Mark Scheme (Results) January 2015: Pearson Edexcel IAL WEC01 Paper 01 Markets in Action
Mark Scheme (Results) January 2015: Pearson Edexcel IAL WEC01 Paper 01 Markets in Action
Mark Scheme (Results) January 2015: Pearson Edexcel IAL WEC01 Paper 01 Markets in Action
January 2015
Edexcel and BTEC qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding
body. We provide a wide range of qualifications including academic, vocational,
occupational and specific programmes for employers. For further information visit our
qualifications websites at www.edexcel.com or www.btec.co.uk. Alternatively, you can
get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page
at www.edexcel.com/contactus.
Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help
everyone progress in their lives through education. We believe in every kind of
learning, for all kinds of people, wherever they are in the world. We’ve been involved
in education for over 150 years, and by working across 70 countries, in 100
languages, we have built an international reputation for our commitment to high
standards and raising achievement through innovation in education. Find out more
about how we can help you and your students at: www.pearson.com/uk
January 2015
Publications Code IA040505
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2015
General Marking Guidance
• All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark
the first candidate in exactly the same way as they mark the last.
• Crossed out work should be marked UNLESS the candidate has replaced
it with an alternative response.
Section A: Supported multiple choice
NB: Candidates may achieve up to 3 explanation marks even if the incorrect
option is selected.
Rejection marks
• Option A: governments are likely to have imperfect
information as firms are reluctant to make all
information available/ firms have more information
about their markets than their government meaning
imperfect information. (1)
• Option C: incorrect because with public goods the
market would not allocate enough of the product due
to the free rider problem/ with demerit goods there
would be overconsumption (1)
• Option D: mixed economies do experience market
failure for example external costs exist which lead to
an overconsumption of these goods. (1)
(4)
Question Answer Mark
Number
2 Answer D (1 mark)
Rejection marks
• Option A: Incorrect because an advertising campaign
will increase demand for cereals and higher demand
will lead to increased producer surplus (1)
• Option B: a subsidy will increase supply and this is
likely to result in increased producer surplus (1)
• Option C: Reducing the size of indirect taxation will
shift supply right and again is more likely to increase
rather than decrease producer surplus. (1) (4)
Question Mark Mark
Number
3 Answer A (1 mark)
Rejection marks
• Option B: Incorrect as a decrease in indirect tax on
travel insurance would increase the supply and see
an extension of demand (1)
• Option C: opportunity cost is the next best
alternative forgone and if a person buys travel
insurance they cannot then use that money on ski
equipment. (1)
• Option D: incorrect as if symmetric information
was available people would see the risks of being
uninsured- e.g. £1610 average cost causing more
to buy travel insurance (1)
(4)
Question Answer Mark
Number
4 Answer B (1 mark)
Rejection marks
• Option A: incorrect because public goods are non-
excludable so when provided you cannot stop
consumers benefiting from them (1)
• Option C: public goods are non-rivalrous where the
consumption by one person does not affect the
consumption by another. (1)
• Option D: the governments of Latin America and the
Caribbean will make these products available to all (1)
Rejection marks
• Option A: incorrect because the price is above the
maximum price so to reduce the price the government
will be selling soya beans and depleting its stockpile
(1)
• Option B: incorrect because the price will rise to P 3 /
the shift to P 1 would have happened had there been a
good harvest/ increase in supply.(1)
• Option D: excess supply occurs when supply is greater
than demand and in this case there is an equilibrium
at M (1)
Do not double award
(4)
Question Answer Mark
Number
6 Answer D (1 mark)
Rejection marks
• Option A: incorrect as an increase in consumer income
will lead to a less than proportionate increase in
demand for cigarettes as it is inelastic (1)
