Skip to content
Marlbridge

AQA · AS Level

AQA AS Level Business

Business for AQA AS Level (syllabus 7131) — what the qualification covers, and the study material Marlbridge publishes for it.

Syllabus
7131
Board
AQA
Qualification
AS Level

At a glance

Qualification
AQA AS Level Business
Spec code
7131
Does Marlbridge teach it?
Yes
Are resources available?
Yes — 10 published
Is enrolment open?
Enquire to join — no online enrolment yet
Where was this verified?
2026-08-19, official AQA specification

Compiled and maintained by the Marlbridge Academic Team, checked against the official AQA specification on 2026-08-19.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report an error — see the corrections policy.

The qualification

AQA AS Business (7131)

AQA AS Business is a stand-alone qualification sharing its subject content with the first half of AQA A-level Business, covering business decision-making in a functional context. — AQA, official syllabus page

For first teaching from September 2023; current for cohorts taking exams through summer 2026. Covers the first six of the ten A-level Business (7132) sections: what is business, managers/leadership/decision making, and decision-making to improve marketing, operational, financial and human resource performance. AQA has accredited a replacement specification (7137) for first teaching from September 2026.

Specifications change between examination series. Always confirm the current syllabus and assessment structure on the AQA syllabus page for your examination year.

Assessment structure

7131

Linear qualification

Assessment components for AQA Business 7131
Component Duration Marks Weighting Type
7131/1: Paper 1: Business 1 1h 30m 80 50% Written exam
7131/2: Paper 2: Business 2 1h 30m 80 50% Written exam

Source: official AQA specification, verified 2026-08-28. Directly confirmed against the official AQA specification-at-a-glance page: linear, not tiered, two compulsory written papers, each 1h30/80marks/50% of AS, both required for the award. Paper 1 (Business 1): Section A 10 MCQs (10 marks), Section B short-answer (approx. 20 marks), Section C two data-response stimuli with questions (approx. 25 marks). Paper 2 (Business 2): one compulsory case study, approx. seven questions. Total 160 marks. AQA's own subject page carries a live banner stating this specification is 'outgoing' -- a replacement (7137) has been accredited for first teaching September 2026, but 7131 remains the current, correct code for this site's records and continues to be examined for cohorts already partway through, through summer 2026; recorded here as current (with relatedCode 7137) because 7137's own first-teaching date, September 2026, has not yet arrived as of this record's verification date -- 7131 remains what every enrolling and continuing student actually follows today. First teaching September 2023, first AS assessment June 2024, final AS assessment June 2026.

7137 (upcoming — not yet current)

7137 is an upcoming specification, replacing 7131 , for first teaching from 2026-09. First assessment: 2027. It is not yet the specification current students should follow — that remains 7131 until this one begins.

Linear qualification

Assessment components for AQA Business 7137
Component Duration Marks Weighting Type
7137/1: Paper 1: What is business? Managing marketing and finance 1h 45m 80 50% Written exam
7137/2: Paper 2: Managing people and operations 1h 45m 80 50% Written exam

Source: official AQA specification, verified 2026-08-28. Directly confirmed against the official AQA specification PDF ('AS and A-level Business AS (7137) A-level (7138) Specification', Version 1.1, November 2025): linear, not tiered, two compulsory written papers, each 1h45/80marks/50% of AS. Paper 1 (Unit 3.1: What is business? Managing marketing and finance): two case studies, each followed by six compulsory questions worth 40 marks in total. Paper 2 (Unit 3.2: Managing people and operations, with links to Unit 3.1): same two-case-study format. Total 160 marks (raw marks scaled ×1). Replaces 7131: for teaching from September 2026 onwards, first AS exams June 2027. 7131 remains the current code and continues to be examined through summer 2026 for cohorts already partway through; recorded here as future with relatedCode 7131 accordingly.

Assessment FAQs

How is AQA Business (7131) assessed?

AQA Business (7131) is assessed through: 7131/1 (Paper 1: Business 1) — 1h 30m, 80 marks, 50% of the qualification; 7131/2 (Paper 2: Business 2) — 1h 30m, 80 marks, 50% of the qualification. It is a linear qualification. Source: official AQA specification, verified 2026-08-28.

Is there a new AQA Business specification coming?

Yes. 7137 is an upcoming specification, replacing 7131, for first teaching from 2026-09. First assessment: 2027. Until then, 7131 remains the specification current students follow.

The subject

Business teaching and study resources, organised by level and topic.

All Business at Marlbridge

Syllabus topics

The 6 topics below are the official subject content of AQA AS Business (7131), for the For first teaching from September 2023 examination series, reproduced from the AQA syllabus document.

A topic listed here is part of the syllabus. It does not mean Marlbridge has published material for it — topics with resources are marked. Marlbridge currently has resources for 6 of 6 topics.

  1. 1 What is business?

    4 Marlbridge resources

    Understanding the nature and purpose of business · Understanding different business forms · Understanding that businesses operate within an external environment

  2. 2 Managers, leadership and decision making

    1 Marlbridge resource

  3. 3 Decision making to improve marketing performance

    1 Marlbridge resource

  4. 4 Decision making to improve operational performance

    1 Marlbridge resource

  5. 5 Decision making to improve financial performance

    1 Marlbridge resource

  6. 6 Decision making to improve human resource performance

    1 Marlbridge resource

Source: AQA -- official AS Business (7131) specification, specification-at-a-glance page — For first teaching from September 2023 series. Verified 2026-08-19. Always check the current syllabus for your examination year.

Study resources

Revision material

Exam preparation

Business at other qualifications

These are separate qualifications with different syllabuses and assessments — not different names for the same course. Check which one your school enters you for.

Related articles

Studying AQA AS Level Business? Tell us where the difficulty is.

Find Learning Support