This is a decision that I believe would require consideration of three elements. They are as follows:
Personal interest:
From your post, it seems that, while you feel like Community and Family Studies would not be an enjoyable subject, you appear more certain that this would be the case (and potentially to a more significant extent) of Business Studies. Since you took Commerce this year, you may have gained a general idea of what Business Studies might be like, and not having taken a subject that resembles CAFS in some way in year 10 means that you have an opportunity to try something new in year 11 and possibly year 12.
With that being said, the content of Business Studies extends well beyond that of Stage 5 Commerce (similar to Economics). The Preliminary course covers the fundamentals of the business world (including business management and business planning) and the HSC course builds on such concepts by exploring different aspects of four key business functions, that is, the role, influences, processes, strategies and effectiveness of operations, marketing, finance and human resources.
Performance potential:
First, it is important to note that while the difficulty of different subjects may vary, no subject can be considered really easy. Each subject will require regular study, determination and diligence in order to ensure a favourable level of performance.
Essentially, in addition to whether you are interested in a particular subject, you should aim to take subjects that you can perform well in, so that you can achieve good HSC results and ultimately receive a good ATAR. In making an informed decision, you may wish to consider your performance in year 10 Commerce. If it was favourable, you should consider whether you would be able to maintain this standard in Business Studies. If it was not favourable, you should consider whether you would be able to do what it takes to improve your performance, should you choose Business Studies. In both cases, you should reflect on whether there is a high chance that favourable performance in Business Studies would exceed that in CAFS.
On the other hand, you should consider whether you strongly believe that you would perform at a higher standard in CAFS than you can in Business Studies.
A notable difference between both subjects is the structure of their HSC exam, where the Business Studies HSC exam includes a multiple choice section, a short answer section, a report section and an essay/extended response section. Similar to Economics, a considerable amount of writing is involved in Business Studies, with higher mark values than CAFS, specifically in Section III and Section IV (20-mark questions compared to CAFS's 15-mark questions). Conversely, the CAFS HSC exam focuses more on short answer questions and questions requiring long responses are allocated lower mark values compared to Business Studies and Economics.
Relevance to university studies:
This is the area where Business Studies has a clear edge over CAFS. While it is not treated as assumed knowledge or a prerequisite for relevant university degrees (such as a Bachelor of Business/Commerce), the concepts that it covers, especially within the HSC course, are likely to be revisited as part of units within a Bachelor of Business/Commerce, particularly within the finance, marketing and human resource management (and related) specialisations. Taking Business Studies can therefore relieve some of the pressure that you may face as you commence (and possibly in later stages) your studies in a Bachelor of Business/Commerce, should this be the degree that you choose to study.
I hope this helps!
