Why recompute the same measures in a re-drill?

Recomputing with new numbers separates a conceptual error from an arithmetic slip; rereading the answer key cannot tell you which one it is.

Why find the break-even output before choosing a site?

The fixed cost gap is spread over volume, so below or above that output the cheaper site reverses.

S5 Geography | Industry and Manufacturing Paper 4 (Error Re-drill)

2026-11-04

Tutor Prep Guide · Secondary Geography

This paper does one thing: it re-runs the marks most often lost in papers one to three, namely material index direction, percentage points against percentages, and site choice judged on variable cost alone.

Attempt first, mark afterwards　Allow about twenty-five minutes; write the formula first, then check units and denominators, and put fixed cost into every site comparison.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10 items
Suggested time	About 25 minutes
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S5 Geography \| Industry and Manufacturing
Level	S5 (Secondary 5) Geography

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationA plant uses 250 tonnes of material to make only 50 tonnes of product. What is the material index, and should it sit near the material or the market?
FoundationThe material weighs 250 tonnes and travels 160 km; the product weighs 50 tonnes and travels 400 km, at 3 dollars per tonne-kilometre. Which end is cheaper and by how much?
FoundationA plant pays 252,000 in wages out of total costs of 1,050,000. What share of cost is labour?
Foundation36 workers make 21,600 units a month. What is output per worker, and by what percentage does it fall if the workforce rises to 45 with output unchanged?
IntermediateA plant covers 6,000 square metres over 8 storeys. What are the gross floor area and the plot ratio?
IntermediateAnnual output is worth 75,000,000 with 45,000,000 spent on materials. What are value added and the value-added ratio?
IntermediateA plant uses 2,160,000 kilowatt-hours for 18,000 units. What is consumption per unit, and how much is saved if it falls to 100?
ChallengeManufacturing employment falls from 620,000 to 465,000 while the output index rises from 100 to 130 and the employment index falls from 100 to 75. What is the fall in jobs, and what is the productivity index and its rise?
ChallengeSite A costs 3,200,000 fixed plus 22 per unit; site B costs 1,600,000 fixed plus 30 per unit. What is the break-even output, and which site is cheaper at 260,000 units and by how much?
Error redoA student sees manufacturing employment fall from 620,000 to 465,000 and concludes industry must be declining. What is wrong with that?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	0.2, so it should sit near the material.	The index is product weight over material weight, 50 over 250, giving 0.2; below 1 the product loses weight, so shipping it costs less.
2	Material freight 120,000, product freight 60,000, so the material site saves 60,000.	Freight is weight times distance times rate: 250 times 160 times 3 gives 120,000, against 50 times 400 times 3 giving 60,000.
3	24 per cent.	252,000 divided by 1,050,000 times 100 gives 24 per cent; the denominator must be total cost, not production cost alone.
4	600 units per worker, falling to 480 with 45 workers, a drop of 20 per cent.	21,600 over 36 gives 600; 21,600 over 45 gives 480; 120 over 600 is 20 per cent.
5	Gross floor area 48,000 square metres; plot ratio 8.	Site area times storeys gives 6,000 times 8, which is 48,000; dividing by the site area gives a plot ratio of 8.
6	Value added 30,000,000 and the ratio 40 per cent.	Output minus materials gives 30,000,000; that over output, 30,000,000 over 75,000,000, is 40 per cent.
7	120 kilowatt-hours per unit; cutting to 100 saves 360,000 a year.	2,160,000 over 18,000 is 120; saving 20 per unit across 18,000 units is 360,000 kilowatt-hours.
8	Jobs fall 25 per cent; the productivity index is 173.33, a rise of 73.33 per cent.	The change over the original figure gives 25 per cent; output index over employment index, 130 over 75, times 100, is 173.33, a rise of 73.33 per cent over the base of 100.
9	Break-even at 200,000 units; at 260,000 units site A is cheaper by 480,000.	The fixed cost gap over the unit cost gap gives 200,000 units. Site A totals 3,200,000 plus 22 times 260,000, or 8,920,000; site B totals 1,600,000 plus 30 times 260,000, or 9,400,000; the gap is 480,000.
10	Wrong: a 25 per cent fall in jobs can coexist with rising output and higher productivity, which is not decline.	With the output index up from 100 to 130 and the employment index down to 75, output per worker rises 73.33 per cent; judge industry by output, value added and competitiveness, not headcount alone.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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