AQA A-Level Economics: Calculation Questions Explained

This guide walks you through the essential calculation questions from AQA Paper 1 (2020–2023), explaining how each answer is reached and why it's important for understanding economics in action!

2020 – Q01 (The Circular Economy)

Question: What percentage of all plastics produced between 1950 and 2015 were either sent to landfill or incinerated?

Data Reference: Landfill + Incinerated = 5700m tonnes; Total = 8300m tonnes

Explanation:

We divide the amount of plastic disposed of (5700) by the total produced (8300) and multiply by 100 to get a percentage: (5700 / 8300) × 100 = 68.7% This tells us that over two-thirds of plastic has been discarded, highlighting an urgent need for sustainable waste management.

2020 – Q05 (Adult Social Care)

Question: How much does the median care worker earn for every £1 earned by the median worker in the whole economy?

Data Reference: Care Worker = £7.50; Whole Economy = £12.23

Explanation:

To find this, divide the care worker's wage by the national median: £7.50 / £12.23 = 0.6132… → Rounded = 61p This shocking result means care workers earn just 61p for every £1 a typical worker earns—revealing stark inequality in vital sectors.

2021 – Q01 (Pharmaceutical Industry)

Question: What was the average profit on a new drug in 2019, given development costs were $2.6 billion and the average return was 1.8%?

Data Reference: Profit = 1.8% of $2.6 billion

Explanation:

We multiply the total investment by the return percentage: $2.6bn × 0.018 = $46.8 million → Rounded = $47 million This shows how thin profit margins can be, even in high-stakes industries like pharmaceuticals!

2021 – Q05 (Ethnic Pay Gap)

Question: How much did a Bangladeshi worker earn on average in 2018, given a White British worker earned £28,677 and the pay ratio was 79.8%?

Data Reference: White British = £28,677; Pay ratio = 0.798

Explanation:

£28,677 × 0.798 = £22,884 This quantifies the ethnic pay gap—an important issue in labour market economics and social policy.

2022 – Q01 (Gig Economy)

Question: How many weekly gig workers were there per monthly gig worker in 2019?

Data Reference: Weekly = 9.6%; Monthly = 11.8%

Explanation:

9.6 / 11.8 = 0.81356 → Rounded = 0.81 This ratio shows that for every monthly gig worker, only 0.81 did weekly work—indicating sporadic engagement in gig jobs.

2022 – Q05 (Supermarket Sector)

Question: By what percentage was a basket of groceries more expensive at Waitrose compared to Lidl in April 2020?

Data Reference: Waitrose = £68.69; Lidl = £42.27

Explanation:

[(£68.69 - £42.27) / £42.27] × 100 = 62.5% This highlights the huge price difference between premium and discount retailers—useful for studying consumer choice and price elasticity!

2023 – Q01 (Electric Cars and Batteries)

Question: What is the index value for car sales in 2021, based on a base year of 1.25 million sales and actual 2021 sales of 1.647181 million?

Data Reference: Base = 1.25m; Actual = 1.647181m

Explanation:

(1.647181 / 1.25) × 100 = 131.77 This tells us car sales rose by 31.77% relative to the base—demonstrating strong growth in the electric vehicle sector.

2023 – Q05 (In-Work Poverty)

Question: What is the difference between the mean and median growth in real pre-tax earnings from 1994 to 2017?

Data Reference: Mean = 34%; Median = 26%

Explanation:

34% - 26% = 8 percentage points This difference reveals growing income inequality, a key discussion point in labour economics.