Specimen Paper B - Unit 1 – Finance, the Individual and Society (FIS)

A way of becoming a UK citizen is by:

Lower interest rates mean people will:

It is thought that the overdraft was invented in:

Disposable income is:

Taxes are government:

The main purpose of taxation is to:

An increase in the personal allowance will mean that a taxpayer should have:

When more people are employed by businesses:

Which of the following combinations leads to a financial 'bubble'?

Poor financial choices can lead to:

Which of the following does inflation measure?

In order to measure CPI, the Office for National Statistics identifies a basket of goods and services which is:

Interest is the cost of:

When interest rates fall, this is bad news for people with:

Rapidly rising house prices most favour:

A commuter belt is where people:

Which of the following countries uses dollars?

If the pound sterling has been strengthening against the euro then when Natalie visits France next week she will:

Which of the following events is certain?

A 17-year-old taking A levels will usually be least concerned about:

Case Study 1
Kyle is 17 and has been learning about the dangers of payday loans; he is shocked. He decides that he should establish good financial habits straight away.
He has a part-time job paying £40 a week, he receives £5 a week pocket money from his grandmother, and he gets a £10 weekly allowance from his parents. Kyle decides that he will restrict his spending to £20 a week in cash, and put the rest in a building society ISA. He also saves up any 50p coins he receives in change and puts these into his ISA each time he has a jar full.

Question:
Kyle's 50p coins are made by:

Case Study 1
Kyle is 17 and has been learning about the dangers of payday loans; he is shocked. He decides that he should establish good financial habits straight away.
He has a part-time job paying £40 a week, he receives £5 a week pocket money from his grandmother, and he gets a £10 weekly allowance from his parents. Kyle decides that he will restrict his spending to £20 a week in cash, and put the rest in a building society ISA. He also saves up any 50p coins he receives in change and puts these into his ISA each time he has a jar full.

Question:
Kyle's weekly earned income amounts to:

Case Study 1
Kyle is 17 and has been learning about the dangers of payday loans; he is shocked. He decides that he should establish good financial habits straight away.
He has a part-time job paying £40 a week, he receives £5 a week pocket money from his grandmother, and he gets a £10 weekly allowance from his parents. Kyle decides that he will restrict his spending to £20 a week in cash, and put the rest in a building society ISA. He also saves up any 50p coins he receives in change and puts these into his ISA each time he has a jar full.

Question:
Because Kyle places some of his income in a building society account, this means that other people are able to:

Case Study 2
Nancy rents a one-bedroomed flat in Norwich. She is an operations manager at a life insurance company in the town, earning £60,000 a year. She is about to buy her first property, a two-bedroomed semi-detached house with a small garden, which is on the market for £199,950. She is putting down a deposit of £30,000.
Nancy has worked out her budget and, although her monthly repayments will be quite high, she can afford them providing she keeps earning the same amount and does not overspend on discretionary items.

Question:
At what rate does Nancy pay income tax on her earnings?

Case Study 2
Nancy rents a one-bedroomed flat in Norwich. She is an operations manager at a life insurance company in the town, earning £60,000 a year. She is about to buy her first property, a two-bedroomed semi-detached house with a small garden, which is on the market for £199,950. She is putting down a deposit of £30,000.
Nancy has worked out her budget and, although her monthly repayments will be quite high, she can afford them providing she keeps earning the same amount and does not overspend on discretionary items.

Question:
What tax will Nancy have to pay on her property purchase?

Case Study 2
Nancy rents a one-bedroomed flat in Norwich. She is an operations manager at a life insurance company in the town, earning £60,000 a year. She is about to buy her first property, a two-bedroomed semi-detached house with a small garden, which is on the market for £199,950. She is putting down a deposit of £30,000.
Nancy has worked out her budget and, although her monthly repayments will be quite high, she can afford them providing she keeps earning the same amount and does not overspend on discretionary items.

Question:
An increase in which of the following taxes will make it harder for Nancy to meet her monthly outgoings?

Case Study 3
Hollie is 16 and about to take her GCSEs. Most of her friends are going to take A levels and then go to university. Hollie is interested in engineering and her dad has been talking about the value of apprenticeships.
Her research informs her that the nearby steelworks is offering well-paid apprenticeships, leading to a degree. Hollie's mum is worried about the debt Hollie would take on by going to university. Her mum and dad will help as much as they can whatever she does, but, with two younger children, there's very little money to spare.

