Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Model Answers
Series 4 2009 (1041)
Model Answers have been developed by EDI to offer additional information and guidance to Centres,
teachers and candidates as they prepare for LCCI International Qualifications. The contents of this
booklet are divided into 3 elements:
(2) Model Answers – summary of the main points that the Chief Examiner expected to
see in the answers to each question in the examination paper,
plus a fully worked example or sample answer (where applicable)
Teachers and candidates should find this booklet an invaluable teaching tool and an aid to success.
EDI provides Model Answers to help candidates gain a general understanding of the standard
required. The general standard of model answers is one that would achieve a Distinction grade. EDI
accepts that candidates may offer other answers that could be equally valid.
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise
without prior written permission of the Publisher. The book may not be lent, resold, hired out or
otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover, other than that in which it is
published, without the prior consent of the Publisher.
Page 1 of 13
QUESTION 1
Situation
You work as the Personal Assistant to Holly Cohen, the Director of the Liddisford Chamber of
Commerce. She has asked you to write a letter of invitation (to be signed by her) to Ms Alexandra
Petrocelli, who was recently named UK Business Woman of the Year. Ms Petrocelli is currently the
Northern President of the Retailers’ Association. The invitation is to speak as Guest of Honour at the
Annual Dinner of the Chamber of Commerce in Liddisford.
The dinner will take place in Liddisford Town Hall on 22 December. There are usually around 200
guests at the dinner, which starts at 19.30 with a champagne reception. This is followed by dinner and
a brief speech from the Chairman of the Chamber, who will introduce the Guest of Honour.
Task
Write a letter of invitation of between 150 and 200 words to Ms Petrocelli. Give details of the time
and venue, along with an outline of the programme for the evening as described above. Be sure in
your letter to ask about the topic she will speak about, assuming she accepts the invitation. You may
invent suitable addresses.
1041/4/09/MA Page 2 of 13
QUESTION 1 CONTINUED
(Total 30 marks)
1041/4/09/MA Page 3 of 13
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 1
Suitable date
Ms. A. Petrocelli
The Northern Retailers’ Association
2 Temple Buildings
Leeds
LE3 2PY
Dear Ms Petrocelli
I am writing as Director of the Liddisford Chamber of Commerce to invite you to attend as Guest of
Honour at our Annual Chamber Dinner. May I offer you my congratulations on your recent award,
which everyone here was pleased to hear about.
The Annual Dinner will be held on Friday 22 December, starting at 7.00 pm. We expect to have over
200 people attending.
The evening starts with a Champagne Reception in the main bar. At 8.00 pm we shall sit down for
dinner, which usually takes about an hour and a half. After dinner I will say a few words, and
introduce you formally as our Guest of Honour, before asking you to speak to the guests. May I
suggest that you plan to speak for twenty minutes or a minute or two more.
I sincerely hope that you will be able to accept the invitation. I am sure your presence will make the
occasion very special.
If you are able to be with us, perhaps you will let me know at some time before what topic you plan
to speak on. I am sure that whatever you choose will be most entertaining.
Yours sincerely
Holly Cohen
Holly Cohen
(Director)
1041/4/09/MA Page 4 of 13
QUESTION 2
Situation
You work in your local business college. At the moment you are planning a course for young people
who want to train as journalists. You are preparing a leaflet to illustrate the contents of the course.
Task
Read the passage on the page opposite entitled “Successful Interviewing”, then say whether the
following statements are TRUE or FALSE. Then quote the words or phrases from the passage that
support your answer. Do not write more than 6 support words for each answer. You will lose
marks if you write more than this.
Note: Answers usually have 2 parts, and the words or phrases that you need may be in different parts
of the article.
Example:
Statement: “Closed” questions produce long answers; older people are always confident in interview
situations.
