An Introduction to Financial Statements (AQA GCSE Business)

Revision Note

Test yourself

The Purpose & Importance of Financial Statements

  • Business produce a range of financial statements each year in order to

    • Meet legal requirements

      • Companies must submit financial statements to Companies House each year

    • Support decision making

      • Managers use financial statements to measure performance and set objectives

    • Communicate with stakeholders

      • Shareholders use financial statements to assess the performance of their investment

      • Employees, suppliers and lenders use financial statements to determine the stability of the business

  • The two most important financial statements are:

    • The Income Statement

    • The Statement of Financial Position

Diagram: The income statement and the statement of financial position

The two main financial statements are the income statement and the statement of financial position

The two main financial statements are the income statement and the statement of financial position

The income statement

  • This statement summarises business income and costs, and identifies the profit or loss made over a period of time (usually a year)

The statement of financial position

  • This statement identifies business assets and liabilities, and identifies the capital used to fund the business at a specific point in time

Examiner Tip

A common misconception is that the statement of financial position summarises performance over the year. It is actually a snapshot of a point in time, which businesses report on final day of the accounting year.

Last updated:

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Lisa Eades

Author: Lisa Eades

Expertise: Business Content Creator

Lisa has taught A Level, GCSE, BTEC and IBDP Business for over 20 years and is a senior Examiner for Edexcel. Lisa has been a successful Head of Department in Kent and has offered private Business tuition to students across the UK. Lisa loves to create imaginative and accessible resources which engage learners and build their passion for the subject.

Steve Vorster

Author: Steve Vorster

Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.