AAT Level 1 Award in Business Skills
This entry-level qualification helps you support finance teams with everyday business activities, and understand sales and purchases processes.
What it covers
This Level 1 qualification covers a range of skills and relevant supporting knowledge to help prepare students for applying numbers in business and working in a business environment.
It will give students an understanding of:
- how different organisations operate
- how to contribute effectively in the workplace
- how businesses process sales and purchases, and the documents and procedures associated with this.
Students will also be equipped with the basic numerical skills needed in the workplace, such as decimals, percentages and fractions, and applying proportions and ratios.
Syllabus
Working in the Business Environment
This unit introduces students to the skills needed in the workplace, including the importance of teamwork, communication, effective time management and professional behaviour. They'll also learn about some of the core finance processes linked to sales and purchase orders.
Percentage contribution of this unit to the overall qualification grade: 65%.
Learning outcomes
- Develop skills for the workplace.
- Understand how organisations operate.
- Understand how sales and purchases support businesses.
- Apply business procedures to sales and purchases.
Using Numbers in Business
Numeracy is an essential business skill. This unit will introduce students to the basic skills needed when working with numbers in a business environment, developing confidence and skills to use and apply numbers to a wide range of situations.
Percentage contribution of this unit to the overall qualification grade: 35%.
Learning outcomes
- Perform simple business calculations.
- Calculate decimals, fractions, percentage, proportions and ratios.
- Use tools and techniques to present numerical data.
The jobs it can lead to
Data entry clerk
Accounts administrator
Administrative assistant
Fees
Training provider fees
£150–£800
This fee covers your tuition (if attending a course of study) and is paid directly to your training provider.
Standard qualification fee (applicable until 31 August 2025)
The standard qualification fee is £84. This is made up of:
- a one-off registration fee of £46, paid directly to AAT. This registration fee will give you access to the qualification for its lifetime, typically four to five years, and access to the study support resources, and enable you to sit the qualification assessment
- an assessment fee of £38.
Standard qualification fee (applicable from 1 September 2025)
The standard qualification fee will be £86. This is made up of:
- a one-off registration fee of £47, paid directly to AAT. This registration fee will give you access to the qualification for its lifetime, typically four to five years, and access to the study support resources, and enable you to sit the qualification assessment
- an assessment fee of £39.
You will be required to pay the assessment fee to your training provider or assessment venue.
Note: training providers and assessment venues may charge an additional administrative fee for the assessment. The administrative fee, if charged, can vary from one organisation to another.
Entry requirements
Students can start with any qualification depending on existing skills and experience. For the best chance of success we recommend that students begin their studies with a good standard of English and maths.
Already got some accounting experience? Test your knowledge with AAT Skillcheck to find out the best qualification to start with.
Exemptions
This is an entry-level qualification: exemptions don't apply.
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