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AQA Business: September 2025 updates

Welcome to our Autumn 2025 newsletter

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Published

Monday 1 Sep 2025

Welcome to our Autumn 2025 newsletter

We hope the new term has started well for everyone. At this busy time, we want to offer some important reminders and updates to support you throughout the new school year.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at various training events this term and receiving the Government’s Curriculum and Assessment review when it’s published. In this email you’ll find all the information to get you started this term.

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 Business, Economics and Accounting


myAQA

Sign up to myAQA to get quick access to resources, CPD training and events, Data Insights (our results analysis tool) and much more this autumn term. Make sure you’ve filled in your myAQA profile including your role and subject specialism so we can instantly start connecting you with the tools, training and resources most relevant to you.

Once you’re logged into your myAQA account, you can also access Centre Services.

Curriculum Connect: Exploring summer 2025

These online events are focused on a review of the 2025 summer exam series, highlighting key performance trends, common challenges, and implications for teaching and curriculum planning. Designed for educators and subject leaders, the session provides evidence-based insights to support strategic preparation for the year ahead. Book your place using the links below:

We’re also hosting a session to give an update on the AS and A-level Business redevelopment, the draft materials, and a Q&A clinic. These clinics are an interactive opportunity to have your questions answered by AQA subject experts; the aim is to come along and have them address the issues that matter most to you. Questions can be anything related to the AS and A-level Business specification redevelopment.

Find everything you need on MyAQA

  • Whether it’s schemes of work, community links or teaching guides, we’ve got what you need. To find the resources, visit the plan, teach and assess tabs on our Business subject pages. More resources are available on our Centre Services secure web page. 
  • Data Insights on Centre Services - see how your school, subject, class and individual students have performed and dig deeper into your students’ results.
  • Find summer 2025 question papers, mark schemes, and examiners’ reports, all in one place on Centre Services. See what is available and when.
  • You can find each of the grade boundaries on our website and the overall results statistics with cumulative pass rates for the whole AQA cohort.

Free@3

We’re delighted to extend our popular ‘Free at 3’ appointments, following the success of last term’s trial. These 20-minute sessions gave us the chance to speak with many of you - mainly about resources, exams and qualifications 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@3 link to book your slot - available between 3.00pm - 5.00pm every Wednesday.

Post-results services

Log into myAQA for post-results services to find information and deadlines and easy summary guide.

AQA NEA advisers

Each school or college has a dedicated NEA adviser. Our advisers are experienced teachers and moderators who can offer guidance and support throughout the academic year on delivering NEA.

They’re there to answer your questions, explain specification requirements, share teaching ideas and discuss general processes, planning and approaches to NEA tasks.

Their details may have changed from last year - so you can find them on Centre Services by going to ‘Pre-exams’ and then clicking on ‘NEA Advisers’. If you do not have an assigned adviser, please contact eos@aqa.org.uk.

Please be aware that contact details are confidential and must not be shared with third parties including students and on social media. Further information about our commitment to data privacy can be found in our privacy notice.

myTraining

Join a CPD session in the autumn term, alongside our business experts and fellow teachers and discover the latest news, resources and support available to you. We’ll focus on topics that support you in the autumn term and beyond, keeping you well-connected and inspired to do what you do best.

Live CPD:

On demand and eLearning modules:

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?

Applied General Business – ABS3 tasks and templates for 2025/2026

The January and June 2026 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 2026 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 cannot be taken twice by the learner.

Specification updates and reminders

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 will be in summer 2026 with two resit opportunities January 2027 and June 2027
  • Last Extended Certificate exams will be in summer 2027 with two resit opportunities January 2028 and June 2028.

AS and A-level Business redevelopment

While you’ve been busy shaping future business minds, we’ve been busy too - developing a brand-new AS and A-level Business specification designed to elevate your teaching and enrich your learners’ classroom experience.

Since our last specification was published in 2013, both the business world and the way we teach it have evolved significantly. We’ve taken the time to create a refreshed AS and A-level Business qualification that reflects these changes, with the classroom experience at its heart.

While it’s not yet been accredited by Ofqual, we continue to make significant progress and expect to launch the new qualification later this year for first teaching in September 2026 (with first AS exams in 2027 and first A-level exams in 2028).

