AS and A-level Business redevelopment: draft specification and sample papers available

We’re pleased to let you know that we've submitted our new draft AS and A-level Business (7137, 7138) specification and sample assessment materials to Ofqual for approval. We’ve also published them on our new AS and A-level Business pages. We wanted to share them with you as soon as possible so you can be among the first to take a look.

The new AS and A-level specifications are for first teaching from September 2025, with first AS exams in 2026 and A-level exams in 2027.

What's changing?

The current specification has been around for some time – written in 2013, for first teaching in 2015. A lot has changed in the business world since then, and we believe that Business qualifications should get learners ready for the world that will exist when they enter the workplace. While the vast majority of the core content will still be familiar and in line with the Department for Education (DfE) required content, we’ve added new topics which are impacting modern businesses today – for example, the impact of business on the environment, business ethics, technology and modern workplace practices.

We’ve improved accessibility for all learners, with fewer different question types, simplified command words and the same structure across all three papers. The new streamlined question types will drive skills such as problem solving, decision-making and critical analysis. We think all questions should be asked within business context, so papers are relevant and engaging for your learners and, importantly, reflect the real-world.

We’ve reorganised the specification to better support your teaching and learning, providing more manageable subject content with a clearer and more intuitive structure helping you plan your teaching more easily. This new proposed structure also allows us to move from three synoptic papers to assessing specific topics on specific papers, making it easier for you to prepare your learners for their exams.

We want to thank those of you who’ve contributed to the development of our new specification and assessments. Many of you shared your thoughts through our drop-in events and surveys, and we’ve had lots of positive feedback. We also gathered feedback from learners to help shape this important work.

Join our Curriculum Connect session

We’re really excited to able to share our new draft specification and sample assessment materials with you. Join our Curriculum Connect in March where we’ll be able to talk you through the changes and you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions.

Find out more and book your place now:

• 6 March: Redevelopment updates and Q&A (all teachers of A-level Business)
• 13 March: A-level Business redevelopment and Q&A (for those teaching Edexcel, OCR and WJEC/Eduqas)
• 20 March: A-level Business redevelopment and Q&A (for those teaching AQA Applied General, BTEC and OCR Cambridge Technical)
• 27 March: Redevelopment and Q&A (all teachers of AQA AS/A-level and GCSE Business)