Cambridge A Level Economics: Countries at different levels of development (9708) – 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 section 11.4 (outcomes 11.4.1 to 11.4.3) of the Cambridge International AS and A Level Economics 9708 syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Topic 11 is A Level content only. Every country and figure is invented. Links: Cambridge A Level Economics hub, printable checklist, free diagnostics, study guide and revision notes.

Questions

1. Country R has a population of 15.0 million. In one year there are 345,000 births, 135,000 deaths, 30,000 immigrants and 15,000 emigrants.

(a) Calculate the birth rate and the death rate per 1,000. [2] (b) Calculate the rate of population growth as a percentage. [3]

2. In Region S there are 75,000 live births in one year and 3,300 deaths of children under one.

(a) Calculate the infant mortality rate. [2] (b) Later the rate is 36 per 1,000 and there are 80,000 live births. Calculate the number of infant deaths. [2] (c) Explain two reasons why infant mortality may fall as a country develops. [4]

3. Explain why a high-income country may have a higher death rate than a middle-income country. [4]

4. Country G has the following data.

Population (millions)	5	10	15	20	25
Total output (bn)	90	260	450	560	600

(a) Work out total output divided by population for each column. [2] (b) State the optimum population and justify your answer. [2] (c) Explain whether Country G is overpopulated at 25 million, and how the optimum could change over time. [4]

5. In Country H, 9.0 million of 30.0 million people live in urban areas. Twenty years later, 24.0 million of 40.0 million do.

(a) Calculate the level of urbanisation at each date. [2] (b) Calculate the percentage growth of the urban population. [2] (c) Explain two causes of rural-urban migration. [4]

6. Country T has income shares for its five quintiles, poorest first, of 6%, 11%, 16%, 23% and 44%.

(a) Calculate the Gini coefficient to 2 decimal places. [4] (b) Country U has a Gini coefficient of 0.28. Explain what can and cannot be concluded about the two countries. [2]

7. In Country W the poorest 60% of households receive 25% of income, the next 30% receive 35% and the richest 10% receive 40%. Calculate the Gini coefficient. [4]

8. Quintile income shares, poorest first, are Country J: 4%, 12%, 20%, 28%, 36%. Country K: 8%, 12%, 16%, 20%, 44%.

(a) Calculate the Gini coefficient of each country. [4] (b) Explain why the two distributions differ even though the coefficients are equal. [3]

9. Country V has 5.0 million workers, with 70% in the primary sector, 10% in the secondary sector and 20% in the tertiary sector. Later it has 6.5 million workers, with shares of 45%, 20% and 35%.

(a) Calculate the number of workers in each sector at each date. [2] (b) Calculate the change in primary employment, in millions and as a percentage. [2] (c) Explain two reasons for the change in the pattern of employment. [4]

10. Country M exports 6.0 bn, of which 70% is primary products. Country N exports 80 bn, of which 12% is primary products. The price of primary products falls by 15% and volumes are unchanged.

(a) Calculate the percentage change in total export revenue for each country. [4] (b) Explain what this shows about the pattern of trade at different levels of development. [3]

11. Evaluate whether a falling share of employment in the primary sector shows that a country has become more developed. [12]

Answers

1. (a) Birth rate = 345,000 ÷ 15,000,000 × 1,000 = 23.0 [1]. Death rate = 135,000 ÷ 15,000,000 × 1,000 = 9.0 [1]. [2] (b) Natural increase = 23.0 − 9.0 = 14.0 per 1,000 [1]. Net migration = (30,000 − 15,000) ÷ 15,000,000 × 1,000 = +1.0 per 1,000 [1]. Growth = 15.0 per 1,000 = 1.5% [1]. [3] Examiner insight: show both flows before combining them. Natural increase alone answers a different question.

2. (a) 3,300 ÷ 75,000 × 1,000 [1] = 44.0 per 1,000 live births [1]. [2] (b) 36 ÷ 1,000 × 80,000 [1] = 2,880 infant deaths [1]. [2] (c) Any two, each with a reason and a link: better sanitation and clean water reduce infections that kill infants [1], so fewer die [1]. Better maternal education and nutrition improve infant health [1], and more clinics and vaccination can treat illness early [1]. [4] Examiner insight: name the cause, then the mechanism. A bare list is not an explanation.

3. The death rate is a crude figure per 1,000 of the whole population [1]. A high-income country often has a larger share of elderly people [1]. Death is more likely at older ages [1], so its death rate can exceed that of a younger middle-income country even though life expectancy and healthcare are better [1]. [4] Examiner insight: separate the quality of healthcare from the age structure and say which drives the number.

4. (a) 18.0, 26.0, 30.0, 28.0, 24.0 (output ÷ population) [2]. [2] (b) The optimum is 15 million [1], because output per head is highest there at 30.0 [1]. [2] (c) At 25 million output per head is 24.0, below the maximum of 30.0 [1], and each extra person beyond 20 million adds only 8, far below the average [1], so Country G is overpopulated [1]. Better technology, capital or skills raise output at each population and can move the optimum to a higher number [1]. [4] Examiner insight: compare the extra output per person with the average to justify the peak. State that the optimum is relative to current technology.

