EDEXCEL INTERNATIONAL GCSE (9-1) BUSINESS - Lesson plan 1: What is business activity?

Oct 20, 2026

Lesson plan 1 for EDEXCEL International GCSE (9–1) Business introduces the nature of business activity and why businesses exist. Students recall business terminology, apply concepts to case study work (The Kandy Cycle Shop), and develop understanding of stakeholders, needs and wants, and goods versus services. The lesson emphasizes how businesses operate within a changing external environment and includes starter, differentiated activities, plenary assessment, and homework tasks to research entrepreneurs and mini case studies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Lesson plan 1: What is business activity?

Alignment and objectives

Starter activity

Main teaching activities

Differentiation

Plenary and homework

Advice for non-specialists

EDEXCEL INTERNATIONAL GCSE (9–1) BUSINESS TEACHER RESOURCE PACK Lesson plan 1: What is business activity? → Alignment with Student Book: Chapter 1 (pages 4–10) → Resources: Worksheet 1: Business activity; Student Book | Assessment Objective(s) | | --- | | • AO1 Recall, select and communicate knowledge and understanding of business terms, conceptsand issues
• AO2 Apply knowledge and understanding using appropriate business terms, concepts, theories and calculations effectively in specific contexts
• AO3 Select, organise and interpret business information from sources to investigate and analyse issues | | Learning objectives | | By the end of the lesson, students should:
• Understand the nature of business activity and the reasons why businesses exist
• Understand the role played by different stakeholders
• Understand that businesses operate in a changing business environment | | Possible misconceptions and barriers | | • Students often know a lot about business, but they have never studied it in a lesson before, this means the teacher can draw on knowledge students already have, but do not realise they have. | | Specification alignment | | • – | Starter activity (Estimated time to complete this activity: 5–10 minutes) 1. Show some images of entrepreneurs and get students to identify the businesses they founded or run. Main teaching activities Activity 1 (Estimated time to complete this activity: 10– 5 minutes) 1. Students should read independently the section on business activity in the Student Book, page 5. 2. They should then complete the case study called The Kandy Cycle Shop. Activity 2 (Estimated time to complete this activity: 10–15 minutes) 1. Explain the concept of business. Ask students ‘What is a business?’ 2. Draw out some information in a Q&A to find out what your students think business is all about in this first business lesson. 3. Explain that businesses meet customer needs and wants. 4. Q&A ‘What are needs and what are wants?’ Think Pair share with students (get them to think about it on their own for 60 seconds, then talk about their thoughts with the person they are sitting next to, then share their thoughts with the whole class in a discussion) 5. Students to complete the worksheet Section 1 Needs and wants. Activity 3 (Estimated time to complete this activity: 10–15 minutes) 1. Explain that businesses offer goods and services. 2. Ask the students ‘What are goods and what are services?’ Think Pair share with students (get them to think about it on their own for 60 seconds, then talk about their thoughts with the person they are sitting next to, then share their thoughts with the whole class in a discussion) 3. Students should complete the worksheet Section 2 Goods and services. 4. Explain there is a difference between consumer goods and producer goods. Activity 4 (Estimated time to complete this activity: 20–25 minutes) 1. Explain the role played by different stakeholders. Stakeholders are anyone who has an interest ina business. 2. The teacher should ask students to mind map who the stakeholders of their school are. Good student responses should include: • Students • Parents • Teachers • Other staff in the school • The local community • The government 3. Students should complete worksheet Section 3. The teacher should give examples of main interests/goals to boost students’ confidence. Differentiation Opportunity for support: Students could use the advice in the Student Book, page 7-8 Opportunity for challenge: Students who finish quickly could consider the points in the case study on stakeholders in the Student Book, page 9. Activity 5 (Estimated time to complete this activity: 10–15 minutes) 1. Explain the concept that businesses operate in a changing business environment. There should be a student discussion about this. 2. Teachers should try to pull from students what the changes are in the external e

FAQs

What should students understand about the nature of business activity by the end of the lesson?

Students should understand what business activity is, why businesses exist, and that businesses operate in a changing business environment.

How do the lesson activities develop understanding of needs, wants, and goods and services?

Students discuss needs versus wants, complete worksheets for each concept, and then explore the difference between goods and services, including consumer goods versus producer goods.

What is the homework/project task and what should students prepare for the next lesson?

Students research a business they are interested in and create a mini case study profile, including the entrepreneur behind it, to submit at the beginning of the next lesson.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West