O Level Business: Marketing, competition and the customer and Market research (Cambridge 7115) – 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 follow sections 3.1 (Marketing, competition and the customer) and 3.2 (Market research) of the Cambridge O Level Business Studies (7115) syllabus for examination in 2026. All businesses and figures are invented. Read the study guide and revision notes first, and see the course hub and printable checklist. More topic-level drills are in the Marketing practice questions. Try the free diagnostics as well.

Questions

1. State two ways in which Halewood Language School could segment its market. [2]

2. Cedarmoor Furniture is a market-orientated business. Explain one way it could use market research information. [3]

3. Braeburn Garden Centre asked 180 customers the main reason for their visit. Results: plants 72, tools 27, café 54, gifts 27. (a) Calculate the percentage who came mainly for plants. [1] (b) Calculate the angle that would represent the café on a pie chart. Show your working. [2]

4. Cedarmoor Furniture sells one range of flat-pack bookcases to shoppers across the whole country. Explain one benefit and one limitation of this mass marketing approach. [4]

5. Many people living near Braeburn Garden Centre have moved into flats. The centre sells more houseplants and fewer lawn mowers than before. (a) Explain one reason why customer spending patterns may change. [2] (b) Explain one way Braeburn could respond to this change. [2]

6. Fairholt Music School wants to know whether parents would pay for online lessons. (a) Distinguish between primary research and secondary research. [2] (b) Explain one benefit to Fairholt of using an online survey of parents. [2]

7. Cedarmoor Furniture has 12,000 customers on its database. It plans to survey 300 of them. (a) Calculate the sample as a percentage of the database. [1] (b) Explain one reason why Cedarmoor uses a sample. [2]

8. Thornquay Electronics asked 20 customers leaving its shop on a Saturday morning: “Don’t you agree our phones are excellent value?” Explain two reasons why the results may not be accurate. [4]

9. Thornquay Electronics asked 240 people whether they would buy a refurbished phone.

Age group	Sample size	Said yes
18 to 29	80	60
30 to 49	100	45
50 and over	60	12

(a) Calculate the percentage of all 240 people who said yes. Give your answer to one decimal place. [2] (b) Analyse which age group Thornquay should target with refurbished phones. [3] (c) Explain one limitation of using this data to decide. [3]

10. Fairholt Music School has 360 students: 144 aged 5 to 11, 126 aged 12 to 17 and 90 aged 18 or over. Children’s lessons are after school, adult lessons are in the evening and all students live within 10 km. Recommend and justify an appropriate method of segmentation for Fairholt. [8]

11. Marsdale Kitchens makes mid-priced kitchens for all buyers. Its sales fell from 1.20 million dollars to 0.95 million dollars in three years after three online kitchen designers entered the market. The owner proposes to switch to niche marketing, supplying only kitchens for small flats. Evaluate this proposal and recommend what Marsdale should do. [8]

12. Halewood Language School wants to keep its students. Explain one way it could maintain customer loyalty and one way it could build customer relationships. [4]

Answers

1. Any two, 1 mark each, from age, location, gender and socio-economic grouping: first basis [1]; second basis [1]. [2] Examiner insight: A “state” question rewards a short correct answer, so extra explanation earns nothing more, but a vague phrase such as “type of person” is unlikely to count as a named basis.

2. It could use research to find which styles of furniture customers prefer [1], so it can design and make products that match these needs [1], which should raise sales and reduce the risk of unsold stock [1]. [3] Examiner insight: A use of research is only complete once it is linked to a decision or an outcome for the business; “to find out what people want” on its own is the knowledge point, not the development.

3. (a) 72 ÷ 180 × 100 = 40% [1] (b) 54 ÷ 180 × 360 [1] = 108 degrees [1] [3] Examiner insight: Show the division line even when the answer is simple, and write the unit (% or degrees), because a bare number leaves it unclear what the figure represents.

4. Benefit: selling the same product to a very large market gives high sales volumes [1], so the cost of making each bookcase is lower [1]. Limitation: many other firms sell similar bookcases to the same shoppers, so Cedarmoor may have to compete on price [1], which reduces profit on each sale [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Each of the two answers needs its own developed chain; one benefit and one limitation that are really the same point reversed will usually be treated as a single point.

5. (a) Incomes or tastes may have changed [1]; here, more people living in flats have no lawn, so they buy fewer mowers and more indoor plants [1]. (b) Braeburn could stock more houseplants, pots and plant-care items [1], which should attract the new flat-dwelling customers and replace the lost mower sales [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Tie the reason to the change in the case. A general list of causes (income, fashion, technology) without reference to flats stays at knowledge level.

6. (a) Primary research is new data collected first-hand for the purpose [1]; secondary research uses existing data that others collected [1]. (b) An online survey is cheap and fast to run and analyse [1], so Fairholt can quickly reach many parents and get an answer before spending money on equipment [1]. [4] Examiner insight: For “distinguish”, state a point about each type; defining only one leaves the contrast incomplete.

