DCF Cymru Digital competence for Wales

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GCSE Business

GCSE Business asks learners to research a real local business and an entrepreneurial idea, collect data with questionnaires, present it in graphs and charts, and work out costs, profit and a cash flow forecast, with both NEA reports submitted digitally. The examined units test understanding of business technology, digital marketing and intellectual property rather than software skills. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is confident spreadsheet use: turning survey results into charts and building simple financial models with formulae.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Level 1 and Level 2
First taught
September 2025
Amount of digital work
Medium
Specification
Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Introduction to the Business World: Examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%
  • Unit 2: Key Business Considerations: NEA 5 hours, 15%, set and marked by WJEC
  • Unit 3: Business Strategies for Success: Examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%
  • Unit 4: Business Creation: NEA 8 hours, 25%, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC

Skills that use Digital rights, licensing and ownership

  1. Understanding copyright and intellectual property

    Assessed: In the exam

    Learners must understand intellectual property law, including copyright, patents and trademarks, as a legal factor affecting businesses. This links directly to using and protecting digital content such as logos, images and music.

    DCF: Digital rights, licensing and ownership

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils design a logo for a class business in PowerPoint and check that any images they use are free to use under a Creative Commons licence.
    Year 8
    Pupils compare well-known trademarks with copycat products found online and discuss why businesses protect their brands.
    Year 9
    Pupils examine a case where a business used a photo or song online without permission and decide what copyright law says it should have done instead.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.2.2, page 28

    “intellectual property law, including:”
    Progression step 3

    • I can understand that copying the work of others and presenting it as my own is plagiarism.

    • I can understand that images can be edited digitally and can discuss rights and permissions associated with this.

    Progression step 4

    • I can understand copyright and can explain the legal and ethical dimensions of respecting creative work, e.g. exploring the ethical and legal ramifications of piracy and plagiarism and know that they are irresponsible and disrespectful, and I can apply my understanding of the rules and regulations to different scenarios.

    • I can act responsibly as creator and user of creative work, e.g. exploring decisions that creators make when exercising their creative rights and responsibilities, giving consideration to ethical, real-life issues.

    Progression step 5

    • I can identify the key points required for creative work to be considered fair use and comply with data protection laws by exploring the legal and ethical considerations involved in using the creative work of others.

    • I can understand the legal and ethical debates that surround using other people’s creative work; and I consider the points of view of the original creator, potential audiences, and the broader community when using materials belonging to others.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

Questionnaire design, charts and digital NEA submission match the demand in GCSE Social Studies, and the financial calculations overlap with Mathematics, so a shared KS3 routine of Forms to Excel to Word would serve all three.

Source: WJEC GCSE Business specification, Version 4, September 2025 (teaching from 2025, for award from 2027).