Key Stage 5: Business Studies

OCR LEVEL 3 CAMBRIDGE TECHNICAL EXTENDED CERTIFICATE IN BUSINESS (05835)

Qualification overview

This qualification is for learners who want to study Business. It will provide learners with the opportunity through applied learning to develop the core specialist knowledge, skills and understanding required in the business sector.

This qualification will provide learners with the skills, knowledge and understanding to progress into Higher Education on a business related programme such as Business, Business Management, Marketing, Business and Finance, Business and Economics and Accounting.

360 GLH – equivalent to one A level.

5 Units – 3 mandatory and 2 optional

Unit 1 – 120 GLH, externally examined. (mandatory)

Unit 2 – 60 GLH, externally examined. (mandatory)

Unit 4 – 60 GLH, internally assessed and moderated by OCR. (mandatory)

Unit 5 – 60 GLH, internally assessed and moderated by OCR. (optional)

Unit 16 – 60 GLH, internally assessed and moderated by OCR. (optional)

What does the qualification cover?

Learners will take five units over the two years, which will be made up of three mandatory units and two optional units.

The mandatory externally assessed unit 1, The Business Environment will be covered in Year 12 along with another mandatory unit, though this one is internally assessed unit 4, Customers and Communication. These two units require 180 GLH which is half of the extended certificate course. This also provides the necessary criteria to complete the AS qualification the Cambridge Technical Certificate (05834) at the end of Year 12.

The Business Environment, unit 1, will give learners an understanding of the wider contexts in which businesses operate and their functions and interdependencies. The unit will allow learners to appreciate how legal, financial, ethical and resource constraints can affect business behaviour and the influence different stakeholders can have on how business respond.

The Working in Business , unit 2, will give learners an understanding of the critical skills needed when working in business, such as organisation, prioritisation and effective communication. The unit will allow them to learn how to use different business documents and about organisational protocols that most businesses would expect employees to follow.

The Customers and Communications, Unit 4, allows learners to appreciate how vital customers are to the success of a business. It will give learners an understanding of how important it is to businesses to know their customers and what influences customer behaviour. Learners will understand how to communicate to customers.

The final two optional units to be completed in Year 13 with Unit 2 will be Unit 5 Marketing and Market Research, and Unit 16 Principles of Project Management. In Unit 5 learners will be given an understanding of how to carry out effective Market Research by carrying out market research for a failing business, in order to find out information enabling the business to improve its revenue and ultimately its profit.

During Unit 16 the learners will put together a Project Plan for a start-up business highlighting what needs to be done, what resources will be needed, a budget and a plan of action of how to manage the project and review its success after the project has finished.