05.06-Section B
Question 4
This question examined two different areas of the syllabus - cost * and the profit statements prepared under absorption and marginal costing. This question was generally well-answered by many candidates.
Part (a) required candidates to use the high-low method to calculate a variable cost and a total fixed cost. Common errors from weaker candidates included:
confusing sales and production volumes in the calculation instead of using two production volumes dividing units by costs to obtain the variable cost per unit making simple arithmetical errors, or copying figures down incorrectly from the question. Part (b) was not answered as well as part (a). It involved the calculation of the budgeted total contribution and net profit if marginal costing principles had been used. Common errors were:
failing to recognise that the quickest way of calculating total contribution was to calculate the contribution per unit and to multiply this by the number of units sold multiplying the contribution per unit by the number of units produced producing a full trading and profit statement with incorrect units and/or incorrect stock valuations for marginal costing failing to deduct the fixed production and fixed selling and distribution costs in order to arrive at the net profit. Part (c) required candidates to explain the circumstances in which the marginal costing and absorption costing profits for a period would be the same. Again, many answers were quite long when a short answer would have sufficed. The longer answers also tended to explain when the marginal costing profit would be higher or lower. This was not required and received no credit. Many candidates stated that the two profits would be the same when there were no opening and no closing stocks. They received some credit, but not full marks, for this. Opening and closing stocks need to be the same - not necessarily zero.