Answer: False: Yes or No; often nervous.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
2 Before the recording a “warm-up session” is a good idea; equipment should be working reliably.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
3 You should never be late for an interview; you should not rush older people.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
4 You do not need to know much about the person you are interviewing; children will talk forever in
interviews.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
5 Some experiences can be unpleasant to talk about; with older people it is advisable not to sit too
far away from them.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
6 Not being on time is acceptable behaviour; all people are difficult to talk to in an interview.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
7 “Prompting” people is done to wake them up; it is best not to show any liking for the person you
are interviewing.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
1041/4/09/MA Page 5 of 13
QUESTION 2 CONTINUED
8 A person’s age is a major factor when you are conducting an interview; people do not find it
difficult to talk about their successes.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
9 To jog someone’s memory it is best to shout at them; young people find it easy to focus on a topic
for a long time.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
10 “Open” questions always get a good response; the person you are interviewing must trust you.
A ____________________________________________________________________________
(Total 30 marks)
SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWING
Interviewing people for a newspaper article calls for skill. Some people are easier to talk to than
others. Right from the start the interviewer should remember two basic rules. You must be both
courteous and prompt. Arriving late is very bad-mannered and guarantees a poor start.
Make sure that the person you are interviewing knows that you will be recording what is said. Before
starting to record, take plenty of time to chat to get the person relaxed. The person you interview must
have confidence in you, so always appear friendly and interested in your subject. Make sure, too, that
your recording equipment is in good order.
Once you start recording, show that you know plenty about the person, so that you can chat easily
about the events in their life. You may be the first person to whom they have told their story – and
sometimes things can be painful for them to talk about. It is easy to talk about success, but sometimes
hard to talk about less happy experiences.
Try to use “open” questions that will invite them to talk freely, and always avoid “closed” questions
which only get a “Yes” or “No” response. You may need to “prompt” a person to jog the memory about
some part of life. Speak gently, but clearly.
The age of a person can affect the interview considerably. Older people are often nervous, and need
you to sit close to them, so that they can hear more clearly; you also need to be patient. Very young
people cannot concentrate for long periods, so the interview needs to be short. Expect shorter
answers from them as well.
Once the recording is over and you have made paper copies of the conversation, send a copy to the
person. Ask if they are happy with it, or if there is anything they wish to take out. They may even wish
to add something. Courtesy and professionalism are important at every stage.
1041/4/09/MA Page 6 of 13
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 2
1041/4/09/MA Page 7 of 13
QUESTION 3
Situation
You work for a firm of estate agents with branch offices in many towns. Your boss plans to visit several
branches, and has asked you to provide him with details about the branches and the staff who work in
them.
Task
Study the information in the table opposite headed, Branch Offices Information, then answer the
questions below. Write your answers as a single word, a name or a figure. You will lose marks for
unnecessary information.
ANSWERS
2 Which office, opened before 2000, has the highest monthly rent?
3 How many offices have a male manager and more than 2 assistants?
How many centrally-located offices which opened before 2000 have more
8 than 2 assistants?
10 Are there more than 3 centrally-located offices which opened after 1995?
11 Have both the suburban offices which opened before 2002 more assistants
than the Monkton office?
13 In which year did the centrally-located office with the lowest monthly rent
open?
14 Which suburban office with a female manager has the lowest weekly sales?
15 How many offices opened after 2002 have average weekly sales of 15 or
more?
16 Does the Penlee office have more assistants and a higher monthly rent than
the Barham office?
17 Which office opened after 2000 and has a monthly rent over £500?
18 How many male managers work in a centrally-located office with more than
3 assistants?
1041/4/09/MA Page 8 of 13
QUESTION 3 CONTINUED
19 Does the office which opened before 2000, and has a monthly rent of over
£450, have a female manager?
(Total 20 marks)
1041/4/09/MA Page 9 of 13
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 3
1 1
2 Storth
3 4
4 Kersley
5 Barham
6 2
7 Storth
8 3
9 Monkton
10 Yes
11 Yes
12 3
13 1997
14 Neeth
15 2
16 No
17 Ampton
18 2
19 No
20 2
1041/4/09/MA Page 10 of 13
QUESTION 4
Situation
You work as the assistant to the General Manager, Ms Clara Tomms, at Omega Kitchens plc. A
number of important retailers are due to visit the factory, and you are discussing the arrangements
with Ms Tomms. The conversation is as follows:
Task
Use the information below to complete the timetable on the page opposite.
1041/4/09/MA Page 11 of 13
QUESTION 4 CONTINUED
11.30
1041/4/09/MA Page 12 of 13
MODEL ANSWER TO QUESTION 4