Production Possibility Frontiers (PPFs)

OCR

GCSE

Objectives

Exam Tips

Pitfalls

Key Terms

Mark Points

Key skills and knowledge for this topic

Award marks for accurate calculation of opportunity cost defined as the 'next best alternative foregone', specifically quantifying the loss (e.g., '50 units of wheat').
Credit clear distinction: points inside the curve represent inefficiency/unemployment of resources, while points on the curve represent full productive efficiency.
Responses must link outward shifts directly to specific improvements in Factors of Production (e.g., 'technological advancement in robotics' or 'increased labour force migration').
For 'Evaluate' questions, candidates must assess the short-term trade-offs versus long-term benefits of shifting production from consumer to capital goods.

Key points examiners look for in your answers

Award marks for accurate calculation of opportunity cost defined as the 'next best alternative foregone', specifically quantifying the loss (e.g., '50 units of wheat').
Credit clear distinction: points inside the curve represent inefficiency/unemployment of resources, while points on the curve represent full productive efficiency.
Responses must link outward shifts directly to specific improvements in Factors of Production (e.g., 'technological advancement in robotics' or 'increased labour force migration').
For 'Evaluate' questions, candidates must assess the short-term trade-offs versus long-term benefits of shifting production from consumer to capital goods.

Expert advice for maximising your marks

💡When calculating opportunity cost from a table/graph, always subtract the new quantity from the original quantity to find the difference.
💡In 6-mark 'Analyse' questions, use the 'Chain of Reasoning' approach: Cause -> Effect -> Consequence on the economy.
💡Use a ruler to trace intercepts on the axes precisely; examiners penalize inaccurate readings even if the method is correct.
💡Memorize the acronym CELL (Capital, Enterprise, Land, Labour) to generate specific reasons for PPF shifts.

Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

Labelling axes with 'Price' and 'Quantity' (Supply/Demand convention) instead of 'Good A' and 'Good B' or 'Capital/Consumer Goods'.
Confusing a movement along the PPF (reallocation) with a shift of the PPF (change in productive capacity).
Stating that points outside the PPF are 'impossible' without qualifying 'at the current level of resources and technology'.

How questions on this topic are typically asked

Calculate

Explain

Analyse

Evaluate

State

Draw

Practice questions tailored to this topic