AQA GCSE Business (8132)
Exam structure at a glance for AQA GCSE Business: every paper with its time, marks and weighting, plus tiers, practicals and the links you need.
- Board
- AQA
- Specification code
- 8132
- Tiers
- No tiers (one paper set for all)
- First teaching
- 2017
- First exams
- 2019
- Exam papers
- 2 · 3 h 30 min in total
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Business is not a national curriculum subject.
Plan the whole year: open this course in the Year Planner – every lesson dated around your term dates, with a coverage check. Free.
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Papers and weightings
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | What it is (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Influences of operations and HRM on business activity | 1 h 45 min | 90 | 50% | Business in the real world, influences on business, operations and human resources. Section A multiple choice and short answers (20 marks); sections B and C each one case study or data response (about 34 and 36 marks). |
| Paper 2: Influences of marketing and finance on business activity | 1 h 45 min | 90 | 50% | Business in the real world, influences on business, marketing and finance. Same three-section layout as Paper 1. |
Times are exam lengths; weightings are shares of the whole GCSE. Summaries are in our own words.
Good to know
Nothing else to flag. See the specification for full details.
Not yet confirmed by us: Calculator use is not stated on the AQA pages read (JCQ rules apply; check the spec).. Check the specification.
Key dates
Summer 2027 exam series
- Entries deadline: Sun, 21 February 2027
- First exam: Mon, 10 May 2027
- Last GCSE exam: Fri, 18 June 2027
- Contingency day: Wed, 23 June 2027
- GCSE results day: Thu, 19 August 2027 (from a provisional board timetable)
Sources: JCQ key dates June 2027 (final (JCQ key dates)); JCQ key dates and timetables; JCQ timetable commentary. Check each board's final timetable for paper dates. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Specification, past papers and grade boundaries
- AQA: Specification at a glance (board website)
- AQA: Past papers and mark schemes (board website)
- AQA: Grade boundaries (board website)
Facts checked against: aqa.org.uk, aqa.org.uk.
More packs
Exam facts (paper names, times, marks, weightings, tiers, codes) are taken from each exam board's own specification pages and summarised in our own words; no specification text, papers or mark schemes are reproduced. Exam details checked against the board's specification on 2026-10-20. Always check the current specification on the board's website.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Ofqual and DfE pages on GOV.UK). Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education, Ofqual, JCQ, AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or WJEC Eduqas.
Questions teachers ask
How long are the AQA GCSE Business exams?
Paper 1: 1 h 45 min; Paper 2: 1 h 45 min.