Paper 1
Business 1
- Any content from the specification
- Multiple choice and short answer questions
- Two essays from a choice
2 hours100 marks33.3%
AQA A-Level Business, memorised fast.
Long notes are boring. Brain-hack the whole 7132 specification with active recall and actually remember it.
- Spec 7132
- 11 topics
- 143 subtopics
AQA A-Level Business 7132
What Is Business?
Topic overviewWhy businesses exist and their objectivesRevenue, costs and profitCalculating and presenting business dataBusiness forms, sectors and liabilityShare capital, market capitalisation and dividendsWhat moves a share price, and how ownership shapes objectivesCompetition, market conditions and incomesInterest rates, demographics and environmental issues
Managers, Leadership and Decision Making
Topic overviewManagement, leadership and the four leadership stylesThe Tannenbaum Schmidt continuumChoosing a leadership style and its limitationsScientific and intuitive decision making, and expected valueReading a decision treeRisk, uncertainty and opportunity costWhat influences a management decisionStakeholders and stakeholder mappingStakeholder needs and managing the relationship
Marketing Management
Topic overviewWhy businesses set marketing objectivesBrand loyalty and calculating the marketing measuresPrimary and secondary market researchSampling methodsCorrelation, confidence intervals and extrapolationPrice and income elasticity of demandCalculating market share, market growth and sales growthSegmentation and the bases for itNiche and mass marketing, targeting and market mappingThe elements of the marketing mixProduct portfolio analysis and the Boston MatrixThe product life cycle and extension strategiesPricing, branding, place and the influences on the mix
Operational Management
Topic overviewOperational objectives: cost and qualitySpeed, flexibility and environmental objectivesAdded value and the trade-offs between objectivesLabour productivity and unit costsCapacity and capacity utilisationImproving capacity utilisationRaising labour productivity, and the obstaclesLean production and Just in TimeLabour-intensive and capital-intensive productionTechnology in operationsQuality control and quality assuranceThe benefits and costs of improving qualityMatching supply to demandThe inventory control chartInfluences on inventory and choosing a supplierSupply chain managementOutsourcing: benefits and drawbacks
Financial Management
Topic overviewFinancial objectives and return on investmentGross profit, operating profit and profit for the yearBudgets and variance analysisCash flow forecastsBreak-even, contribution and the margin of safetyBreak-even charts and how they shiftThe uses and limits of break-even analysisProfit margins, payables and receivablesInternal sources of financeShort-term external financeShare capital, loans, venture capital and crowd fundingChoosing a source of financeMethods of improving cash flowMethods of improving profitsThe difficulties and trade-offs in improving cash flow and profit
Human Resource Management
Topic overviewHuman resource objectives and their valueHard and soft human resource managementCalculating labour turnover and labour productivityEmployee costs as a percentage of turnover, and labour cost per unitUsing and interpreting human resource dataTypes of organisational structureSpan of control, hierarchy and delegationHuman resource flowThe value of a motivated workforce, and TaylorMaslow's hierarchy of needsHerzberg's two-factor theoryFinancial methods of motivationNon-financial methods of motivationChoosing and assessing methods of motivationEmployee involvement and the influences on itTrade unions, works councils and communication channelsThe value of good employer-employee relations
Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business
Topic overviewInfluences on the mission and corporate objectivesMission, objectives, strategy and tacticsFunctional objectives and their influencesSWOT analysis and its limitationsReturn on capital employed and the current ratioGearing and the ratios of working capitalFinancial statements and the categories of ratioUsing ratio analysis, and its limitsNon-financial measures of performanceBenchmarking and core competencesThe Triple Bottom LineCompetition law and labour market legislationEnvironmental legislation and government supportRegulators, infrastructure and environmental incentivesTrade policy and responding to political changeGDP, taxation and exchange ratesInflation, fiscal policy and monetary policyTrade, protectionism and responding to economic changeDemographic and social changeCorporate social responsibility and its criticsCarroll's pyramid and technological changePorter's five forces: entry and buyer powerSupplier power, rivalry and substitutesUsing five forces to shape strategyPayback period and average rate of returnNet present value and the time value of moneyInvestment criteria, risk and sensitivity analysis
Choosing Strategic Direction
Strategic Methods: How to Pursue Strategies
Topic overviewOrganic growth, external growth and retrenchmentEconomies and diseconomies of scale, synergy and overtradingMethods of external growthThe advantages and disadvantages of organic and external growthProduct and process innovation and its driversKaizen, research and development, and intellectual propertyThe causes of globalisation and its opportunitiesMethods of entering international marketsChoosing a country to trade with or invest inOff-shoring, re-shoring and multinationalsGlobal, multi-domestic and transnational strategiesDigital technology and the pressure to adopt itThe value and the limits of digital technology
Managing Strategic Change
Topic overviewTypes of change and Lewin's force field analysisFlexible organisations, restructuring and delayeringReasons for resistance and overcoming it through education, participation and supportOvercoming resistance: negotiation, manipulation and coercionOrganisational culture and Handy's four typesRecognising cultures and what shapes themChanging organisational culture and the difficultiesLeadership, communication and structure in implementationNetwork analysis and reading a network diagramFloat, the critical path and the value of network analysis
Problems with Strategy and Why Strategies Fail
Topic overviewUncertainty and cognitive bias in strategic decisionsResource and organisational barriers to implementationPlanned and emergent strategyReasons for strategic driftFinancial and non-financial measures of strategic performanceThe balanced scorecard, KPIs and the limits of evaluationThe value of strategic planningContingency planning and crisis management
What AQA A-Level Business covers
AQA A-Level Business (specification 7132) is assessed by three written papers taken at the end of the two-year course, each lasting 2 hours and carrying 100 marks. All three papers can draw on any part of the specification. Paper 1 combines multiple choice questions with short answers and two essays. Paper 2 is built on three data-response case studies. Paper 3 is a single case study followed by extended responses. Quantitative skills carry at least a tenth of the marks.
