graphs,
• Investments: Analysis of data in comparison to payback

Theme 4: Global Business (Content Sections)

• Globalisation rate
• Economy: Analysis of emerging economies, international trades, imports, domestic subsidies
• Trading blocs: NAFTA, Expansion, political ties.
• Risk of the market vs the investment.

Student entry

• To enter students for the examinations details can be found in the UK Information Manual.

Forbidden combinations and discount code

• Students are advised to check their subject qualifications with the college to ensure that they will progress before beginning the program

Access Arrangements and Special Considerations

• Adjustments to students with learning difficulties are always available before an assessment
• Allows students special needs without changing too much about the assessment.

Reasonable Adjustments

• The Equality Act of 2010 requires a reasonable setting for all students
• This involves students with disabilities or underlying health conditions that may require special accommodations

Special Consideration

• Temporary relief is allowed for students based on their physical/mental health at time of examination
• Students may be provided with alternate methods of assessment, with approval.

Language of assessment

• Student work must be assessed in english

Grade descriptions

• A list of grades issued by the governing body

Student Recruitment

• Students must be available and capable to perform at top standards consistently.

Prior learning and other requirements

• The Pearson Program asks that qualified students excel in business/management to improve the issues of modern business.

Quantitative skills

• Throughout the course of study students will develop a strong hold on quantitative skills.
• Opportunities will be provided in relevant contexts.
• The assessment will include mathematical skills as a minimum of 10%.

Accounting Ratio

• Students are instructed to learn ratios for this qualification.

Formulas

• The use of percentages allows for financial comprehension.

Codes

• Every qualification is assigned to a discount as assigned by the subject