GCSE Business
GCSE Business asks learners to calculate and interpret costs, revenue, profit, break-even, cashflow forecasts and profit margins, and to collect, present and judge market research data in two NEA reports worth 40% together. Literacy centres on reading business sources, using business terms precisely and writing reasoned judgements in extended answers and reports. The single biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is confidence with money calculations in a business setting, followed by a written sentence saying what the answer means for the business.
- First taught
- September 2025
- Amount of literacy work
- Medium
- Amount of numeracy work
- High
- Specification
- Open the WJEC specification (PDF)
How this GCSE is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to the Business World: Written examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%, 60 marks
- Unit 2: Key Business Considerations: NEA 5 hours, 15%, 48 marks, set and marked by WJEC
- Unit 3: Business Strategies for Success: Written examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%, 60 marks
- Unit 4: Business Creation: NEA 8 hours, 25%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
Skills that use Connectives and syntax
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Extended evaluative writing on business issues
Learners write short and extended answers that apply knowledge to business situations and reach judgements. AO3 (analyse, evaluate, judge) is 25% of the qualification across all four units.
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Connectives and syntax
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write one paragraph explaining whether a new café would do well on Aberdare's Commercial Street, using 'because' and 'therefore' to link each reason to a result.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a two-sided answer on whether a local bakery should switch to eco-friendly packaging, giving an advantage, a disadvantage and a final judgement.
- Year 9
- Pupils answer a 'recommend' question on a short case study of a Rhondda Cynon Taf business, weighing two options against its aims and justifying one in a conclusion.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 3.1 Assessment objectives, AO3, page 39
“Analyse, evaluate, or make judgements on business issues using business concepts, theories, and business data”
Progression step 3
I can adapt my writing style and structure to suit the audience, purpose and context, e.g. suitable balance between facts and viewpoints, a precise conclusion.
I can use paragraphs and make links between them.
I can use an increasing range of connectives to organise my ideas in sentences, paragraphs and whole texts.
Progression step 4
I can use summary, discussion of issues, detailed explanations and logic when covering a topic.
I can organise and construct my writing effectively, connecting and developing my ideas for a range of different contexts.
I can use a range of connectives specifically when organising my ideas in whole texts for different purposes.
Progression step 5
I can write extended pieces which include detailed evidence and information for different purposes and audiences within and across different disciplines.
I can organise writing in an appropriate form, ensuring content is detailed within and between paragraphs or sections, developing and sustaining ideas coherently.
Good to know
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar or accuracy of language are stated anywhere in the specification; the assessment objectives (page 39) cover knowledge, application, analysis and evaluation, and enquiry skills only.
- Calculator use is not stated in the specification, although both examinations test calculations such as 'calculate and interpret a cashflow forecast' (page 30); 'The Assessment Pack will include all detailed information relating to assessment' (page 39).
- Both examinations are 1 hour 15 minutes and contain 'Questions requiring objective responses, short and extended answers, with some based around applied situations' (page 5).
- Unit 2 and Unit 4 NEA reports 'must be submitted digitally (they may be hand written and scanned, or completed digitally)' (pages 40 and 41), so handwritten work is accepted.
- Unit 2 takes '5 hours' and Unit 4 'will take 8 hours to complete' and 'could be completed in one sitting, or in multiple, shorter sessions' (page 40). No word limits are given.
Links with other GCSEs
Appendix A (pages 45 and 46) maps all four literacy strands to every unit and the number system and statistics numeracy strands to every unit, with no geometry or measurement.
Source: WJEC GCSE Business specification, Version 4, September 2025 (teaching from 2025, for award from 2027).