On this page
- Business GCSE Summary
- Why have we chosen Edexcel?
- Business GCSE Textbooks
- How we structure Business GCSE
- Rough plan
- Other learning resources
Business GCSE Summary
Exam Board
Edexcel
Start Date
August 2024
Exam Date
May 2025
Child (age at exam date)
Peggy (13)
Result
?
Study Method
Self-study
Peggy has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and has often talked about running her own business in the future. What that business will do has changed a lot over the years (thank goodness!) but it has consistently been all about crochet in recent times.
Peggy has read this book from cover to cover countless times. It’s a fantastic introduction to business and how you get started, keep it going and grow bigger.
It was the love of this book and her desire to run a crochet business that has made Peggy want to study business in more detail. So, GCSE here we come!
Why have we chosen Edexcel?
As I do for every subject, I consult the HE Exams Wiki which provides a brilliant summary of all the board options that are available to home educators.
We have access to exam centres that between them offer every board and exam going, and so we have complete freedom over which board we go with. Sometimes that feels like a curse rather than a benefit!
We’ve opted for Edexcel for Business GCSE because we really like the syllabus. Paper 1 is focused on starting up a business and the factors you need to consider. This fits in brilliantly with Peggy’s hope of setting up her own crochet business alongside doing this course.
Paper 2 then focuses on how you grow that business and the marketing, operational, financial and HR decisions involved.
We especially like the fact that the content for each paper is totally separate. So, by Christmas, Peggy will be able to practice full past papers for paper 1 and so really get the hang of exam technique. This same technique is then used for paper 2, just with different content. We also find the gap between the two exams is easier to manage as paper 1 content can be put away in a cupboard and attention put solely on paper 2 content. Where there’s an option for discrete content for two papers, we’ll always try and pick that option.
There are also plenty of resources available for Edexcel as it’s a popular choice with schools. There are therefore CGP books and plenty of YouTube videos too.
Business GCSE Textbooks
We’ve gone with the Hodder textbook and I’m really pleased with it.
The textbook follows the structure of the Edexcel syllabus brilliantly. The topics are broken down into short chapters which lend themselves perfectly to one chapter per learning session.
The book is so colourful and includes hundreds of case studies about well-known companies and brands; every topic is followed up with real life examples. This isn’t just a textbook plodding through the syllabus; it’s a really interesting read too!
How we structure Business GCSE
I will update this once I’ve completed my planning for 2024/25 – I’ve left Business until last!
Rough plan
Aug-nov 2024
Paper 1 content
dec 2024-mar 2025
Paper 2 content
Apr-may 2025
Revision and past papers
Other learning resources
I’ll update this shortly…..
