OxfordAQA A-Level Business: Marketing objectives and plans and Marketing data (9625/9725) – 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 3.1.2.1 Marketing objectives and plans and 3.1.2.2 Marketing data of the OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Business specification. Questions marked (9625 only) or (9725 only) test points in one version’s wording only. Money is in dollars and all businesses are invented. Read the study guide and revision notes first if you need them. Links: course hub, checklist, diagnostics.

Questions

1. Define the term brand loyalty (9725 only). [2]

2. Maplecourt Bakery had sales revenue of 840,000 in a market with total sales of 7,000,000. Calculate its market share. [2]

3. Dovetail Furniture has three regions. North: sales 540,000, 9 employees. South: sales 462,000, 7 employees. East: sales 288,000, 6 employees. Calculate sales per employee in each region, then identify the weakest region and state one question the managers should ask about it. [4]

4. A Maplecourt campaign cost 12,500 and produced 62,500 of extra sales revenue. Gross profit margin is 36%. Calculate the return on marketing spending (9725 only), using extra profit. [4]

5. State the elements of a marketing plan in the 9625 wording and explain one value of the budget element. [3]

6. Kestrel Outdoors is launching a new tent range. Explain why a sales forecast matters to Kestrel and one difficulty in producing it (9625 only). [3]

7. Zorvane Grocers holds the purchase records of 80,000 loyalty-card customers. Analyse one benefit and one limit of using data mining on these records (9625 only). [4]

8. Dovetail holds a database of 2,000 customers: 1,100 online, 600 showroom and 300 trade. It wants a sample of 200. Calculate the number from each group in a stratified sample, and explain how a quota sample would differ. [5]

9. Dovetail finds a correlation value of -0.71 between the price of its sofa ranges and weekly sales. Interpret this value and state one limit on how it can be used. [4]

10. A Maplecourt survey of 250 customers gives a 95% confidence interval of 41% to 53% for the share who would buy a new loaf. Explain what this means and how a larger sample would change it. [4]

11. Maplecourt must decide within four weeks whether to launch a new range and has 5,000 for research. Option A: an online survey of 800 loyalty-card members, cost 2,400, taking three weeks. Option B: three focus groups, cost 4,500, taking two weeks. Option C: government household food-spending publications and social media posts, cost nil, taking two days. Evaluate which option, or combination, Maplecourt should use. [9]

12. Dovetail has 6,000 unit sales a year at an average price of 700 and a gross margin of 20%. A 40,000 promotion is expected to raise demand by 30%. The workshop can supply only 900 extra units a year. Evaluate whether Dovetail should go ahead with the plan. [9]

Answers

1. Brand loyalty is customers’ tendency to choose the same brand repeatedly [1] in preference to rival brands, shown for example by repeat purchases or loyalty card use [1]. [2] Examiner insight: A definition tends to gain credit when it says repeated choice and preference over rivals, not just “liking” the brand.

2. Market share = business sales / total market sales x 100 [1] = 840,000 / 7,000,000 x 100 = 12% [1]. [2] Examiner insight: Showing the formula and the figures makes your method visible even if the final figure slips, and the percentage sign shows what is measured.

3. North: 540,000 / 9 = 60,000 [1]. South: 462,000 / 7 = 66,000 [1]. East: 288,000 / 6 = 48,000 [1]. East is weakest. A suitable question: is the lower figure due to a smaller market in East, weaker promotion there, or too many staff for its sales? [1] [4] Examiner insight: A question that follows from the data tends to be stronger than one that ignores the figures; link it to demand, promotion or staffing.

4. Extra gross profit = 62,500 x 0.36 = 22,500 [1]. Return = (extra profit - spend) / spend x 100 [1] = (22,500 - 12,500) / 12,500 x 100 [1] = 80% [1]. [4] Examiner insight: The question asks for extra profit, so a revenue-based ratio of 5 to 1 would not answer it. Stating the formula you use makes your method clear.

5. In 9625 the elements are marketing objectives, strategy, tactics and the budget [1]. A budget sets a limit on spending [1] so managers must choose between activities and can compare the results with the money spent [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Naming the elements is a recall point; the explanation gains credit when it says what the budget does for the plan, not just that it is “money”. The 9725 wording names the marketing mix instead of strategy and tactics.

6. A forecast guides how much to produce, stock and staff, and how much cash and budget are needed [1]. Difficulty: there is no sales history for a new range [1], so the forecast rests on research or guesses that may be wrong, and rival reactions cannot be predicted [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Answers tend to gain credit when the difficulty is tied to the new-range context, not given as a general list.

