Edexcel IGCSE Business: Training, motivation and rewards (4BS1) – 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 Topic 2 sections 2.3 Training and 2.4 Motivation and rewards in the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Business (4BS1) specification, Issue 2, February 2026. Use the study guide and revision notes first if you need them. Course links: the 4BS1 Business hub, the printable checklist and the free diagnostics. Every business is invented, amounts are in dollars and the mark allocations are Marlbridge’s own. Command words follow the specification’s list; the specification says calculators may be used and workings should be given for calculations.

Questions

1. Define induction training. [2]

2. State the type of training in each situation (induction, on-the-job or off-the-job).

(a) A new warehouse operative is shown the fire exits and introduced to the team on day one. [1] (b) A bakery assistant learns to use the oven by working beside the supervisor. [1] (c) A cashier spends two days on a customer-service course at a local college. [1]

3. Tamsin’s Cafe sends 5 employees on a food hygiene course. The fee is 180 per employee. Each employee spends one day on the course and the cafe still pays a day’s wages of 70 per employee.

(a) Calculate the total cost of the training to the cafe. [3] (b) Calculate the cost per employee. [1]

4. Explain one benefit of training to a worker. [3]

5. Explain how training can help a business to comply with health and safety laws. [3]

6. Explain one limitation of training for a business. [3]

7. (a) Give the highest level in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. [1] (b) Outline how a business could meet the social needs of its employees. [2]

8. Windlow Logistics has 40 staff. A survey finds they are unhappy with the poor condition of the staff room, unclear company rules, and a lack of recognition for good work. Pay is seen as fair.

(a) State two hygiene factors from the survey results. [2] (b) Explain why improving hygiene factors alone may not raise motivation. [3]

9. A salesperson at Dunmore Motors earns a basic pay of 1,250 a month plus 3% commission on sales. A bonus of 200 is paid if monthly sales exceed 50,000. Sales in March were 52,000.

(a) Calculate the commission earned in March. [2] (b) Calculate total pay for March including the bonus. [1] (c) Calculate commission as a percentage of pay before the bonus, to 1 decimal place. [2]

10. Fenwick Print has 20 workers. Before a change they made 7,000 units a month. The manager then used job enrichment: operators now set up their own machines and check their own quality. Output rose to 7,700 units with the same 20 workers.

(a) Calculate output per worker before and after the change. [2] (b) Calculate the percentage change in output per worker. [2] (c) Analyse how job enrichment may have raised productivity at Fenwick Print. [4]

11. Explain one weakness of Taylor’s approach to motivation. [3]

12. Brindle Electrical has 32 employees and a yearly wage bill of 540,000. Eight employees left last year. A survey says staff find the work repetitive and have little say over how they organise it. Pay is described as fair. The owner is choosing between:

Option A: a bonus of 4% of the wage bill, paid only if a profit target is met. Option B: a one-off 5,400 on training so that staff can use job rotation and have more autonomy.

Justify which option the owner should choose. [8]

Answers

1. Training given to a new employee at the start of a job [1] to introduce the business, its rules and safety procedures [1]. [2] Examiner insight: A definition tends to need what the training is and when or why it happens; the word “training” alone repeats the question.

2. (a) Induction [1]. (b) On-the-job [1]. (c) Off-the-job [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Take the clue from where the learning happens (at work, away from work, or at the start); no explanation is asked for.

3. (a) Fees: 5 × 180 = 900 [1]. Wages for the day: 5 × 70 = 350 [1]. Total = 900 + 350 = 1,250 [1]. (b) 1,250 ÷ 5 = 250 [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Show fees and wages separately. Leaving out the wages is the usual slip, and working lets a reader see which parts are right.

4. Training gives the worker new skills [1], which can make them eligible for promotion or a better paid job [1], so their career prospects and income improve [1]. [3] Examiner insight: An “explain” answer is best built as a fact plus two linked expansions, so one fact with no consequence is thin.

5. Training can teach staff safe use of equipment and emergency procedures [1], so accidents are less likely [1], which helps the business show that it meets its legal duty to protect people at work [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Refer to the general legal duty only; naming a specific law is not needed and may introduce errors.

