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

Who out of the following would not be a UK citizen?

The government decides how much:

Banknotes must not be:

Gross pay is:

Taxes are:

Income tax is an example of a tax which is:

An increase in which of the following taxes would impact on the price paid for a new car?

Charities benefit the economy mainly because they:

Reading and understanding the small print is one aspect of:

Adults who do not adequately save for retirement may become dependent on:

Inflation measures the increase in:

If the savings rate is 4% and the inflation rate 2%, by how much will money grow in real terms?

The interest charged on overdrafts is known as the:

Interest rewards:

If a customer receives a real return of 5% and inflation is running at 3%, what nominal return have they received?

Which of the following has the government put forward as a potential solution to the issue of funding the retirements of an ageing population?

If the exchange rate is 1 GBP = 1.21 euros, how many euros can you get for £150?

If the pound sterling has been weakening against the dollar, then when Kim visits New York next week she will:

A 12-year-old will generally be most interested in the:

Someone in retirement is less likely to take financial risks than a young adult because they:

Case Study 1
Nic is aged 16 and has just started working towards his A levels. His favourite subject is business studies; in this week’s lessons he has been learning about the different types of economies that exist in the world today. He takes good care of the money he receives and is currently saving up for driving lessons so that he can start taking them as soon as he turns 17.
Nic earns £30 a week from a part-time weekend job washing dishes in a local café. His parents give him an allowance of £40 a month. He recently inherited £500 after the death of his aunt, and he has a £20 note left over from the money he received for his birthday.

Question:
The £20 note Nic received was manufactured by:

Case Study 1
Nic is aged 16 and has just started working towards his A levels. His favourite subject is business studies; in this week’s lessons he has been learning about the different types of economies that exist in the world today. He takes good care of the money he receives and is currently saving up for driving lessons so that he can start taking them as soon as he turns 17.
Nic earns £30 a week from a part-time weekend job washing dishes in a local café. His parents give him an allowance of £40 a month. He recently inherited £500 after the death of his aunt, and he has a £20 note left over from the money he received for his birthday.

Question:
Which of the following is a source of earned income for Nic? His:

Case Study 1
Nic is aged 16 and has just started working towards his A levels. His favourite subject is business studies; in this week’s lessons he has been learning about the different types of economies that exist in the world today. He takes good care of the money he receives and is currently saving up for driving lessons so that he can start taking them as soon as he turns 17.
Nic earns £30 a week from a part-time weekend job washing dishes in a local café. His parents give him an allowance of £40 a month. He recently inherited £500 after the death of his aunt, and he has a £20 note left over from the money he received for his birthday.

Question:
During Nic's business studies course he has learned that the UK is a:

Case Study 2
Saira earns £250,000 working for a very profitable private firm of bankers. She has three children. Her son Bryn, aged 20, who works in a second-hand bookshop, has just been given his first car. The other children both attend private school and the fees total £30,000 a year.
Saira has a large mortgage and spends a great deal each month to maintain the lifestyle she and her children have come to enjoy. She is concerned that high earners will be asked to pay more tax if there is a change of government at the next election and that this will impact on her ability to afford her lifestyle.

Question:
What tax does Saira's employer pay on the profits it makes?

Case Study 2
Saira earns £250,000 working for a very profitable private firm of bankers. She has three children. Her son Bryn, aged 20, who works in a second-hand bookshop, has just been given his first car. The other children both attend private school and the fees total £30,000 a year.
Saira has a large mortgage and spends a great deal each month to maintain the lifestyle she and her children have come to enjoy. She is concerned that high earners will be asked to pay more tax if there is a change of government at the next election and that this will impact on her ability to afford her lifestyle.

Question:
What tax will Bryn have to start paying now he is a car owner?

Case Study 2
Saira earns £250,000 working for a very profitable private firm of bankers. She has three children. Her son Bryn, aged 20, who works in a second-hand bookshop, has just been given his first car. The other children both attend private school and the fees total £30,000 a year.
Saira has a large mortgage and spends a great deal each month to maintain the lifestyle she and her children have come to enjoy. She is concerned that high earners will be asked to pay more tax if there is a change of government at the next election and that this will impact on her ability to afford her lifestyle.

Question:
Which of the following changes in tax bands would Saira be most concerned about?