7. (a) 300 ÷ 12,000 × 100 = 2.5% [1] (b) Asking all 12,000 customers would take too long and cost too much [1], while a well-chosen sample of 300 can still represent the whole group and give usable results quickly [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Cost and time are the usual reasons for sampling, but the answer gains more when it adds that the sample must be representative.

8. The sample of 20 is very small [1], so it may not represent all customers [1]. The question is a leading one that pushes people to agree [1], which makes the answers biased and not a true view of what they think [1]. (Also credit: only Saturday-morning shoppers were asked, so other customers are missed.) [4] Examiner insight: “Explain” requires the factor and its effect on accuracy; saying “the question is bad” without saying why it distorts results is incomplete.

9. (a) Total yes = 60 + 45 + 12 = 117 [1]; 117 ÷ 240 × 100 = 48.8% [1] (b) The 18 to 29 group is the most likely to buy: 60 ÷ 80 × 100 = 75% said yes [1], compared with 45% and 20% for the other groups [1]. This group also gave 60 of the 117 yes answers (51%) [1]. Recommend targeting 18 to 29 year olds. (c) The sample is only 240 people [1], and the shop may have asked only some kinds of customer, so it may not represent all buyers [1]; saying “yes” is not the same as actually buying, so real sales could be lower [1]. [8] Examiner insight: In an analysis of data, quote figures and compare them, then give a conclusion; copying the table into words without a comparison is description only.

10. Recommend segmenting by age [1]. The students split into distinct groups, 40%, 35% and 25% of the total [1], and their needs differ: children need after-school slots, adults need evenings [1]. Fairholt could offer age-specific lessons and prices [1] and promote through schools for children but through social media for adults [1]. Location is a weaker basis, because all students live within 10 km, so it shows no difference in buying [1]. However, age bands can hide differences, since a 40-year-old beginner and an advanced player want different lessons [1], so Fairholt might combine age with ability. Age is still the best starting point because the evidence supports it most strongly [1]. [8] Examiner insight: “Recommend and justify” is judged on the use of evidence from the case and on some balance; naming age alone, or listing four methods with no choice, will not reach the top of the range.

11. Sales fell by 0.25 million, a decline of 20.8% [1], so some response is needed. For niche: fewer rivals in flat-sized kitchens, so less price competition [1], and specialist designs may allow higher prices and loyal customers [1]. Against: the market is smaller, so total sales may fall even further [1], and Marsdale would lose existing customers who want standard kitchens [1]. A better option may be to keep its mass market and respond to the online rivals, for example by offering online design tools [1]. Judgement: I recommend that Marsdale does not switch fully but tests a small niche range for flats while improving its online presence [1], because this limits the risk if the niche is too small [1]. [8] Examiner insight: A strong evaluation weighs both sides using the case figures and then commits to a decision with a reason; a one-sided list followed by “so it should do it” usually stays in the lower range.

12. Loyalty: a points scheme giving a discount after ten lessons [1], which gives students a reason to continue at Halewood rather than move to a rival [1]. Relationship: asking students for feedback each term and acting on it [1], which makes them feel valued and more likely to stay and recommend the school [1]. [4] Examiner insight: The two parts of this question test different ideas, so using the same example for both is unlikely to earn both marks.

Where marks are usually lost

• Giving a general knowledge point with no link to the named business.
• Offering two versions of the same idea in a “two” question.
• Leaving out the unit or percentage sign, or the working line, in a calculation.
• Describing a chart without comparing figures or reaching a conclusion.
• Saying a large sample is always accurate, even when the wrong people were asked.
• Writing “niche is better” or “mass is better” without reference to the business and its market.
• Recommending a segmentation method without evidence from the case.
• Evaluating one side only and then stating a decision with no reason.

Frequently asked questions

Are these Cambridge O Level Business Studies 7115 past paper questions? No. They are twelve original questions written for Marlbridge on sections 3.1 (Marketing, competition and the customer) and 3.2 (Market research). Use them alongside the official past papers.

How do you analyse market research data in an exam answer? Quote figures from the table or chart and compare them, then give a conclusion that answers the business’s question. Copying the table into words without a comparison stays at description.

What should you write in a market research calculation? Show the division line even when the answer is simple, and write the unit, such as % or degrees. A bare number leaves it unclear what has been calculated.

How do you answer a “distinguish” question? State a point about each of the two things being compared. Defining only one of them leaves the contrast incomplete.

How do you avoid losing marks on “two” questions? Make sure the two points are genuinely different ideas. Two versions of the same idea, or a benefit and a limitation that are the same point reversed, earn credit only once.

Next steps

• Revisit the revision notes for any question you lost marks on.
• Re-read the study guide for the worked examples.
• Tick off sections on the printable checklist and return to the course hub.
• Take any of the free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

Cambridge O Level Business Studies (7115) syllabus for examination in 2026, published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge International Education), Subject content, sections 3.1 and 3.2.