AQA AS and A-level Business, specification 7132. Read the AQA specification at a glance ↗
How it is assessed
Paper 2
Business 2
- Any content from the specification
- Three data-response compulsory questions
2 hours100 marks33.3%
Paper 3
Business 3
- Any content from the specification
- One case study with compulsory extended responses
2 hours100 marks33.3%
The full specification
11 topics, 143 subtopics. Open any topic to see what is inside it.
01What Is Business?8 subtopicsOpen topic
- Why businesses exist and their objectives
- Revenue, costs and profit
- Calculating and presenting business data
- Business forms, sectors and liability
- Share capital, market capitalisation and dividends
- What moves a share price, and how ownership shapes objectives
- Competition, market conditions and incomes
- Interest rates, demographics and environmental issues
02Managers, Leadership and Decision Making9 subtopicsOpen topic
- Management, leadership and the four leadership styles
- The Tannenbaum Schmidt continuum
- Choosing a leadership style and its limitations
- Scientific and intuitive decision making, and expected value
- Reading a decision tree
- Risk, uncertainty and opportunity cost
- What influences a management decision
- Stakeholders and stakeholder mapping
- Stakeholder needs and managing the relationship
03Marketing Management13 subtopicsOpen topic
- Why businesses set marketing objectives
- Brand loyalty and calculating the marketing measures
- Primary and secondary market research
- Sampling methods
- Correlation, confidence intervals and extrapolation
- Price and income elasticity of demand
- Calculating market share, market growth and sales growth
- Segmentation and the bases for it
- Niche and mass marketing, targeting and market mapping
- The elements of the marketing mix
- Product portfolio analysis and the Boston Matrix
- The product life cycle and extension strategies
- Pricing, branding, place and the influences on the mix
04Operational Management17 subtopicsOpen topic
- Operational objectives: cost and quality
- Speed, flexibility and environmental objectives
- Added value and the trade-offs between objectives
- Labour productivity and unit costs
- Capacity and capacity utilisation
- Improving capacity utilisation
- Raising labour productivity, and the obstacles
- Lean production and Just in Time
- Labour-intensive and capital-intensive production
- Technology in operations
- Quality control and quality assurance
- The benefits and costs of improving quality
- Matching supply to demand
- The inventory control chart
- Influences on inventory and choosing a supplier
- Supply chain management
- Outsourcing: benefits and drawbacks
05Financial Management15 subtopicsOpen topic
- Financial objectives and return on investment
- Gross profit, operating profit and profit for the year
- Budgets and variance analysis
- Cash flow forecasts
- Break-even, contribution and the margin of safety
- Break-even charts and how they shift
- The uses and limits of break-even analysis
- Profit margins, payables and receivables
- Internal sources of finance
- Short-term external finance
- Share capital, loans, venture capital and crowd funding
- Choosing a source of finance
- Methods of improving cash flow
- Methods of improving profits
- The difficulties and trade-offs in improving cash flow and profit
06Human Resource Management17 subtopicsOpen topic
- Human resource objectives and their value
- Hard and soft human resource management
- Calculating labour turnover and labour productivity
- Employee costs as a percentage of turnover, and labour cost per unit
- Using and interpreting human resource data
- Types of organisational structure
- Span of control, hierarchy and delegation
- Human resource flow
- The value of a motivated workforce, and Taylor
- Maslow's hierarchy of needs
- Herzberg's two-factor theory
- Financial methods of motivation
- Non-financial methods of motivation
- Choosing and assessing methods of motivation
- Employee involvement and the influences on it
- Trade unions, works councils and communication channels
- The value of good employer-employee relations
07Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business27 subtopicsOpen topic
- Influences on the mission and corporate objectives
- Mission, objectives, strategy and tactics
- Functional objectives and their influences
- SWOT analysis and its limitations
- Return on capital employed and the current ratio
- Gearing and the ratios of working capital
- Financial statements and the categories of ratio
- Using ratio analysis, and its limits
- Non-financial measures of performance
- Benchmarking and core competences
- The Triple Bottom Line
- Competition law and labour market legislation
- Environmental legislation and government support
- Regulators, infrastructure and environmental incentives
- Trade policy and responding to political change
- GDP, taxation and exchange rates
- Inflation, fiscal policy and monetary policy
- Trade, protectionism and responding to economic change
- Demographic and social change
- Corporate social responsibility and its critics
- Carroll's pyramid and technological change
- Porter's five forces: entry and buyer power
- Supplier power, rivalry and substitutes
- Using five forces to shape strategy
- Payback period and average rate of return
- Net present value and the time value of money
- Investment criteria, risk and sensitivity analysis
