A Level Business: Organisational structure and Business communication (Cambridge 9609) – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover sections 7.1 Organisational structure and 7.2 Business communication of the Cambridge International AS & A Level Business 9609 syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028. This is A Level content, assessed on Paper 3 and Paper 4. Read the study guide and revision notes first. Other topic 7 questions are in the A Level HRM practice set. Course links: the hub, the checklist and the free diagnostics.

Questions

1. Define span of control [2] and chain of command [2].

2. Corrowby Cycles has a managing director and four levels of staff below. Every manager at every level has a span of control of 5.

(a) Calculate the total number of people in the hierarchy, including the managing director. [3] (b) Analyse one problem for communication that this structure may cause. [3]

3. Ildersley Print Group makes packaging for customers in three countries. Each country has a different language and different packaging rules. Explain why the group might organise itself by geographical area rather than by function. [4]

4. Cobbledene Outdoor Gear plans to remove a layer of 18 area supervisors, each paid £39,500 a year. Its 40 team leaders will each receive an extra £3,000 a year for taking on more duties. Redundancy costs are £11,000 per supervisor.

(a) Calculate the annual net saving. [3] (b) Calculate how many months the redundancy cost takes to recover from the net saving. [2] (c) Explain one reason why delayering may not succeed. [3]

5. A hotel manager delegates the ordering of supplies to a deputy. Explain the difference between authority and responsibility, and explain why the manager is still accountable. [5]

6. Identify two situations in which communication is essential in a business, and explain why a spoken method suits one of them. [4]

7. Brackenwell Dental has five clinics. Rota changes are sent from head office as long printed memos that reach clinics days late. The memos use financial terms that clinic staff do not know. Analyse two barriers to communication and how each could be overcome. [6]

8. Explain one conflict that may arise between line and staff functions, using an example. [4]

9. Hartleby Care Homes runs 12 homes. Head office approves every purchase above £500, and home managers often wait several days for an answer. Analyse the impact on the business of giving home managers more decision-making authority. [6]

10. Thraxton Couriers has three service divisions and separate operations, finance and IT departments. It is considering a matrix structure for an 18-month project to build a customer app, using nine staff from the three departments. Evaluate whether it should use a matrix structure for this project. [10]

11. Fallowick Furnishings has four factories. Head office sends instructions by email, but operatives mostly hear about changes through rumours in the canteen, and few use the suggestion box. Rework is rising. Advise the managers on how to improve communication. [8]

Answers

1. Span of control is the number of subordinates [1] who report directly to one manager [1]. Chain of command is the route along which orders travel down the hierarchy [1] and reports travel back up it, level by level [1]. [4] Examiner insight: a definition gains more credit when it contains the precise feature, such as “directly” for span of control, rather than a general statement about managers and workers.

2. (a) The levels hold 1, 5, 25, 125 and 625 people [1]. Total: 1 + 5 + 25 + 125 + 625 [1] = 781 people [1]. (b) A message from the top must pass through four levels of management [1]. Each level can delay or distort it [1], so decisions are slow and feedback from customers or operatives reaches the top late [1]. [6] Examiner insight: show the sum in (a); a bare total leaves nothing to credit if it is wrong. In (b), a chain such as many levels, then distortion, then slow decisions develops the point better than the word “slow” alone.

3. A geographical structure groups staff by region or country [1]. Local managers understand local customers, language and packaging rules [1] and can respond quickly without referring to head office departments far away [1]. Here, three countries with different language and rules mean the same functional team could not serve all three equally well [1]. [4] Examiner insight: the application to the case, here language and packaging rules, is what separates a contextualised answer from a textbook definition.

4. (a) Salaries saved: 18 x 39,500 = £711,000 [1]. Extra pay: 40 x 3,000 = £120,000 [1]. Net saving: 711,000 - 120,000 = £591,000 a year [1]. (b) Redundancy: 18 x 11,000 = £198,000 [1]. Months: 198,000 / 591,000 x 12 = about 4.0 months [1]. (c) Team leaders will have more to manage, so their spans of control widen [1]. Overloaded leaders may supervise less and make more errors [1], and remaining staff may fear further job losses and become less motivated, which offsets the saving [1]. [8] Examiner insight: in (b) the question asks for months, so converting the fraction of a year matters. In (c), explain why the reason matters to this business rather than listing it.

5. Responsibility is the duty to carry out a task [1]. Authority is the power to make decisions and instruct others [1]. When the manager delegates, the deputy gains the authority and the task of ordering [1]. The manager remains accountable because they must still answer to their own superiors for the result [1], for example if shortages occur, so they should set limits and review reports on orders [1]. [5] Examiner insight: answers tend to gain more when they say who is answerable to whom. Writing that accountability passes to the deputy undermines an otherwise sound explanation.

