Business subject update
Autumn 2026
Welcome to our autumn 2026 newsletter
We hope the term has started well for everyone. This term we’ve got lots of helpful resources, updates, reminders and details of events. We hope you find them useful.
If any members of your team would like to receive subject-specific updates, they can easily sign up for AQA subject updates, so they’re always informed and part of our community.
Rebecca Crumpton
Subject Lead for Accounting, Business and Economics
Quick links
- Assessment reform: DfE consultation
- myNetwork: Upcoming webinars and community news
- myResources: Key resources for this term
- myTraining: New training for the term ahead
- mySupport: Help and guidance
Stay up to date with assessment reform
This autumn, the Department for Education (DfE) is expected to launch its subject content consultation, confirming which subjects will be included in phase 1, sharing draft proposals and inviting feedback from teachers, schools and exam boards.
There’s nothing you need to do right now. When the consultation launches, we’ll help you understand what it means for you, what’s changing in phase 1 subjects and how you can have your say.
Help shape the future of digital assessment
We’d like to hear about your experiences of digital teaching, learning and assessment through a short survey.
By sharing your experiences, you’ll help us shape the guidance, resources and support teachers need as digital assessment continues to evolve.
The survey contains 24 questions, takes around 12 minutes to complete and closes on 1 November 2026. As a thank you, participants who complete the survey can enter a prize draw for the chance to win one of four £50 gift vouchers.
Curriculum Connect sessions
Exploring Summer 2026
This online event will review the summer 2026 exam series, highlighting key performance trends, common challenges and what these may mean for teaching and curriculum planning. It will introduce themes that will be explored in more detail in later follow-up sessions. These follow-up sessions will include student responses with examiner commentary.
Book now to secure your place:
- A-level Business: Exploring summer 2026 – Monday 21 September, 4pm–5pm
- GCSE Business: Exploring summer 2026 – Monday 28 September, 4pm–5pm
Preparing for the new academic year
If you missed David Petrie’s sessions last term, we’re repeating these two practical, classroom-focused webinars again this term. David, AQA’s Subject Advocate for Business and a practising teacher, will share useful resources, planning approaches and strategies you can apply straight away. The sessions will cover planning to deliver the new A-level Business qualification and using Data Insights to review results and support future teaching.
- A-level Business: Planning for the new A-level Business qualification (repeat session) – Tuesday 15 September, 4pm–5pm
- GCSE Business: Getting the most from your results with Data Insights (repeat session) – Monday 12 October, 4pm–5pm
tutor2u A-level Business – Teacher Support Q&A
We’re joining tutor2u on Tuesday 8 September for a live Q&A to help you get up and running with the new AS and A-level Business specification. Come along to get your questions answered about the new specification, assessments and teaching resources.
GCSE Business – have your say
We’d like to hear what you think about our GCSE Business specification and assessments. Please complete our brief online survey to tell us what works well, what could be improved and what would make the qualification even better for you and your students. The survey is open until Friday 16 October. Your feedback will help inform our ongoing support and future planning.
Resources for the new AS and A-level Business qualification
The second set of sample assessment materials for AS and A-level Business will be in available on Centre Services by the end of September. These secure materials provide further opportunities for assessment practice and can also be used for mock exams.
Alongside the resources on the subject page, we’ve also worked with tutor2u to provide a free set of lesson slides, activities and worksheets for classroom use. The slides also include introductions to new areas of the course.
If you’re interested in buying textbooks, these are available from our trusted publisher, Hachette. You can order them through the Hachette website.
Get more with MyAQA
myAQA gives you access to everything you need to plan, teach and assess, including our secure extranet – Centre Services. Here you’ll find essential resources, such as the latest past papers, as well as Teacher Online Standardisation (T-OLS) and much more.
Don’t have a myAQA account yet? Complete a short form to get started. Once your Exams Officer has verified your registration, then you’re ready to go.
Free CPD courses and events – Autumn 2026
For autumn 2026, we’ve developed a range of free professional development training courses to help you improve your knowledge and classroom confidence.