• Option B: Incorrect as a decrease in consumer
incomes will lead to a less than proportionate fall in
demand as this is a normal good (1)
• Option C: incorrect as an increase in the price of
cigarettes will lead to a less than proportionate fall in
demand for cigarettes due to law of demand/ elasticity
is negative (1) (4)
Question Answer Mark
Number
Q7 Answer A (1 mark)
Rejection marks
• Option B Government subsidies should reduce
geographical immobility. This would reduce the size
of the mismatch (1)
• Option C The government providing training
programmes to reduce immobility is a solution since
training schemes will increase skills making it easier
for people to fill the vacancies (1)
• Option D The unemployed possessing the necessary
skills would easily transfer between jobs that are
available meaning labour is mobile (1)
(4)
Question Answer Mark
Number
8 Answer B (1 mark)
Unemployed resources
Rejection marks
• Option A:this will cause the demand for labour to
contract as wages and therefore costs are now
higher (1)
• Option C it will decrease the number employed as
unskilled agricultural workers from Q 1 to Q 2 (1)
• Option D: there is greater surplus not a shortage of
unskilled agricultural workers (1)
• Do NOT Double Award
(4)
Section B: Data response
NB: KAA marks relates to those awarded for AO1, AO2 and AO3
NB: Evaluation marks relates to those awarded for AO4
Price of
hotel
rooms S
S1
P
D
D
0 Q1 Q Q of hotel
rooms
P1
0
Q Q1 Quantity of hotels
(4)
Question Answer Mark
Number
9(c) (10)
Knowledge, Application and Analysis – Indicative content
• Definition/ formula for income elasticity of demand
- %∆QD/%∆Y
• Application - fall in consumer incomes in India and
across the developed world
• Declining incomes leads to fall from 71% to 58.3%
• Normal good - as income falls, quantity demanded
falls/ positive YED
• With lower occupancy - lower revenue
• Lay off workers
• Shut down/ closures of hotels
• Diagram depicting normal good
• Supply and demand diagram showing demand
falls/ price falls/ quantity falls
Knowledge, Application and Analysis – Level descriptors
Level Marks Descriptor
0 0 A completely inaccurate response.
1 1-2 Shows some awareness of the income elasticity of
demand and the impact on the hotels
2 3-4 Understanding of income elasticity of demand and the
impact on the hotels with some application to context.
3 5-6 Clear understanding of income elasticity of demand and
the impact on the hotels with appropriate application to
context.
Evaluation – Indicative content
• Not all hotels the same so may not have the same
YED
• Expansion of number of hotels shows will have
been profitable- so reserves to cope with falling
demand
• Many hotels major chains who can cross subsidise
weak demand
• Short term issue- as the economy recovers it is
likely the product being a normal good will be
helpful
• For richer small proportion of income so less
impact
• Magnitude- depends on size of income changes
• Other factors cause reduction in demand
Evaluation – Level descriptors
Level Marks Descriptor
0 0 No evaluative comments.
1 1-2 For identifying evaluative comments without
explanation. or 1 evaluation point developed
2 3-4 For evaluative comments supported by relevant
reasoning.
Question Answer Mark
Number
9(d) (14)
Knowledge, Application and Analysis – Indicative content
• Definition of indirect tax- a payment to discourage
the production or consumption of a good/ hotel
rooms
• Reference to extract High indirect taxes are
hurting the hotel sector. The government keeps
increasing taxes and hotels pass it on to the
guest.
Producers/ hotels
• This indirect tax increases costs for hotel rooms
• Reduction in supply of hotel rooms – this should
be shown diagrammatically
Consumer pays
Producer pays
(6)
Question Answer Mark
Number
10(b) (10)
Knowledge, Application and Analysis – Indicative content
• Definition Production Possibility Frontier- maximum
potential production given current available
resources OR investment (increase in the capital stock of
the economy)
• An increase in investment in research and
development is likely to increase the productivity of
labour/ capital
• Application: dramatically increased investments in
research and higher education, outstripping the
growth rate of US research and development
investments by 200-400 %
• Productive potential increases and the PPF shifts out
External benefits