AS Level Business topics and exam-board coverage
AS and A-Level Business specifications differ, but the recurring areas are familiar: marketing, people or human resources, finance and resources, business operations or activities, external influences and, at full A level, more strategic or global content.
The current AS landscape needs careful wording. AQA’s AS Business page uses outgoing-specification wording for 2026 exams; Pearson Edexcel publishes AS Business; OCR’s AS Business H031 is listed for England; and Eduqas notes AS withdrawal with final award in Summer 2027. Families should confirm the exact board and course with the school or exam centre, then choose a tutor who can work from that specification. Official board links are grouped near the end of the page so families can check the current course before committing.
- AQA AS Business uses two 1 hour 30 minute papers of 80 marks each, including data-response and case-study work.
- Pearson Edexcel AS Business covers Marketing and people plus Managing business activities, with two externally examined 1 hour 30 minute papers.
- OCR AS Business covers local and wider business environments, with two 1 hour 30 minute components and quantitative skills included in assessment.
- There is no GCSE-style Foundation or Higher tier for AS Level Business.
- Marketing
- Market research, customer needs, positioning, marketing mix and business context.
- People and HR
- Leadership, motivation, organisational structure, managing people and decision-making.
- Finance and resources
- Costs, revenue, profit, cash flow, ratios and using numerical evidence.
- Operations and activities
- Business objectives, planning, capacity, quality and managing change.
- External influences
- Economic, legal, social, competitive and ethical factors affecting business decisions.