6. Training costs money for fees and trainers [1], and employees are away from work so output is lost [1], so the business may be worse off in the short term if the benefits are slow to appear [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Limitations gain from being linked to cost, time or staff leaving, not just stated.

7. (a) Self-actualisation [1]. (b) Provide team activities or social events [1], so employees build friendships and feel part of a group [1]. [3] Examiner insight: “Outline” asks for two linked points, so give the method and what it achieves.

8. (a) Poor condition of the staff room (working conditions) [1] and unclear company rules (company policies) [1]. (b) Hygiene factors prevent dissatisfaction [1], but they do not by themselves give people a reason to work harder [1], so motivators such as recognition and responsibility are also needed [1]. [5] Examiner insight: In part (a) choose from the survey, not from your own list; recognition is a motivator, so it is not an answer here.

9. (a) 3% × 52,000 [1] = 1,560 [1]. (b) 1,250 + 1,560 + 200 = 3,010 [1]. (c) Pay before bonus = 1,250 + 1,560 = 2,810 [1]. 1,560 ÷ 2,810 × 100 = 55.5% [1]. [5] Examiner insight: Read the base carefully: part (c) excludes the bonus. Show the calculation before the answer.

10. (a) Before: 7,000 ÷ 20 = 350 [1]. After: 7,700 ÷ 20 = 385 [1]. (b) (385 − 350) ÷ 350 × 100 [1] = 10% [1]. (c) Operators carry out more demanding tasks [1], which can give them a sense of responsibility and achievement [1], so they may work more carefully and fix problems themselves [1], reducing delays and improving output per worker at Fenwick Print [1]. [8] Examiner insight: “Analyse” is placed in context, so use the set-up and quality checks from the stem, and carry the chain through to productivity.

11. Taylor assumes money is the main motivator and that tasks are best split into simple steps [1]. Many workers also want interest, recognition and a say in their work [1], so simple repetitive tasks and pay for output may not motivate them and may harm quality [1]. [3] Examiner insight: A strong answer states the theory’s assumption first and then shows what it overlooks.

12. Choose Option B [1]. Staff say the work is repetitive and they have little say, so job rotation and autonomy target the problem identified [1]. Option A costs 4% × 540,000 = 21,600 [1] (four times the 5,400 for Option B), and pay is already seen as fair, so extra pay is unlikely to address the cause [1]. Option B also helps retention, as 8 of 32 staff (25%) left last year [1]. Limitation of B: training costs 5,400 and autonomy could lead to mistakes or weaker control [1]. Limitation of A: the bonus is paid only if the target is met, so some staff may feel it is out of reach and be demotivated [1]. Judgement: B is better value and fits the survey, although the owner should monitor quality and could add a small bonus later [1]. [8] Examiner insight: “Justify” wants one option recommended using information supplied, so use the survey and figures, weigh the alternative and finish with a decision.

Where marks are usually lost

• Stating a fact without the two expansions asked for in an “explain” question.
• Leaving out wages for time away from work when costing training.
• Mixing up hygiene factors and motivators.
• Treating bonus and commission as the same thing.
• Using the wrong base for a percentage.
• Describing a method without saying what it does to output, retention or quality.
• Ignoring the survey data in a case study.
• Failing to weigh the other option before deciding.

Next steps

• Recap with the revision notes and the study guide.
• Course hub: 4BS1 Business and the printable checklist.
• Take the free diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Frequently asked questions

What do these training and motivation questions cover? They follow Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Business (4BS1) sections 2.3 and 2.4: induction, on-the-job and off-the-job training, health and safety compliance, why motivation matters, Herzberg, Maslow and Taylor, and financial and non-financial rewards.

What should you include when costing training? Include the course fees and the wages paid for the time employees spend away from work. Leaving out wages for time away is a common error.

What does an Explain question need in Edexcel IGCSE Business? A statement of fact followed by two expansion points. Stating a fact with no expansion limits the marks.

How should you recommend a motivation method? Say what the method does to output, retention or quality for the business in the case, use any survey data given, and weigh the other option before deciding.

Official syllabus

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Business (4BS1), Specification, Issue 2, February 2026, published by Pearson Education Limited. Topic 2: People in business, sections 2.3 Training and 2.4 Motivation and rewards, points 2.3.1, 2.4.1 and 2.4.2.