5. (a) 9.0 ÷ 30.0 = 30% [1]; 24.0 ÷ 40.0 = 60% [1]. [2] (b) (24.0 − 9.0) ÷ 9.0 × 100 [1] = 166.7% [1]. [2] (c) Any two: low rural wages and land shortage push people out [1]; jobs, schools and hospitals in cities pull them in [1]; better transport and information about city wages make moving easier [1]; a large gap between farm and city incomes makes moving worthwhile [1]. [4] Examiner insight: separate push from pull factors, and link each to a rural or urban feature.

6. (a) Cumulative shares: 0.06, 0.17, 0.33, 0.56, 1.00 [1]. Sum of adjacent pairs: 0.06 + 0.23 + 0.50 + 0.89 + 1.56 = 3.24 [1]. B = 0.2 × 3.24 ÷ 2 = 0.324 [1]. Gini = 1 − 2 × 0.324 = 0.35 [1]. [4] (b) Country T (0.35) is more unequal than Country U (0.28) in income distribution [1]. The Gini ignores the level of income and where in the distribution the inequality lies, so it does not show living standards [1]. [2] Examiner insight: show the cumulative column, so any slip can be traced to its step.

7. Points: (0.6, 0.25), (0.9, 0.60), (1.0, 1.00) [1]. Trapezia: 0.6 × 0.25 ÷ 2 = 0.075; 0.3 × (0.25 + 0.60) ÷ 2 = 0.1275; 0.1 × (0.60 + 1.00) ÷ 2 = 0.080 [1]. B = 0.2825 [1]. Gini = 1 − 0.565 = 0.435 [1]. [4] Examiner insight: with unequal groups, each trapezium has its own width.

8. (a) J cumulative: 0.04, 0.16, 0.36, 0.64, 1.00; pair sum 0.04 + 0.20 + 0.52 + 1.00 + 1.64 = 3.40, B = 0.34, Gini 0.32 [2]. K cumulative: 0.08, 0.20, 0.36, 0.56, 1.00; pair sum 0.08 + 0.28 + 0.56 + 0.92 + 1.56 = 3.40, B = 0.34, Gini 0.32 [2]. [4] (b) The poorest 40% get 16% of income in J but 20% in K [1]. The richest 20% get 36% in J but 44% in K [1]. The curves cross where both reach 36% at 60% of the population, so K is fairer to the poorest but harsher at the top [1]. [3] Examiner insight: quote figures from both countries at the same points on the horizontal axis.

9. (a) Earlier: 3.5, 0.5, 1.0 million [1]. Later: 2.925, 1.3, 2.275 million [1]. [2] (b) Change = 2.925 − 3.5 = −0.575 million [1], a fall of 0.575 ÷ 3.5 × 100 = 16.4% [1]. [2] (c) Higher farm productivity from machinery or better seed means fewer workers are needed [1], so labour moves out [1]. As incomes rise, demand for manufactures and services grows faster than demand for food, which has low income elasticity [1], so industry and services expand and hire more [1]. [4] Examiner insight: the absolute and percentage falls differ, so label units.

10. (a) M: primary 4.2 × 0.85 = 3.57, other 1.8, total 5.37 [1], change = −10.5% [1]. N: primary 9.6 × 0.85 = 8.16, other 70.4, total 78.56 [1], change = −1.8% [1]. [4] (b) M depends on primary products, typical of lower-income countries [1], so a price fall hits revenue hard [1]. N has a diversified export base with more manufactures and services, so the same price fall has a small effect [1]. [3] Examiner insight: tie the calculation to the claim. Add that patterns are tendencies.

11. Role of primary employment: at low income most workers farm, and the share falls as productivity and income rise [1]. Argument for: rising farm productivity releases labour, so fewer workers are needed [1], and workers move to higher-productivity industry and services [1]. Demand for manufactures and services grows faster than demand for food [1], so the shift tends to accompany higher income and urbanisation [1]. Other indicators, such as falling infant mortality, would strengthen the case [1]. Argument against: workers may move into low-paid informal services where productivity is little higher [1], so average incomes may barely change [1]. A rich country can have a large primary sector and export raw materials, so the share alone does not show income [1]. The share of jobs says nothing about distribution, health or education [1]. Judgement: the fall is a useful sign of structural change but not sufficient proof, since development also needs higher productivity, wider incomes and better living standards, and the answer depends on where the workers go and what they earn [2]. [12] Examiner insight: build a chain from the sector data, then evaluate by asking where workers move. A reasoned judgement tends to earn more than a list of points.

Where marks are usually lost

• Using the wrong base for each rate (live births for infant mortality, whole population for birth rate).
• Quoting natural increase when total growth is asked for.
• Quoting B as the Gini, or forgetting that unequal groups need different widths.
• Concluding that equal Gini coefficients mean identical distributions.
• Treating the optimum population as a fixed number.
• Writing a one-sided essay on sectors with no judgement.

Next steps

• Revisit the revision notes and the study guide.
• Return to the Cambridge A Level Economics hub and tick off the printable checklist.
• Try all the free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International AS & A Level Economics 9708 syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028, published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge International), section 11.4.