Intermediate 1 T i m e : 1 h o u r 4 5 m i n u t e s

AdministrationSpecimen Question Paper

NATIONALQUALIFICATIONS

©

[C002/SQP037]

Instructions/Information for Candidates

You are the Administrative Assistant working for HS Electronics PLC. You are required to

read the attached memos and undertake the tasks outlined in these memos.

The memo from the Overseas Sales Director (Task 1) contains instructions for the

amendment of a spreadsheet, to which 30 marks are allocated.

Following on from this, you are asked to produce a memo (Task 2a) and complete a

Currency Conversion Form (Task 2b), to which 50 marks are allocated.

The tasks outlined in the memo from the Training Manager (Task 3) are allocated

20 marks in total.

The following files are provided on disk for you to access during the examination:

SS1 —a spreadsheet file

STAFF —a database file

CRS1 —a word processing file

CATER1—a word processing file

CURR1 —a word processing file

MEMO1—a memorandum template

You are allowed to use a calculator or the calculator facility on your computer.

Page two

Task 1

MEMORANDUM

To: Administrative Assistant

From: Overseas Sales Director

Date: Today’s

Re: Sales Spreadsheet

Please open the spreadsheet filename SS1.

Add the following sales figures for the month of June.

Make the following changes to the spreadsheet. Tick (✓ ) each one off as you make the

change:

❏ Change the heading to read SALES PERFORMANCE JANUARY TO JUNE 1999

(£’000);

❏ Asim Kassam’s figure for March is wrong—change it to 728;

❏ Megan Hope and Gianni Cosimini were married recently. Change Megan’s surname to

Cosimini;

❏ Add a column after TOTAL SALES. The column heading is AVERAGE SALES;

❏ Insert a formula to calculate the AVERAGE SALES for each representative;

❏ On the spreadsheet, embolden the representative from each area with the highest

sales;

❏ Save and print the spreadsheet.

Page three

Henry Ramsden 786 Han Teh 798

Gillian Martin 950 Rona Walker 745

Jim Connor 896 Megan Hope 794

Asim Kassam 675 Gianni Cosimini 687

Julie McKenzie 976 Tom Smith 312

Patrick Lonergan 678 Lorna Anderson 412

James Dalrymple 821 Andrew Burnside 365

Kate Friel 567 David McDade 178

Arthur Jones 679 John Pollock 198

Xiaohong Zhu 856 Sadie Nielson 75

Task 2a

MEMORANDUM

To: Administrative Assistant

From: Overseas Sales Director

Date: Today’s

Re: European Conferences

We have been asked by the European Commission to send a representative from each of our

European sales areas to the following 3 conferences:

AREA 1—this conference will be held in Paris (France) on Friday 30 July.

AREA 2—this conference will be held in Rome (Italy) on Friday 6 August.

AREA 3—this conference will be held in Prague (Czech Republic) on Friday 13 August.

We will send the representatives you have emboldened on the spreadsheet.

The representatives can stay an extra 2 nights in the city where the conference is being

held—paid for by the company.

We would like to help the representatives enjoy their stay.

Can you help by naming 5 sources of information they may check before their visit?

Key in a memo to me. In the memo:

❏ list these sources of information;

❏ give a short description of the type of information these sources contain;

❏ list the names of the 3 representatives at the end of the memo;

❏ key in his/her total sales beside the name of each representative.

Page four

Task 2b

MEMORANDUM

To: Administrative Assistant

From: Overseas Sales Director

Date: Today’s

Re: European Conferences

We have now decided to give each of the 3 selected representatives £500 spending money.

Look at the Exchange Rate Table on the next page.

❏ Find out the unit of currency needed for each conference venue

❏ Convert the £500 to the currency required for each conference venue

❏ Open the file CURR1

❏ Key in the information required on the form—that is, the Representative, the

Conference Venue, the Unit of Currency and the Amount of Currency for £500—for

each area

❏ Save the file and print it

❏ Attach the printout to the memo you keyed in earlier

Page five

EUROPEAN CURRENCY UNITS AND EXCHANGE RATES AGAINST £ STERLING

Page six

Country

Austria Schilling 21.23

Belgium Franc 62.23

Bulgaria Lev 3,004.7

Croatia Kuna 10.3

Czech Republic Koruna 14,441.3

Denmark Krone 11.49

France Franc 10.12

Germany Deutschmark 3.01

Hungary Forint 285.3

Italy Lira 2,972.0

Netherlands Guilder 3.4

Norway Krone 12.9

Spain Peseta 256.1

Unit of currency Exchange rate

Task 3

MEMORANDUM

To: Administrative Assistant

From: Training Manager

Date: Today’s

Re: Training Course for Sales Staff

There will be a Training Course next Friday for all staff from the Sales Department. Can

you please do the following to help with the preparations for the Course?

Tick (✓ ) off each task as you complete it.

❏ Open the database file STAFF

❏ Print a copy of the database showing only the Sales Department staff

The Training Course is called “Widen Your Horizons”. It will run from 10 am until 4 pm.

