🧠Ways to Help Your Child in Business
At Altrincham College, we are committed to working in partnership with parents and carers to help all students succeed in Business. Below are tailored tips and suggestions based on our assessment calendar and the structure of the Eduqas GCSE and A-Level Business courses.
📘 GCSE Business (Eduqas)
Assessment Cycle Focus:
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Year 10 Business Activity → Influences on Business → Business Operations → Exam Practice
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Year 11: Finance → Marketing → Human Resources + Full Exam Practice
How You Can Help at Home:
🔹 Discuss Real-World Business Examples:
Ask your child about businesses they learn about in class and relate them to current news stories or brands they use every day.
🔹 Encourage Use of Revision Tools:
Your child will be set regular retrieval tasks and end-of-topic assessments. Use flashcards, revision booklets and online platforms like BBC Bitesize and Quizlet to support their recall.
🔹 Practice Past Papers Together:
Help your child by going through past paper questions, particularly focusing on long-answer ‘explain’ and ‘evaluate’ style questions. (See our revision resources page)
🔹 Encourage Reflection After Assessments:
After each milestone assessment, ask what went well and what they need to improve. Encourage them to attend any follow-up intervention or support sessions.
🔹 Help Build Exam Technique:
Students need to apply knowledge to business scenarios. You can help by practising real-life case studies (e.g., McDonald's marketing or Amazon's operations) and helping them structure responses using business terminology using PBLT & PBLTH.
📗 A-Level Business (Eduqas)
Assessment Cycle Focus:
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Year 12 Autumn Term: Business Opportunities & Marketing, Finance, (C1)
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Year 12 Spring/Summer: HR and Operations (C1) and Analysis and Strategy. (C2)
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Year 13: Analysis and Strategy (C2) and Business in a Changing World (C3)
How You Can Help at Home:
🔸 Engage in Business Conversations:
Discuss big business topics like inflation, interest rates, or ethical business practices. News sources like BBC News Business and The Guardian’s Business section are great conversation starters.
🔸 Support Independent Study:
A-Level students are expected to revise and complete wider reading independently. Encourage regular revision timetables, use of revision packs provided by teachers, and re-watching lesson videos if available.
🔸 Encourage Use of Exam Reports & Mark Schemes:
Reading examiner reports can help students understand what examiners are looking for. Ask your child to look over these after mock assessments and discuss where they can gain more marks.
🔸 Promote Case Study Familiarity:
In Year 13 especially, students need to quickly understand and analyse unfamiliar business scenarios. Help them develop this skill by reading and summarising short business articles or company case studies regularly.
🔸 Help with Time Management:
Encourage your child to stick to deadlines for coursework and mock preparation, particularly during the busy Spring term of Year 13.
General Support Tips (Both Levels)
✅ Keep Communication Open:
Encourage your child to speak with their teacher if they're struggling. You can also email our Business department for guidance at any time.
✅ Attend Parents' Evenings and Progress Meetings:
These are key opportunities to discuss your child’s performance and next steps.
✅ Celebrate Success and Progress:
Acknowledging effort and improvement can motivate your child to stay engaged and positive about their studies.
