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A-LevelBusiness StudiesBusiness Start-upOct/Nov 2023Paper 2 Q130 Marks

Jake's Cakes (JC) Jake started baking cakes while at university. He baked cakes for friends' birthdays and other celebrations. He posted pictures of his cakes on social media sites where they received very positive feedback and were widely shared. In 2021 Jake started JC, a small business, using his parents' kitchen. JC bakes cakes and sells them online. Jake created a website where customers design and order unique cakes. Jake uses digital promotion as the main method of promoting his products. JC has only used retained earnings to invest in marketing and new equipment. In 2023, Jake made a cake for a celebrity who shared JC's social media posts with their social media followers. As a result of this an investor approached Jake. The investor offered to provide a $25000 capital investment to help Jake grow the business. However, Jake does not want to take on an equal partner. Jake is considering a different plan for growth. His parents have agreed to let him convert their garage into his commercial kitchen. He has prepared a business plan and applied for a bank loan of $15000 to finance this growth. He has produced a cash flow forecast for the first quarter of 2024. Table 1.1: JC's cash flow forecast 2024 ($000) | | Jan | Feb | March | | :------------------ | :---- | :---- | :---- | | **Cash inflow** | | | | | Bank loan | 15 | 0 | 0 | | Cash sales | 2.5 | 2.6 | 5 | | Total inflow | 17.5 | 2.6 | 5 | | **Cash outflow** | | | | | Fixed costs | 20 | 1.5 | 1.5 | | Variable costs | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | | Total outflow | 20.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 | | Net cash flow | (3) | 0.5 | | | Opening balance | 2 | (1) | | | Closing balance | (1) | (0.5) | |

📋 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 Business Studies Question

Topic

This structured question tests Business Start-up in A-Level Business Studies (syllabus code 9609). It is worth 30 marks.

Source

This question appeared in the Cambridge A-Level Business Studies Oct/Nov 2023 examination, Paper 2 Variant 3.

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