Business Level 3 Extended Certificate (equivalent to 1 A Level)

Our Business Extended Certificate course is designed to meet the changing needs of the business sector and to prepare you for the challenges you’ll face in Higher Education or employment.

This course is available to study as an Extended Certificate (60-credit course, equivalent to 1 A Level)

Through deepening your analysis and research skills, you will explore ways in which businesses respond to changes in their economic, social and technological environment, and gain an appreciation of the influence different stakeholders can have upon a business.

You will create portfolios of work, which will include presentations, role plays and formal reports to develop and assess your communication skills. You will also develop skills in other widely used business software tools, such as Excel to create Gantt Charts, in order to undertake Critical Path Analysis. You will also gain key business skills such as how to analyse key financial data from balance sheets and income statements and write a variety of communications in a professional manner.

The course is broad in its content and will give students the opportunity to study a wide variety of topics, giving them an insight into future pathways. The course will provide students with a number of soft skills required by employers as they will have been exposed to a workload that will require them to manage deadlines, prioritise tasks and delegate work within teams.

Year 1 Modules

The Business Environment

Customers & Communication

Project Management

Year 2 Modules

Working in Business

Market Research

50% Exam (due to double weighting of Unit 1 Exam)

50% Coursework

5 units completed over 2 years of study.

Exam Board: OCR

Five GCSEs at Grade 4 including:

Grade 4 in GCSE English Language or GCSE English Literature

Grade 4 in GCSE Maths

Grade 4 in GCSE Business, or a Merit in Level 2 Business, if taken

The proportion of students that progress from Level 3 Applied Business Studies to university is in line with the proportion of A Level students studying the equivalent qualification. Recent examples of destinations include Anglia Ruskin, Bath Spa, Nottingham Trent, Leeds and Loughborough.

Apprenticeships are also very popular with students on this course with many using the soft skills learned on the course to be very successful in application interviews.