The Course will be held in the Conference Room. The trainer will be Jack White.

Morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea are required for the trainer and for all those

attending the course. Costs are to be charged to the Sales Department.

❏ Open the file CRS1. This is the Course Information Sheet

❏ Key in the information required on this form

❏ Print one copy of the completed form

❏ Open the file CATER1. This is the in-house Catering Booking Form

❏ Key in the information required on the form

❏ Print one copy of the completed form

❏ Sign and date the form

❏ Attach the printout of the database to this form

[END OF QUESTION PAPER]

Page seven

Intermediate 1 T i m e : 1 h o u r 4 5 m i n u t e s

AdministrationInstructions to Teachers/Lecturers

NATIONALQUALIFICATIONS

©

[C002/SQP037]

Instructions to Teachers/Lecturers

Prior to the examination the following files require to be created and saved using

the file names indicated. This will enable the candidate to access the required

information to complete the tasks.

SS1 — this is a spreadsheet file. A formula will require to be inserted for the TOTAL

SALES column. The formula must include the column for June to which

the candidates will add the figures during the examination.

STAFF — this a database file. The file should be set up with the 4 fields indicated.

CRS1 — this is a word processing document.

CATER1— this is a word processing document.

CURR1 — this is a word processing document.

MEMO1— this is a memo template which you may adapt to your own housestyle.

Page two

Page three

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

SALES PERFORMANCE JANUARY TO MAY 1999 (£’000) FILENAME: SS1

NAME COUNTRY

AREA 1

AREA 2

AREA 3

Henry Ramsden

Gillian Martin

Jim Connor

Asim Kassam

Julie McKenzie

Patrick Lonergan

James Dalrymple

Kate Friel

Belgium

Belgium

France

France

Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Netherlands

JAN

650 420 546 647 857 3120

4199

3115

3786

3266

3749

4202

2083

777 676 909 980

566 787 567 708

876 556 678 798

565 675 785 345

456 786 974 567

937 872 767 779

564 342 398 456

857

487

878

896

966

847

323

Arthur Jones

Xiaohong Zhu

Han Teh

Rona Walker

Megan Hope

Gianni Cosimini

Austria

Austria

Germany

Germany

Italy

Italy

2957

3354

3358

3212

3055

2803

647

773

637

354

675

456

633

256

948

897

456

340

256

567

309

675

298

876

675

921

619

354

673

453

746

837

845

932

953

678

Tom Smith

Lorna Anderson

Andrew Burnside

David McDade

John Pollock

Sadie Nielson

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Czech Republic

Hungary

Hungary

1137

1224

1351

1201

1338

934

345

298

234

209

300

200

256

273

310

278

276

213

213

198

245

219

256

204

200

225

217

246

219

98

123

230

345

249

287

219

FEB MAR APR MAY JUN TOTAL SALES

Page four

FILENAME: STAFF

FORENAME SURNAME DEPARTMENT DATE STARTED

Edward Connolly Accounts 31/3/87

John Kerr Personnel 25/4/90

Henry Ramsden Sales 22/6/78

April Macnamee Advertising 5/7/92

Susan Thomson Office Services 9/10/95

Tom Smith Sales 4/6/94

Kay Young Office Services 6/7/98

Han Teh Sales 9/10/93

Lorna Anderson Sales 3/5/92

Patricia Gordon Personnel 23/5/91

Hannah Johnstone Advertising 12/11/89

Kate Friel Sales 9/6/89

Megan Cosimini Sales 23/6/95

Eric Louden Office Services 11/4/94

Peter Morgan Advertising 9/2/87

Page five

FILENAME: CRS1

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

COURSE INFORMATION SHEET

COURSE TITLE:

DATE:

START TIME:

FINISH TIME:

VENUE:

DETAILS OF CATERING PROVIDED:

NAME OF TRAINER:

LIST OF THOSE ATTENDING:

FILENAME: CATER1

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

CATERING BOOKING FORM

TO: Catering Manager

FROM:

I wish to book the following catering

ROOM:

DATE:

START AND FINISH TIMES:

NO OF PEOPLE:

CATERING REQUIREMENTS:

COSTS TO BE CHARGED TO:

SIGNED:

DATE:

Page six

Page seven

FILENAME: CURR1

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

CURRENCY CONVERSION FORM

REPRESENTATIVE AREA 1:

CONFERENCE VENUE:

UNIT OF CURRENCY:

AMOUNT OF CURRENCY FOR £500:

REPRESENTATIVE AREA 2:

CONFERENCE VENUE:

UNIT OF CURRENCY:

AMOUNT OF CURRENCY FOR £500:

REPRESENTATIVE AREA 3:

CONFERENCE VENUE:

UNIT OF CURRENCY:

AMOUNT OF CURRENCY FOR £500:

FILENAME: MEMO1

Memorandum

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT:

[END OF INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHERS/LECTURERS]

