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Thinking of switching to us? 

If you're an OCR-approved centre, all you need to do is download the specification and start teaching. Let us know if you're teaching or planning to teach with us by filling in this form. We look forward to working with you!

Everything you need to make switching to us easy

Supporting you

Our aim is to support you at every stage of your journey with us – from initial enquiry right through to results day. From switching guides to our dedicated, expert subject advisors to planning and teaching resources, we have everything you need to make your move.

Start your journey with us today.

Why choose OCR GCSE Business?

✅ Clear specification and mark schemes – our specification is concise and structured logically into topics, meaning it can be taught in the order it's written. It's a valuable resource for teachers of all levels of experience, and its accessibility means it can also be used as a revision tool for students. Our mark schemes are easy to follow too.

✅ Straightforward, accessible assessments – our assessments include consistent paper structures, multiple choice questions (MCQs) and short case studies to help reduce cognitive load in the exam. Few high tariff questions, a maximum tariff of 9 marks and the use of scaffolded questions also helps students show all of the necessary skills and, in particular, make evaluation marks more accessible    

Limited synopticity different content is assessed on each of our papers, but GCSE paper 2 also gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to draw together topics from across the specification.

✅ Focus on modern business – our specification features contemporary content, such as flexible working, digital distribution channels, sustainability, and the use of technology in business. This empowers students with the relevant knowledge they need to succeed in the future — whether that's in education or training within the world of work.  

 

"I’m pleased to say we have chosen OCR as our specification because we feel it will be able to scaffold up the

learning for our less able whilst still allowing us to challenge the most able"

 

For teachers considering moving to OCR, Business Subject Advisor Deborah Malpas offers some thoughts on what to consider when choosing a business qualification for your key stage 4 students.

Switching guides

If you're currently teaching a GCSE Business qualification and are considering switching, we're here to help. We have a couple of guides which provides all the details you need to help you decide, including:

  • mapping of the specifications to the OCR specification
  • an overview of the differences in assessment

Specification

Our specification equips students with the skills and confidence to explore how different business situations affect decision-making. They'll develop their understanding of concepts, objectives and terminology, and the impact of contemporary issues on business operations.

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Support and resources

Full planning and teaching resources are available on our secure platform, Teach Cambridge for teachers.  On our public website, you can view examples to get a flavour of the support documents available to help you teach our GCSE.   

If your school or college does not teach any OCR qualifications, but you’re considering switching, you can create a two-week trial access account in Teach Cambridge. Trial access gives you a taste of the Teach Cambridge experience and allows you to see the support we offer.  

Free planning and teaching resources, including:

  • schemes of work
  • teacher guides
  • student check in quizzes

Assessment resources include:

  • past papers
  • practice papers
  • candidate exemplars
  • examiner reports
  • sample assessment materials (SAMs)
  • ExamBuilderour free assessment builder platform that allows you to create tailored question papers giving your students the opportunity to practice and build confidence ahead of their exams.
  • Active Results our free online results analysis service that allows you to review your students' exam performance.

Professional development

All our qualifications are supported by a professional development programme. Whether you're considering switching to OCR, starting to teach or would like to attend a Q&A session with our expert subject team, we've got you covered.

Watch a previous Choosing OCR GCSE Business webinar where our subject advisor introduces the course and its content, structure and assessment and explains the support available to you.  

If you've decided that you're going to teach our GCSE Business (9-1) qualification, make sure you sign up for our FREE Starting to Teach webinars to help you prepare. Plus, check out our other available courses

Meet the Business and Economics Team

Knowledgeable. Passionate. Your trusted experts. Our dedicated subject team are on hand to answer any questions you might have.

With impressive teaching experience and assessment expertise, our subject advisors are here to support you.  

Read our blog about the role and function of our Subject Advisor team and how we can support you during your teaching via our blog.

Teaching A Level? Explore our new qualification

We’re currently working closely with Ofqual to gain accreditation for a new AS and A Level Business, with a planned first teach in September 2025.

Get in touch

Get in touch with us: 

Sign up for business updates

Sign up for the latest business updates, which include:

  • key information and updates
  • resources for teachers and students
  • upcoming professional development and more.

Request a call back

Got a question about our GCSE Business? Fill in the form below and a member of our team will be in touch.

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