Case Study 3
Dillon has just started his first year at university. He is studying politics at Swansea. Dillon has been brought up to be careful with his money.
Because his parents are low earners, Dillon receives a maintenance grant worth around £5,000 a year. He feels that these measures made it possible for him to attend university, and he is the first in his family to do so. He wants to make his parents proud and so is currently working hard on his first assignment, which is to research the history of democratic rule.

Question:
As Dillon finds out in his research, democratic rule means rule by the:

Case Study 3
Dillon has just started his first year at university. He is studying politics at Swansea. Dillon has been brought up to be careful with his money.
Because his parents are low earners, Dillon receives a maintenance grant worth around £5,000 a year. He feels that these measures made it possible for him to attend university, and he is the first in his family to do so. He wants to make his parents proud and so is currently working hard on his first assignment, which is to research the history of democratic rule.

Question:
Dillon also learns that Wales is responsible for setting its own policies in which of the following areas?

Case Study 3
Dillon has just started his first year at university. He is studying politics at Swansea. Dillon has been brought up to be careful with his money.
Because his parents are low earners, Dillon receives a maintenance grant worth around £5,000 a year. He feels that these measures made it possible for him to attend university, and he is the first in his family to do so. He wants to make his parents proud and so is currently working hard on his first assignment, which is to research the history of democratic rule.

Question:
The decisions Dillon makes about his finances are most influenced by:

Case Study 4
Dean has a variable rate mortgage. Although he has managed to keep up with his monthly repayments, he is concerned about how he will manage this if interest rates rise in the near future. In addition to his mortgage, Dean has a fixed-rate personal loan and an outstanding balance on his credit card and store card. He is managing to keep up his repayments, but this leaves him with no money left over at the end of the month to set aside for emergencies or to meet any other financial needs.

Question:
Because of Dean's high levels of debt he has less money for his wants and needs. This is due to him having less:

Case Study 4
Dean has a variable rate mortgage. Although he has managed to keep up with his monthly repayments, he is concerned about how he will manage this if interest rates rise in the near future. In addition to his mortgage, Dean has a fixed-rate personal loan and an outstanding balance on his credit card and store card. He is managing to keep up his repayments, but this leaves him with no money left over at the end of the month to set aside for emergencies or to meet any other financial needs.

Question:
Which one of Dean's borrowing products will not become more expensive in the event of an interest rate rise? His:

Case Study 4
Dean has a variable rate mortgage. Although he has managed to keep up with his monthly repayments, he is concerned about how he will manage this if interest rates rise in the near future. In addition to his mortgage, Dean has a fixed-rate personal loan and an outstanding balance on his credit card and store card. He is managing to keep up his repayments, but this leaves him with no money left over at the end of the month to set aside for emergencies or to meet any other financial needs.

Question:
Which of the following facts about inflation is true for Dean?

Case Study 5
Devlin has been employed in the ‘third sector’ for five years now, travelling up and down the UK training volunteers to fundraise. He has done so well that he has won the organisation’s top prize at its annual awards ceremony. The prize is a return flight to the Indian capital of New Delhi to see how the funds raised by the organisation are put to use. Devlin has to pay for the rest of his expenses and, as he already has very little in the way of disposable income, he has chosen to stay in the only hotel he could afford from the recommended list.

Question:
Devlin describes himself as working in the 'third sector'. This means that he is working for a:

Case Study 5
Devlin has been employed in the ‘third sector’ for five years now, travelling up and down the UK training volunteers to fundraise. He has done so well that he has won the organisation’s top prize at its annual awards ceremony. The prize is a return flight to the Indian capital of New Delhi to see how the funds raised by the organisation are put to use. Devlin has to pay for the rest of his expenses and, as he already has very little in the way of disposable income, he has chosen to stay in the only hotel he could afford from the recommended list.

Question:
Devlin's choice of hotel is an example of him:

Case Study 5
Devlin has been employed in the ‘third sector’ for five years now, travelling up and down the UK training volunteers to fundraise. He has done so well that he has won the organisation’s top prize at its annual awards ceremony. The prize is a return flight to the Indian capital of New Delhi to see how the funds raised by the organisation are put to use. Devlin has to pay for the rest of his expenses and, as he already has very little in the way of disposable income, he has chosen to stay in the only hotel he could afford from the recommended list.

Question:
If the pound sterling strengthens against the Indian rupee then: