Business Studies Department

Year 9

Pupils at the City of Ely Community College study one 60-minute lesson each week in mixed ability classes.
In the first two terms of year 9, pupils have the opportunity to study and gain the ifs Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Personal Finance.

The ifs Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Personal Finance (FCPF) has been designed to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills to be able to cope

confidently and effectively with basic financial encounters they are likely to meet.  They will learn what influences how we spend or save and how to become competent at managing their own money.

Pupils will achieve this by learning about:

• money and its different forms
• sources of money
• how individuals use and manage money.

The learning outcomes over the two terms are for pupils to be able to:

• Identify where money comes from (who makes it) and define the concept of ‘money’ in everyday terms.
• Understand the concept of credit, debit and debt.
• Understand the concept of exchange rates, buying and selling and the variability of these over time.
• Give examples of sources of money.
• Perform simple calculations based on basic earnings – Income Tax, NI, rate of pay etc.
• Understand key features of different sources of borrowing.
• Distinguish between good and bad sources of loans.

Qualification Structure

Achievement of a pass in both units leads to the award of the ifs Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Personal Finance (FCPF).

IMO   Introduction to Money  (Unit 1)   M/103/5689 1 30
MOM   Money Management  (Unit 2)  K/103/5691 1 30

To achieve a pass students are required to achieve a pass of 50% in both of the units. The overall grade bands (out of a total of 60 marks, across the two units) are as follows:

What does this Qualification have to offer?

The opportunity to develop key skills that are relevant to everyday life situations.

• A flexible and integrated approach to learning and assessment.
• The opportunity to start to become confident with basic financial encounters.
• The opportunity for you to learn how to use and manage money.