Cambridge International (CAIE) · 1 Basic economic ideas and resource allocation (AS) · 1.5 Production possibility curves

Cambridge International (CAIE) Economics past paper questions: Production possibility curves

Every Cambridge International (CAIE) question on Production possibility curves from 2023 to 2025: 3 essays, 2 data response questions and 11 multiple choice questions. It covers 1.1 Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost, 4.3 Aggregate demand and aggregate supply analysis, 1.6 Classification of goods and services, 4.5 Unemployment and 4.4 Economic growth. Each question links to its paper, mark scheme and examiner report.

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Subtopics1.1 Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost 34.3 Aggregate demand and aggregate supply analysis 21.6 Classification of goods and services 14.5 Unemployment 14.4 Economic growth 11.3 Factors of production 1

Essay questions on production possibility curves

Data response questions on production possibility curves

Multiple choice questions

  1. AS Paper 1, November 2025, Q5

    The diagram shows a production possibility curve (PPC) for a country that produces two goods, X and Y. The initial PPC is given by ST. What is the effect on the PPC when the productivity of workers producing good X increases?

  2. AS Paper 1, June 2025, Q5

    The diagram shows an outward shift of the production possibility curve from PPC1 to PPC2. What could have caused this shift?

  3. AS Paper 1, March 2025, Q3

    The production possibility curve shows the maximum potential output of apples and pears for an economy using current resources. Which pair of positions identifies an efficient and an inefficient outcome?

  4. AS Paper 1, November 2024, Q1

    The production possibility curve for a country is shown. What can be determined from the diagram?

  5. AS Paper 1, November 2024, Q5

    The diagram shows the change in a country’s production possibility curve from PQ to PR. What increases as a result of the change from PQ to PR?

  6. AS Paper 1, June 2024, Q1

    The diagram shows a production possibility curve (PPC). It indicates the combinations of consumer goods and capital goods produced by an economy using all its available resources. What does position X indicate?

  7. AS Paper 1, March 2024, Q1

    Why does a production possibility curve exist for every economy?

  8. AS Paper 1, November 2023, Q1

    PPC is the production possibility curve in country T. Which changes take place in country T’s opportunity costs of producing X as it increases production of X?

  9. AS Paper 1, November 2023, Q23

    The diagram shows three production possibility curves (PPC) for a country, labelled 3, 2 and 1. The original PPC for the country is 2. This country experiences a fall in its working population and then this is followed by a long period of…

  10. AS Paper 1, June 2023, Q2

    Assuming nothing else changes, which change in an economy’s labour market will cause the production possibility curve to shift to the left?

  11. AS Paper 1, March 2023, Q4

    The diagram shows the production possibility curve for wheat and corn. What can be deduced from the diagram?

Question text is quoted from the question papers, © Cambridge University Press & Assessment (UCLES), for students’ private study. Open the official papers and mark schemes from the links on each question. Examiner insights are written with AI assistance and moderated by Finn.