Are you studying Business A Level or Cambridge Technical at Alton Campus in September? If so, you’re in the right place!
One of the ways to maximise your grade in Business is to know lots of businesses to use as examples. So try downloading the free BBC News app and when you have a spare moment, have a read of some business stories.
Did you know? Jim Ratcliffe remains one of Britain’s richest people worth around £20bn – his wealth comes from Ineos, a chemicals-based business. He grew up on a council estate in Manchester.
During the first week at college, we will be doing an activity based on the Watercress Line in Alton. This is a heritage steam railway that runs regular promotional events and special weekends. In preparation for that, we’d like you to do some research on other tourist attractions in the area that the Watercress Line could get new marketing ideas from.
Research Areas
3. Research other heritage railways. Two local ones are the Bluebell Line (Sussex) and Didcot (Oxfordshire). You can get some ideas from these websites which they could use at the Watercress Line. Note there are loads more railways if you wanted to check out more – 182 in total! (Check them all out here!)
Complete the table below with three ideas you have taken from Bluebell Line, Didcot or other heritage railways/tourist attractions:
This is the textbook we will use extensively on the course. The cost is around £45 (some used ones are available if you are quick!) but it covers the two years. Make sure you pick up the sixth edition (2026 version)! A sticker on the front page will tell you if it is the correct year.
AQA Business for A Level (Surridge, Gillespie, Vlachonikolis) 2026.
ISBN 978-1036003265
You can find it on:
If you’d like to do some more activities, then have a go at this Aldi Case Study which has been specially written for Year 11s moving into Year 12 by the Time2 Resources website.
Duncan Llewelyn
We look forward to seeing you soon!