7. Benefit: mining the records can reveal patterns, such as products bought together [1], which lets Zorvane target offers and plan displays more precisely [1]. Limit: a pattern may be chance or only a correlation, not cause [1], so acting on it could waste money, and customers may object to how their data is used [1]. [4] Examiner insight: A developed answer gives a consequence for the business for both the benefit and the limit, rather than defining data mining again.

8. Sample share = 200 / 2,000 = 10% of each group [1]. Online 1,100 x 0.10 = 110 [1]. Showroom 60 and trade 30 [1] (110 + 60 + 30 = 200). A quota sample sets the same numbers per group [1], but the interviewer chooses who to ask rather than selecting at random, so it is cheaper and faster but can be biased [1]. [5] Examiner insight: Check that the group numbers add up to the sample size. The difference between the two samples is who picks the individuals.

9. The negative sign means that higher prices go with lower sales [1]. A value of -0.71 is fairly strong (closer to -1 than 0) [1]. Limit: correlation shows association, not cause [1], because other factors such as the quality of each range or the season could explain the pattern [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Interpretation questions tend to need both sign and size addressed separately, followed by a limit.

10. The business can be 95% confident the true share of all customers who would buy lies between 41% and 53% [1]. It is a range, not an exact figure, and the true value could be anywhere in it [1]. A larger sample gives more information, so the interval would narrow [1], making the estimate more precise and a decision to launch more reliable [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Saying that 41% to 53% is the share of people who will definitely buy is a common slip; the interval is about the estimate for the whole market.

11. Option A gives numerical data from a large sample [1] but takes three weeks, leaving only a week to analyse, and loyalty-card members may not represent all customers [1]. Option B explains reasons and reactions [1] but covers few people, so findings may not be reliable, and it uses most of the budget [1]. Option C is free and fast [1] but is general and not specific to the new range, and social media views may not be typical [1]. Judgement: use C first, as it is cheap and quick, then A, since 2,400 and three weeks fit within the budget and time limit [1]. Option A costs 2,400, well within 5,000, and tests the actual range with a sample large enough to count [1]. B is left out because it would cost most of the budget and add less reliable evidence; if the survey shows an unexpected result, focus groups could be added to explain it. Reasoned recommendation that weighs cost, time and reliability [1]. [9] Examiner insight: Evaluation tends to gain credit when a conclusion is reached and justified against the stated limits (budget, four weeks), rather than listing the three options evenly.

12. Extra demand is 6,000 x 0.30 = 1,800 units [1], but capacity is only 900 extra units [1]. Extra revenue = 900 x 700 = 630,000 [1]. Extra gross profit = 630,000 x 0.20 = 126,000 [1]. Return = (126,000 - 40,000) / 40,000 x 100 = 215% [1]. For going ahead: return is positive even when capped [1]. Against: 900 units of demand cannot be met, so customers may be lost or delayed and the brand harmed, and the demand estimate may be wrong [1]. A fairer comparison would also consider the cost of raising capacity [1]. Judgement: go ahead, but only with the supply limit managed, for example by adding capacity or advertising within what can be supplied [1]. [9] Examiner insight: Capacity is a resource named in the specification, and good answers use it to adjust the numbers rather than quote the demand estimate without checking supply.

Where marks are usually lost

• Reporting a figure without comparing it with something or giving a reason.
• Using revenue instead of profit in a return calculation.
• Confusing a stratified sample (random choice within proportioned groups) with a quota sample (interviewer choice).
• Describing a 9725-only point as a 9625 point, or the reverse.
• Describing a correlation’s sign but not its size, or treating it as proof of cause.
• Treating a confidence interval as exact.
• Listing research options one by one without reaching a justified choice.
• Ignoring capacity, skills or budget when judging a plan.

Frequently asked questions

Do these questions cover both OxfordAQA 9625 and 9725? Yes. They cover sections 3.1.2.1 Marketing objectives and plans and 3.1.2.2 Marketing data, and some points apply to only one specification, so check which code you are sitting. Describing a 9725-only point as a 9625 point, or the reverse, is a common error.

What makes a good interpretation of a marketing figure? State the figure and which way it moved, compare it with something such as last year, the market or a target, and give a reason or consequence for the business. A figure on its own earns little credit.

What is the difference between a stratified sample and a quota sample? A stratified sample makes a random choice within groups set in proportion to the population. A quota sample also uses groups, but the interviewer chooses who to ask within each one.

Next steps

• Review the revision notes for this unit and the study guide.
• Check coverage on the printable checklist and the course hub.
• Try all free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class: /trial/.

Official syllabus

OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Business specification (9625, first teaching September 2018; successor 9725, first teaching September 2026 for AS and September 2027 for A2), sections 3.1.2.1 and 3.1.2.2, published by OxfordAQA.