Every topic, every paper, every command word.
AQA's AS Business (7137) and A-level Business (7138) were first taught in September 2026. This page sets out how the course is examined and where each topic sits, including the nearest section in the outgoing 7132 course for students sitting it in June 2027.
AS means the first-year qualification. The A-level is linear, so all three papers are sat at the end of Year 13. Every paper is built on case studies.
| Qualification | Paper | Content | Time | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS 7137 | Paper 1 | Unit 3.1 What is business? Managing marketing and finance | 1h 45m | 80 | 50% |
| AS 7137 | Paper 2 | Unit 3.2 Managing people and operations (with links to 3.1.1 and 3.1.2) | 1h 45m | 80 | 50% |
| A-level 7138 | Paper 1 | Unit 3.1 | 2h | 90 | 33.3% |
| A-level 7138 | Paper 2 | Unit 3.2 (with links to 3.1) | 2h | 90 | 33.3% |
| A-level 7138 | Paper 3 | Unit 3.3 Business and society, the external environment and strategy (with links to 3.1 and 3.2) | 2h | 90 | 33.3% |
Each AS paper has two case studies, each followed by six compulsory questions worth 40 marks. Each A-level paper has two case studies, each followed by five compulsory questions worth 45 marks.
| Command word | Marks | Papers | What it rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Define | 2 | AS only | Knowledge (AO1) |
| Explain | 4 | AS only | Knowledge applied to the case (AO1, AO2) |
| Analyse | 6 | AS and A-level | A developed chain of reasoning in context (AO1 to AO3) |
| Assess | 9 | AS and A-level | Arguments for and against, then a judgement (AO1 to AO4) |
| Evaluate | 15 | AS and A-level | Two options or courses of action, and a justified choice (AO1 to AO4) |
Quantitative questions are worth 9 or 15 marks. The A-level papers have no 2-mark or 4-mark questions. One 15-mark question on AS Paper 2 and one on A-level Paper 3 are synoptic: they draw on the whole course.
| AO | What it is | AS 7137 | A-level 7138 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO1 | Knowledge and understanding | 32.5% | 24.44% |
| AO2 | Application to the business context | 27.5% | 24.44% |
| AO3 | Analysis of issues | 20% | 26.66% |
| AO4 | Evaluation and judgement | 20% | 24.44% |
Notice the shift. At AS, knowledge is the largest objective. At A-level, analysis is. Year 12 is the time to build the knowledge so that Year 13 can be spent using it.
The 7132 column is the nearest section in the outgoing course, at section level. Some 7138 topics, such as ESG and Hackman's model, are new or only partly covered in 7132; each topic page says so.
| 7138 ref | Topic | Section | In AS 7137 | Year | Nearest 7132 section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1.1 | Entrepreneurs | Business and objectives | Yes | Year 12 | 3.1 What is business? |
| 3.1.1 | Business planning and decisions | Business and objectives | Yes | Year 12 | 3.1 What is business? |
| 3.1.1 | Business objectives and SMART targets | Business and objectives | Yes | Year 12 | 3.1 What is business? |
| 3.1.2 | Forms of business | Forms of business and stakeholders | Yes | Year 12 | 3.1 What is business? |
| 3.1.2 | Comparing forms of business and shares | Forms of business and stakeholders | Yes | Year 12 | 3.1 What is business? |
| 3.1.2 | Stakeholders | Forms of business and stakeholders | Yes | Year 12 | 3.1 What is business? |
| 3.1.3 | Market research and customer needs | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Markets and marketing data | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Demand, PED and YED | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Target markets and segmentation | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Marketing objectives and planning | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Product: life cycle, Boston Matrix and new products | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Pricing strategies | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Distribution (place) | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Promotion and branding | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Digital technology and marketing | Marketing management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.4 | Financial objectives and managing finance | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.1.4 | Sources of finance | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.1.4 | Break-even analysis | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.1.4 | Profit and profitability | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.1.4 | Budgets and variance analysis | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.1.4 | Cash flow and liquidity | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.1.4 | Financial reporting: statements and ratios | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.1.4 | Assessing financial position and performance | Financial management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.2.1 | HR objectives and workforce planning | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | HR data and employee KPIs | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Organisational design | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Leadership styles | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Developing people and talent | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Teamwork and Hackman's model | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Motivation: Taylor, Maslow and Herzberg | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Financial and non-financial rewards | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Employee wellbeing | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.1 | Employer and employee relations | People management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.2 | Operations objectives and location | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Operations data and KPIs | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Efficiency and lean production | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Quality management | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Environmental impact of operations | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Matching output to demand | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Supply chain management | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Inventory management | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Innovation and intellectual property | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Project management and network analysis | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Economies and diseconomies of scale | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.2 | Technology and AI in operations | Operations management | Yes | Year 12 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.1.3 | International marketing | Marketing management | No | Year 13 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.3 | Ethics in marketing | Marketing management | No | Year 13 | 3.3 Marketing performance |
| 3.1.4 | Ethics in finance | Financial management | No | Year 13 | 3.5 Financial performance |
| 3.2.1 | Ethics in HR and pay gaps | People management | No | Year 13 | 3.6 Human resource performance (leadership: 3.2) |
| 3.2.2 | Ethics in operations | Operations management | No | Year 13 | 3.4 Operational performance |
| 3.2.3 | Business values and culture | Managing business culture | No | Year 13 | 3.10 Managing strategic change |
| 3.3.1 | Sustainability and the Triple Bottom Line | Business and society | No | Year 13 | Partly 3.7 (largely new in 7138) |
| 3.3.1 | Corporate social responsibility | Business and society | No | Year 13 | Partly 3.7 (largely new in 7138) |
| 3.3.1 | ESG (environmental, social and governance) | Business and society | No | Year 13 | Partly 3.7 (largely new in 7138) |
| 3.3.2 | Porter's Five Forces | Business and the external environment | No | Year 13 | 3.7 Strategic position |
| 3.3.2 | Political and legal environment | Business and the external environment | No | Year 13 | 3.7 Strategic position |
| 3.3.2 | The economic environment | Business and the external environment | No | Year 13 | 3.7 Strategic position |
| 3.3.2 | Social and technological environment | Business and the external environment | No | Year 13 | 3.7 Strategic position |
| 3.3.3 | Strategy, planning and SWOT | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.3 | Stakeholder mapping and stakeholder power | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.3 | Ansoff Matrix and positioning | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.3 | Implementing strategy and strategic drift | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.3 | Investment appraisal: payback, ARR and NPV | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.3 | Business growth and retrenchment | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.3 | Global strategy and glocalisation | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.3 | Digital strategy | Strategy | No | Year 13 | 3.7 to 3.9 |
| 3.3.4 | Managing change | Change | No | Year 13 | 3.10 Managing strategic change |
| 3.3.4 | Risk, uncertainty and agile business | Change | No | Year 13 | 3.10 Managing strategic change |
Topic pages publish daily from this week.
Sources: AQA, AS and A-level Business 7137/7138 specification, version 1.1 (November 2025); AQA, new specification accredited for first teaching in September 2026; AQA, 7132 key dates. Checked 2 November 2026.
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