08Choosing Strategic Direction6 subtopicsOpen topic
09Strategic Methods: How to Pursue Strategies13 subtopicsOpen topic
- Organic growth, external growth and retrenchment
- Economies and diseconomies of scale, synergy and overtrading
- Methods of external growth
- The advantages and disadvantages of organic and external growth
- Product and process innovation and its drivers
- Kaizen, research and development, and intellectual property
- The causes of globalisation and its opportunities
- Methods of entering international markets
- Choosing a country to trade with or invest in
- Off-shoring, re-shoring and multinationals
- Global, multi-domestic and transnational strategies
- Digital technology and the pressure to adopt it
- The value and the limits of digital technology
10Managing Strategic Change10 subtopicsOpen topic
- Types of change and Lewin's force field analysis
- Flexible organisations, restructuring and delayering
- Reasons for resistance and overcoming it through education, participation and support
- Overcoming resistance: negotiation, manipulation and coercion
- Organisational culture and Handy's four types
- Recognising cultures and what shapes them
- Changing organisational culture and the difficulties
- Leadership, communication and structure in implementation
- Network analysis and reading a network diagram
- Float, the critical path and the value of network analysis
11Problems with Strategy and Why Strategies Fail8 subtopicsOpen topic
- Uncertainty and cognitive bias in strategic decisions
- Resource and organisational barriers to implementation
- Planned and emergent strategy
- Reasons for strategic drift
- Financial and non-financial measures of strategic performance
- The balanced scorecard, KPIs and the limits of evaluation
- The value of strategic planning
- Contingency planning and crisis management
How you work through it
Pick the mode that fits the time you have.
Try three questions
No account needed. Answer from memory first.
Your recallNot started
Numbers
What do profit, growth and survival mean as business objectives?
Numbers
How are total costs calculated, and what are variable costs?
Numbers
How is profit calculated, and what must be subtracted to find it?
Spaced Repetition Schedule
How reviews are timed
Levo will automatically distribute all of your progress into a spaced repetition calendar. Once you’ve answered, it’s scheduled for you on the next day in the spaced repetition schedule. Over time, the gaps between your recall get bigger, from a day to three years, reinforcing memorisation over a long period of time.
Interval sequence
- 1 day
- 3 days
- 7 days
- 14 days
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 4 months
- 8 months
- 1 year
- 2 years
- 3 years
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material
Business revision questions
Common questions about revising AQA A-Level Business. Tap any to open it.
How do you memorise AQA A-Level Business?
By testing yourself, not rereading. Active recall, pulling each answer from memory then checking it, builds far stronger memory than highlighting notes. Levo runs the method for you across all 11 Business topics and brings each one back on a spaced schedule so it stays memorised.
What is the fastest way to revise Business for AQA?
Skip the long notes and go straight to retrieval. Levo turns the 7132 specification into short questions you drill with rapid recall, cram whole papers in one sitting, and a readiness score tells you exactly what is left to learn.
What topics are on AQA A-Level Business (7132)?
There are 11 topics, split across 143 subtopics, from What Is Business?, Managers, Leadership and Decision Making, Marketing Management and more. Every topic is listed above, and each one opens to the subtopics inside it.
What do you get inside Levo for Business?
Six ways to work the same material. The 3-step method for learning a set, Cram for sorting a whole paper into what you know and what you do not, Blank Blitz for making key facts automatic, Build It for assembling full-mark answers, Test It for catching misconceptions, and Brain Breaks between sessions. A readiness score tracks how much of the subject you have memorised.
Is active recall better than rereading your notes for Business?
Consistently, yes. Rereading feels productive but fades quickly. Retrieving an answer from memory, the way Levo tests you, is what actually forms durable memory, and it shows you honestly what you do and do not know.
Does Levo cover the whole AQA Business specification?
Every topic on the 7132 specification is covered, written from the published subject content. The full list is above, and each topic opens to its subtopics so you can see exactly what is there before you subscribe.
How can you encourage your teenager to revise?
Make it short, structured and low-pressure. Levo gives a clear daily plan, quick sessions rather than marathon ones, streaks that reward showing up, and an honest readiness score, so revision feels like progress instead of a chore. Parents can add an account and follow along.
Can you revise Business the night before an exam?
Yes. Cram mode is built for exactly that: fly through a whole paper, sort every topic into red, amber and green, then drill just the reds and ambers you do not know yet. It is the honest version of a last-minute session.
Every question in Business, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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