6. First situation: giving instructions on a safety procedure [1]. Second situation: explaining a restructure to staff [1]. A spoken meeting suits the restructure because staff can ask questions at once [1] and the tone and face-to-face contact reduce rumour and anxiety [1]. [4] Examiner insight: “identify” needs only the situations. The explanation marks depend on linking the method to the situation, not on listing strengths of speech in general.

7. Barrier 1: poor channel and distance, because printed memos arrive late [1] so clinics act on old rotas and staff are absent or double-booked [1]. Overcome by sending short electronic notices with read confirmation, or a short briefing by video [1]. Barrier 2: jargon, since financial terms are unfamiliar to clinic staff [1], so the message is misunderstood or ignored [1]. Overcome by plain language, using examples that fit the clinics [1]. [6] Examiner insight: each barrier should be applied to the case and then paired with a remedy. A remedy with no link to the barrier in the case tends to earn less.

8. Line functions, such as sales, produce or sell and have authority in the chain of command [1]. Staff functions, such as human resources, support and advise [1]. A conflict can arise when a sales manager wants to hire quickly to meet a target [1], while the human resources department insists on a full selection process, so the line manager sees it as obstruction [1]. [4] Examiner insight: name both sides of the conflict and the reason each side acts as it does. A conflict described from one side only is incomplete.

9. Benefits: decisions would be faster [1] because managers know residents’ needs and can buy equipment at once [1], which may raise motivation and develop managers’ skills [1]. Costs: standards may differ between the 12 homes [1], managers without training may make poor spending decisions [1], and head office needs budget reports and targets to keep accountability and control [1]. [6] Examiner insight: “analyse” asks for developed links between cause and effect. Use the figures in the case, such as 12 homes and the days of waiting, rather than writing about decentralisation in general.

10. For: a matrix lets the nine staff share skills from operations, finance and IT [1], so the app benefits from all three [1]. Teams cross departments, improving communication between functions [1], and the structure ends when the project ends, so it suits an 18-month task [1]. Against: staff report to a project manager and a department head [1], which can give conflicting priorities and slow decisions [1]. Accountability may be unclear if the app is late [1], and the project manager needs the skill to manage staff who are not their own [1]. Judgement: a matrix is justified for this temporary, skill-rich project [1], provided the firm sets clear priority rules between project and department work and names one person accountable for the delivery [1]. [10] Examiner insight: evaluation answers gain more credit when both sides are applied to the case and the final judgement says which factor matters most, and why. A conclusion that merely restates the points is thinner.

11. Advice 1: hold short team briefings in each factory, which are two-way [1], so operatives can ask questions and supervisors can check that the message is understood [1]. Advice 2: treat the canteen network as a channel [1] by telling informal leaders early, so rumours are corrected quickly [1]. Advice 3: make the suggestion box more useful by replying to ideas publicly [1], which shows that staff views are acted on [1]. Link to efficiency: clearer instructions should reduce misunderstandings and rework [1]. Judgement: briefings should come first because they address the main fault, one-way email, at low cost, though the managers should check results through rework levels [1]. [8] Examiner insight: “advise” asks for a recommended action with reasons. Credit tends to follow advice tied to the evidence in the case, here rumours, unused suggestion box and rising rework, with a clear priority.

Where marks are usually lost

• Defining terms loosely, for example span of control as “the number of staff in a business”.
• Giving a total in a calculation with no working shown.
• Stating that accountability moves to the person who receives delegated work.
• Mixing up authority with responsibility.
• Listing barriers to communication without explaining how to overcome them.
• Writing about delayering savings but ignoring wider spans and morale.
• Evaluating with a list of points and no reasoned judgement.
• Describing informal communication as only harmful.

Next steps

• Revisit the revision notes and study guide.
• Go to the Cambridge A Level Business hub and the checklist.
• Take the free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Frequently asked questions

Which sections of Cambridge AS and A Level Business 9609 do these questions cover? Section 7.1 Organisational structure and section 7.2 Business communication, including types of structure, delayering, delegation and barriers to communication.

How do I answer a question on barriers to communication? Apply each barrier to the case and pair it with a way to overcome it. Listing barriers without solutions limits the marks.

Is informal communication always harmful? No. Describing informal communication as only harmful is a common error; it can speed up information and show managers what concerns staff have, even though it can also spread rumours.

What should a delayering answer consider besides cost savings? The wider spans of control and extra workload for the managers who remain, and the effect on staff morale, as well as the one-off redundancy cost.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International AS & A Level Business 9609 syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028, published by Cambridge International: sections 7.1 and 7.2.