New AS and A-level Business (7137/7138):
- A-level Business: Preparing to teach (Face-to-face) – Monday 14 September and Monday 21 September
- A-level Business: Preparing to Teach (Live online training) – Monday 28 September, 4pm–6pm
- Preparing to Teach (on-demand)
- Getting started on the new specification (On demand e-learning module).
Legacy AS and A-level Business (7131/7132) (outgoing specification)
- Exploring analysis – live online training (coming soon)
- Exploring evaluation – live online training (coming soon)
- Mark scheme guidance and application (On-demand eLearning module)
- Getting started (On-demand eLearning module)
GCSE Business (8132)
Marking non-exam assessment (NEA)
Are you looking to improve the accuracy of your NEA marking this year? Why not use our free Teacher online standardisation tool during a departmental meeting to check your marking is in line with our lead moderators?
Transform your teaching through examining
Whether you're looking to enhance your CPD, gain a fresh perspective on assessment or bring new ideas and insights back to the classroom, examining can have a lasting impact on your teaching and career. By seeing real student responses from across the country and understanding how marks are gained and lost, you'll develop valuable insights that can help you prepare learners more effectively, while building your professional credibility and experience.
Apply to become an examiner today or join one of our free online taster events to discover what the role involves and hear from experienced examiners.
Specification updates and reminders
Applied General Business – ABS3 tasks and templates for 2026/2027
The January and June 2027 preparation and portfolio tasks for ABS3 are available on Centre Services, along with the guidance notes for teachers and information for learners. The new tasks are valid for both the January and June 2027 assessment window.
Remember, you can submit learner work for either or both external assignments at each assessment window. Learners submitting work for the January assessment window who then need or wish to re-sit an external assignment in the same academic year, must take the alternative assignment. The same assignment can’t be taken twice by the learner.
Our plans for Applied General Business
In December 2024, we announced that we’re offering our Applied General Business for a bit longer. Here’s a reminder of the following updated timelines:
- last Certificate exams were in summer 2026 with two resit opportunities in January 2027 and June 2027
- last Extended Certificate exams will be in summer 2027 with two resit opportunities in January 2028 and June 2028.
Exampro
Exampro Business supports both GCSE Business and A-level Business, helping you search AQA questions and build tailored assessments in minutes.
For the new A-level Business qualification, Exampro gives you access to questions that can be used to create classroom activities, homework tasks, revision resources and topic tests. It can also help you build assessment materials that support your teaching as students move through the new specification.
A free sample is available, giving you the chance to explore how Exampro can support assessment for the new A-level Business qualification, as well as your wider GCSE and A-level teaching.
Good assessment made easy.
Student Advisory Group recruitment for 2026/27
Help your learners influence the future of exams
We’re looking for learners to join our Student Advisory Group for 2026/27. The group gives young people a direct opportunity to share their experiences and views on qualifications, assessments and the wider exam system. Their insights will help shape the future of the curriculum, qualifications and assessments for young people, as well as our work to offer new vocational qualifications.
If you know any learners who may be interested, please encourage them to apply – we’re looking for students who have taken AQA qualifications, though this is not essential, and they can be sitting general or vocational qualifications.
Applications open: Monday 7 September 2026
Applications close: 5.00pm on Monday 21 September 2026
Thank you for helping us raise awareness of this opportunity among your learners. For more information about the Student Advisory Group and details on how to apply, please visit our website.
Free at 3?
We’re continuing with our popular Free at 3? appointments throughout the first half of the autumn term. These 20-minute sessions gave us the chance to speak with many of you last academic year – mainly about results, resources, training and our new A-level Business qualification and we’re keen to keep those conversations going.
If there’s something you’d like to discuss, we’d love to hear from you. Just get in touch using the Free at 3? link to book your slot - available between 3pm– 5pm every Wednesday.
Stay connected
Whatever your question, our Subject Support team is here to help.
Email: business-studies@aqa.org.uk
Call: 01483 477 863, Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm.