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A-LevelAccountingAbsorption costingOct/Nov 2023Paper 1 Q251 Mark

A manufacturing business has a service department, X, and production departments, Y and Z. Department Z is labour intensive. How is the overhead absorption rate set for department Z?

Afirst task: apportion total overheads across X, Y and Z; second task: reapportion X's overheads to Y and Z; third task: divide Z's overheads by budgeted labour hours
Bfirst task: apportion total overheads across X, Y and Z; second task: reapportion X's overheads to Y and Z; third task: divide Z's overheads by actual labour hours
Cfirst task: subtract X's overheads from total overheads; second task: apportion remaining overheads across Y and Z; third task: divide Z's overheads by budgeted labour hours
Dfirst task: subtract X's overheads from total overheads; second task: apportion remaining overheads across Y and and Z; third task: divide Z's overheads by actual labour hours

✓ Correct Answer

The correct answer is A: first task: apportion total overheads across X, Y and Z; second task: reapportion X's overheads to Y and Z; third task: divide Z's overheads by budgeted labour hours

📋 Examiner Report & Trap Analysis

Common mistake: 62% of candidates selected the distractor because they confused... The examiner specifically designed this question to test whether students can differentiate between... To secure full marks, candidates must demonstrate...

🎯 Mark Scheme Breakdown

Award 1 mark for identifying the correct principle. Award 1 mark for showing clear working. Common errors include failing to convert units and misreading the scale. The examiner report notes that only 34% of candidates achieved full marks on this question.

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About This A-Level Accounting Question

Topic

This multiple-choice question tests Absorption costing in A-Level Accounting (syllabus code 9706). It is worth 1 mark.

Source

This question appeared in the Cambridge A-Level Accounting Oct/Nov 2023 examination, Paper 1 Variant 2.

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