Question:
If Hollie takes on the apprenticeship after her GCSEs she could earn enough to pay tax and National Insurance, so she wonders why she cannot vote. What else can Hollie not do?

Case Study 3
Hollie is 16 and about to take her GCSEs. Most of her friends are going to take A levels and then go to university. Hollie is interested in engineering and her dad has been talking about the value of apprenticeships.
Her research informs her that the nearby steelworks is offering well-paid apprenticeships, leading to a degree. Hollie's mum is worried about the debt Hollie would take on by going to university. Her mum and dad will help as much as they can whatever she does, but, with two younger children, there's very little money to spare.

Question:
The government decides how much:

Case Study 3
Hollie is 16 and about to take her GCSEs. Most of her friends are going to take A levels and then go to university. Hollie is interested in engineering and her dad has been talking about the value of apprenticeships.
Her research informs her that the nearby steelworks is offering well-paid apprenticeships, leading to a degree. Hollie's mum is worried about the debt Hollie would take on by going to university. Her mum and dad will help as much as they can whatever she does, but, with two younger children, there's very little money to spare.

Question:
Hollie applies for the apprenticeship. In making this decision, the strongest influence on her personal values seems to be:

Case Study 4
Daniel is a physics teacher aged 28. He lives in a rented flat in Manchester with his girlfriend Laura, who is a nurse aged 25. They plan to buy a place of their own, get married and start a family.
They have already saved £10,000 towards a deposit and other house-buying costs, and are putting aside at least £500 per month with a building society. They have been offered a fixed-rate mortgage for 4 years at 2.5% APR. Laura has read that the UK economy is nearing its peak and that interest rates are historically low.

Question:
Over the next few years particularly, Daniel and Laura will need to avoid poor financial decision-making as:

Case Study 4
Daniel is a physics teacher aged 28. He lives in a rented flat in Manchester with his girlfriend Laura, who is a nurse aged 25. They plan to buy a place of their own, get married and start a family.
They have already saved £10,000 towards a deposit and other house-buying costs, and are putting aside at least £500 per month with a building society. They have been offered a fixed-rate mortgage for 4 years at 2.5% APR. Laura has read that the UK economy is nearing its peak and that interest rates are historically low.

Question:
The mortgage Daniel and Laura have chosen means that during the next year, if interest rates:

Case Study 4
Daniel is a physics teacher aged 28. He lives in a rented flat in Manchester with his girlfriend Laura, who is a nurse aged 25. They plan to buy a place of their own, get married and start a family.
They have already saved £10,000 towards a deposit and other house-buying costs, and are putting aside at least £500 per month with a building society. They have been offered a fixed-rate mortgage for 4 years at 2.5% APR. Laura has read that the UK economy is nearing its peak and that interest rates are historically low.

Question:
What is the next stage of the economic cycle that Daniel and Laura will experience?

Case Study 5
Claire is a student at the University of Bristol. Her monthly income is £400 and her monthly outgoings are £440. She enjoys clothes shopping with friends and has an outstanding balance on her student credit card, and a personal loan on which there is a monthly payment of £75.
Claire has a part-time job in a factory which specialises in making components for swimming pools and whirlpool baths. The majority of the factory’s parts are shipped to the United States. She earns £200 a month and, as this income is well within her personal allowance, she does not have to pay income tax on it.

Question:
Which of the following is not an effect of Claire making purchases?

Case Study 5
Claire is a student at the University of Bristol. Her monthly income is £400 and her monthly outgoings are £440. She enjoys clothes shopping with friends and has an outstanding balance on her student credit card, and a personal loan on which there is a monthly payment of £75.
Claire has a part-time job in a factory which specialises in making components for swimming pools and whirlpool baths. The majority of the factory’s parts are shipped to the United States. She earns £200 a month and, as this income is well within her personal allowance, she does not have to pay income tax on it.

Question:
The first thing Claire should do in terms of her finances is:

Case Study 5
Claire is a student at the University of Bristol. Her monthly income is £400 and her monthly outgoings are £440. She enjoys clothes shopping with friends and has an outstanding balance on her student credit card, and a personal loan on which there is a monthly payment of £75.
Claire has a part-time job in a factory which specialises in making components for swimming pools and whirlpool baths. The majority of the factory’s parts are shipped to the United States. She earns £200 a month and, as this income is well within her personal allowance, she does not have to pay income tax on it.

Question:
The factory Claire works in will find it harder to export to the United States when the: