A-Level guide · checked October 2026
A-Level Business, explained simply
How businesses work: marketing, finance, people, operations and strategy, applied to real companies. This page shows how each board sets the three exams, the marks your child really needs for an A*, A or B, and how to tackle case studies. Pick your exam board and the page changes to match.
- 3 exams
- 6 hours in total
- No coursework
- Grades A* to E
Exam board
Not sure which board? Ask your child's school, or check the front of a mockA practice exam, usually set by school a few months before the real thing. paper.
The exams at a glance
AQA A-Level Business (7132). 3 papers, 6 hours of exams and 300 marks in total. Each paper is worth 33% of the grade.
Specification: AQA A-Level Business (7132)
What's in the exams
The shares are each paper's weight in the final grade, as the specification states.
- Paper 1: multiple choice, short answers and essays33%
- Paper 2: data response33%
- Paper 3: case study33%
How the grading works
How the grading works
Everyone sits the same papers. The marks are added up and the total decides the grade, from A* down to E. Edexcel marks each paper out of 100 and weights them 35%, 35% and 30%, so its total is 335 rather than 300. Calculators are allowed. AQA has said its current specification is being replaced, with the current one still used for exams in 2027.
The marks you really need for each grade
You do not need 90% for a top grade. Grade boundaries are set after the exams are marked, so a grade stays the same standard even when the papers are harder. These are the real AQA boundaries from June 2026:
Source: AQA, A-level grade boundaries June 2026. Boundaries change slightly every year.
Your target score in practice papers
Sit a full set of past papers under timed conditions every few weeks. Work out the percentage for each set, ignore your single worst result (everyone has an off day) and average the rest. Aim for:
76%
to secure a grade A*
69%
to secure a grade A
60%
to secure a grade B
We add 5 percentage points to last year's boundary, because boundaries move a little each year and exam nerves cost marks.
Past paper mock builder
Pick an exam series and we'll set out the full AQA mock: which papers to sit, how long to allow and where to download them. Then type in your marks to see the grade they would have earned.
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Paper 1, June 2026 · All content: multiple choice, short answers, essays · 2 hours
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Paper 2, June 2026 · All content: data response · 2 hours
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Paper 3, June 2026 · All content: one case study · 2 hours
Download the papers and mark schemes: AQA official past papers or Save My Exams past papers. Exam boards keep the most recent series for schools only for a while, so if the newest one isn't there, take the one before.
Enter your marks for each paper to see the grade they would have earned.
What Business is really about
Where the word comes from
"Business" comes from the Old English bisignes, "the state of being busy", from bisig, "busy". It came to mean trade and commerce only in the 1700s.
Where it comes from
London has been a centre of business for centuries: the Royal Exchange opened in the City in 1571, and the East India Company, founded in London in 1600, was one of the first companies owned by shareholders. Modern business studies grew in the 20th century, with management thinkers such as Peter Drucker shaping how firms are run.
Why it's still taught
Business teaches students to analyse decisions, read financial data and argue a case, all skills used in almost every career. It leads to business, management, marketing and finance degrees, apprenticeships, and running a business of their own.
How to do well in A-Level Business
Use the case study
Answers must apply to the business in the question. Generic answers score low however accurate they are.
Master the calculations
Break-even, ratios, investment appraisal and percentage changes are reliable marks.
Evaluate every long answer
Top marks need a judgement: what matters most, and why, for this business.
Follow real businesses
Examples from the news, from Tesco to TikTok, strengthen essays.
Learn the key models
Tools such as SWOT, Porter's five forces and the Boston matrix give structure to analysis.
Practise timed papers
Three two-hour papers need stamina and good timing. Practise full papers before the summer.
The three best places to revise
Our teachers' picks. We have no connection with these sites.
Tutor2u Business
Free revision notes, videos and model answers covering every board.
BBC Business News
Free daily news for up-to-date examples to use in essays.
Seneca
Free quizzes on key terms and theories for each board.
Questions parents ask
Not sure where your child stands?
Our free 45-minute assessment often uses a real past paperA real exam from a previous year, used for practice., so you'll know their likely grade and exactly what to work on. Lessons online across the UK, or at our seven London hubs.