We think you’re going to love what’s coming. AS and A-level Business – redefined, refreshed, and ready for the future. Visit our dedicated webpage to find out more and register your interest to receive key updates and exclusive previews. 

Don’t forget to register for our free Curriculum Connect session where you can find out more about our exciting changes. You can book your place now on our website.

If you’re entering learners for the summer 2026 exams, please continue to follow the AS and A-level Business (7131) and (7132) specification.

GCSE Business assessment changes for 2026

In July 2024 we announced the GCSE Business (8132) assessment changes we’re making for the summer 2026 exams and onwards. We’re moving away from having 6-mark questions tied to one factor, which we hope more learners will be able to access the full range of marks for this question type.

To support your teaching and learning, we created a set of answers and commentaries based on the 2023 papers available on the assessment resources tab of the subject page. These include the 6 mark questions in the new style, learner responses at each mark, and examiner commentary, as well as responses to the 12-mark questions to demonstrate how the updated levels of response mark grids will be applied.

We also updated the sample assessment materials (SAMs) based on the 2024 papers. We will soon do the same for the 2025 papers. You can find them by following these steps on Centre Services:

  • log into Centre Services
  • select ‘Resources ’
  • select ‘Assessment and training ’
  • choose ‘Business ’
  • tick ‘GCSE’
  • select ‘Assessment material’ for category
  • select ‘Sample assessment materials’ in the resource type field.

These updated sample set 3 SAMs reflect the new approach to 6-mark questions in summer 2026 and can be used in your classroom to help prepare students for the revised assessments. We hope you find them a useful addition to your teaching resources.

The use of AI within assessments

JCQ’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Assessments: Protecting the Integrity of Qualifications document provides teachers/assessors involved in delivering JCQ qualifications with the information they need to manage use of AI in assessments. All relevant staff need to be aware of and familiarise themselves with the new guidance and instructions. If AI misuse is detected or suspected by your school or college, and the declaration of authentication has been signed, the case must be reported.

Remember, if you have any learners who use a word processor, it must have all internet connectivity disabled. This is to help prevent, among other things, the potential misuse of AI in exams.

Using AQA resources for AI tools

AQA does not allow anybody (including schools and colleges) to use any AQA materials to train Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools or technologies. This includes question papers, specifications, mark schemes, reports, teaching resources and other such materials. While we understand how useful these tools are, putting any AQA material into an AI tool would be in breach of copyright law, and AQA policy.

Centre visits

Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting our AQA schools and colleges. By joining teachers and students in the classroom, this was an opportunity to see our specification in action and listen to your thoughts about our specification content and assessment. As we look to the future, this valuable insight will help shape our future Business specifications and assessments. If you’d welcome a visit at your school or college, please get in touch with us at business-studies@aqa.org.uk.

Student Advisory Group – recruitment for 2025/26

We’re looking for learners to join our Student Advisory Group to help us make key decisions about the future of exams. We’d love to hear from learners who’ve completed AQA specification GCSEs since 2024, as well as from those taking AQA AS and A-levels. We also really want to hear from students taking our vocational qualifications, or vocational qualifications with any other exam board, as long as they have sat at least one AQA qualification.

Since the Student Advisory group began they’ve; represented the student voice each year at the Parliamentary Youth Reception, shared their views at the Curriculum and Assessment Youth Shadow Panel, fed into our Curriculum and Assessment call for evidence response, given insights on AI in the Classroom at the 2025 Festival of Education, helped with reviewing books for our English literature set texts list, and much more.

So if you know any learners who you think would be interested, please pass this on. Full details of the role and how to apply can be found on our website. Applications open on Monday 8 September and close at 5.00pm on Monday 22 September 2025.

Apply to become an AQA examiner

Please take a look at our examiner vacancies for GCSE and A-level Business

Enhance your teaching career while shaping learners' futures. Become an AQA examiner and gain unique insights into assessments, boost your professional growth, and earn extra income, all while making a real impact.

Becoming a moderator or examiner can be a valuable experience for you as a teacher and also your school/college. Our vacancies are open and you can apply on our website.

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