A Level Requirements For Business

You’re about to take your A-Levels, and you’re wondering which subjects are best for being accepted into a Business degree programme at university. It can be intimidating to choose, knowing that your A-Levels define and limit what courses you can take. And, therefore, what future career options you will have. 

But acquiring the right information is an effective remedy for fear. Do you know that universities in the UK have different entry requirements for their business courses? Check out the insightful guide we’ve written about the best universities in the UK for business. 

In this article, we’ve used some of the best business schools as references, such as the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics, and the University of Bath. Discover what A-Levels they require for their business courses.

What Is Business Studies?

Business studies (a.k.a. business management) is an academic discipline dealing with business, economics, and management principles. It strives to answer the question, “how do businesses operate, and how can we improve processes?” To address this question, Business Studies cover various subjects, including:

• Finance
• Operations
• Marketing
• Accountancy
• Human resource management
• And organisational studies. 

The objective is to equip the students with the knowledge, experience, and connections they need to run their businesses effectively. Or help others manage theirs. How can one run a profitable business? By maintaining productivity to generate income. 

What are your potential career choices with a business degree? Discover 10 amazing business career choices.

What A-Levels Should I Take For Business?

The A-Levels you should take for business depend on your business course. Universities generally require mathematics. But did you know that there’s Business Studies available at A-Level? 

Is Business A-Level Hard?

If you take a look at Ofqual Analytics’ A-Level Outcomes in England in 2021, 10.1% got an A*, and 31.6% received an A for Business Studies. To put the results into context, let’s compare the data with other A-Level subjects.

Subjects at A-Level	A*	A
Business Studies	10.1%	31.6%
Biology	18.2%	44.1%
Mathematics	28.3%	54.4%
Geography	15.5%	41.1%

Do you notice how Business Studies have the least number of students who achieved A* and A grades? The data may indicate that Business Studies is relatively more challenging than other subjects. What are the topics involved in A-Level Business Studies?

The majority involve decision-making to improve performance in different fields, such as marketing, operational, financial, and human resources. If you’re a problem-solver with good essay-writing skills, you’ll have greater chances of excelling in Business Studies.

What Business-Related courses are available at the University?

Each university has its own unique take on business-related courses, but here are the most common:  accounting, management, economics, finance, marketing, and human resource management.

Business Management 

Do you know that business management is one of the most popular degrees in the UK? Business Management involves coordinating an organisation’s activities, people, and resources to achieve common targets.

Required A-Levels For Business Management:

• University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School (Economics and Management) – A*AA including Mathematics
• University of Bath – AAA or A*AB in three A levels. One numerical subject (any science, Mathematics, Economics, Statistics, Psychology, Geology), one subject that enhances essay-writing skills (Business Studies, English Literature, Economics, Religious Studies, Psychology, Politics, Sociology), and a complementary subject relevant to Business (Geography, Accounting, Media Studies, Law, Philosophy or Sociology.)
• University of Warwick – A*AA (one in Mathematics and at least one in any social science or humanities subject) Note: A Level subjects Accounting and Business Studies are considered overlapping. 
• University College London (UCL) – AAA (one in Mathematics, the two others from UCL’s list of preferred A-Level subjects such as Business, Geography, Philosophy, and Statistics)
• St Andrews – (Standard AAA, Minimum ABB)

Economics

Economics is a branch of social science that looks at how individuals (buyers, sellers) and groups (business organisations, government) produce, distribute, and consume goods and services. What factors affect the stakeholders’ money-related decisions? And how do these decisions affect the economy at large?

Required A-Levels For Economics:

• University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School (Economics and Management) – A*AA including Mathematics
• Durham University – A*AA including Mathematics
• University of Warwick – A*A*A including A in Mathematics (Note: A-Level subjects Accounting and Business Studies are considered overlapping.)
• University College London (UCL) – A*AA (A* in Mathematics and A for Economics if offered)
• St Andrews – (Standard AAA, Minimum ABB)

Accounting

The goal of accounting is to inform the organisation where it’s at in its finances. Is it earning? Or is it losing money? Accounting is recording, classifying, and summarising financial transactions to provide helpful information for business decisions. It helps businesses track their financial performance, assess risk, and make informed decisions about where to allocate their resources.

Required A-Levels For Accounting:

• London School of Economics (Accounting and Finance) – AAA with A in Mathematics
• University of Bath (Accounting and Finance) – AAA or A*AB with A in Mathematics.
• University of Warwick (Accounting and Finance) – A*AA including A in Maths (and at least one in any social science or humanities subject) Note: A-Level subjects Accounting and Business Studies are considered overlapping. 

Finance

Finance studies how businesses raise and use the money to create wealth. It’s different from accounting in that its objective is to add value. So how do you manage capital to earn a higher income? What are the financial risks involved in adding value, and how can you mitigate them?

Required A-Levels For Finance:

• London School of Economics (Accounting and Finance) – AAA with A in Mathematics
• University of Bath (Accounting and Finance) – AAA or A*AB in three A levels with A in Mathematics.
• University of Warwick (Accounting and Finance) – A*AA including A in Mathematics (and at least one in any social science or humanities subject)
• St Andrews (Financial Economics) – (Standard AAA, Minimum ABB)

Marketing

How does a company raise awareness about the products and services they offer? That’s what Marketing is all about. Finding the target audience and attracting them to the company using high-quality, relevant messaging. After attracting customers, marketing then increases loyalty via methods such as branding and customer service. 

Most marketing courses are available for postgraduate students. But the University of Bath offers a Management with Marketing course for undergraduates. Here are the required A-Levels For Marketing:

• University of Bath (Management with Marketing) – AAA or A*AB in three A levels. One numerical subject (any science, Mathematics, Economics, Statistics, Psychology, Geology), one subject that enhances essay-writing skills (Business Studies, English Literature, Economics, Religious Studies, Psychology, Politics, Sociology), and a complementary subject relevant to Management (Geography, Accounting, Media Studies, Law, Philosophy or Sociology.)

How Many A-Levels Should I Take? 

The standard requirement for all universities is three A-Levels, but you can choose up to five. Bear in mind that A-Level difficulty is a whole other ballgame than your GCSE. Did you notice that the Top Business schools such as Oxford, Bath, and London School of Economics required As to A*s? You must dedicate your time and energy to ace those 3-minimum A-Levels. 

If you’re confident you can ace your three A-Levels and still be able to accommodate two more, you’re free to do so. Perhaps you want to explore more subjects or expand your choices for university courses. Just remember to consider money, time, and energy when deciding how many A-Levels you wish to take. 
There you have it! You’ve learned that each UK university has its own entry requirements for its business courses. If you need help deciding if it’s business you really want to take at the university, check out our Immerse Business Management Summer courses. You’ll have the privilege of learning from Oxford, Cambridge, and Ivy League tutors. So you can have a taster of what a business course is like at university level.