Page eight

Intermediate 1AdministrationSuggested solutions and marking scheme

NATIONALQUALIFICATIONS

©

[C002/SQP037]

Page two

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

SALES PERFORMANCE JANUARY TO JUNE 1999 (£’000)

NAME COUNTRY

AREA 1

AREA 2

AREA 3

Henry Ramsden

Gillian Martin

Jim Connor

Asim Kassam

Julie McKenzie

Patrick Lonergan

James Dalrymple

Kate Friel

Belgium

Belgium

France

France

Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Netherlands

JAN

650 420 546 647 857 3906 651

5149

4011

4633

4242

4427

5023

2650

777 676 909 980

566 787 567 708

876 728 678 798

565 675 785 345

456 786 974 567

937 872 767 779

564 342 398 456

857

487

878

896

966

847

323

Arthur Jones

Xiaohong Zhu

Han Teh

Rona Walker

Megan Cosimini

Gianni Cosimini

Austria

Austria

Germany

Germany

Italy

Italy

3636

4210

4156

3957

3849

3490

647

773

637

354

675

456

633

256

948

897

456

340

256

567

309

675

298

876

675

921

619

354

673

453

746

837

845

932

953

678

Tom Smith

Lorna Anderson

Andrew Burnside

David McDade

John Pollock

Sadie Nielson

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Czech Republic

Hungary

Hungary

1449

1636

1716

1379

1536

1009

858

669

772

707

738

837

442

606

702

693

660

642

582

242

273

286

230

256

168

345

298

234

209

300

200

256

273

310

278

276

213

213

198

245

219

256

204

200

225

217

246

219

98

786

950

896

675

976

678

821

567

679

856

798

745

794

687

312

412

365

178

198

75

123

230

345

249

287

219

FEB MAR APR MAY JUN TOTAL SALES AVERAGE SALES

Memorandum

TO: Overseas Sales Director

FROM: Administrative Assistant

DATE: Today’s

SUBJECT: Useful Sources of Information

INTERNET

Details of accommodation can be found on the Internet, together with details of tourist

attractions and up-to-date exchange rates. Bookings for accommodation can be made on the

Internet.

TELETEXT

Teletext can be used to access information on exchange rates, travel, accommodation,

weather reports.

Other sources of information would be: the AA (or other similar motoring organisations)

for information on travel routes; a local travel agent for information on tourist attractions,

accommodation and exchange rates; Europe in the Round CD-ROM for information

on tourist attractions and exchange rates; various travel guides, both electronic and

paper-based.

Gillian Martin, £5,149,000

Xiaohong Zhu £4,210,000

Andrew Burnside £1,716,000

Page three

Page four

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

CURRENCY CONVERSION FORM

REPRESENTATIVE AREA 1: Gillian Martin

CONFERENCE VENUE: Paris

UNIT OF CURRENCY: French Franc

AMOUNT OF CURRENCY FOR £500: 5060 francs

REPRESENTATIVE AREA 2: Xiaohong Zhu

CONFERENCE VENUE: Rome

UNIT OF CURRENCY: Italian Lira

AMOUNT OF CURRENCY FOR £500: 1,486,000 lira

REPRESENTATIVE AREA 3: Andrew Burnside

CONFERENCE VENUE: Prague

UNIT OF CURRENCY: Koruna

AMOUNT OF CURRENCY FOR £500: 7,220,650 koruna

Page five

FORENAME

Henry Ramsden Sales 22/06/78

Smith Sales 04/06/94

Teh Sales 09/10/93

Anderson Sales 03/05/92

Friel Sales 09/06/89

Cosimini Sales 23/06/95

Tom

Han

Lorna

Kate

Megan

SURNAME DEPARTMENT DATE STARTED

Page six

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

COURSE INFORMATION SHEET

COURSE TITLE: Widen Your Horizons

DATE: next Friday’s date

START TIME: 10 am

FINISH TIME: 4 pm

VENUE: Conference Room

DETAILS OF CATERING PROVIDED:

Morning Coffee

Lunch

Afternoon Tea

NAME OF TRAINER: Jack White

LIST OF THOSE ATTENDING:

Henry Ramsden

Tom Smith

Han Teh

Lorna Anderson

Kate Friel

Megan Cosimini

HS ELECTRONICS PLC

CATERING BOOKING FORM

TO: Catering Manager

FROM: Administrative Assistant

I wish to book the following catering

ROOM: Conference Room

DATE: next Friday’s date

START AND FINISH TIMES: 10 am to 4 pm

NO OF PEOPLE: 7

CATERING REQUIREMENTS:

Morning Coffee

Lunch

Afternoon Tea

COSTS TO BE CHARGED TO: Sales Department

SIGNED: signature of Administrative Assistant

DATE: today’s

Page seven

MARKING SCHEME—TASK 1

30 marks total

Each figure for month of June correctly inserted 1 mark (total 20 marks)

Changing heading to read SALES PERFORMANCE

JANUARY TO JUNE 1999 (£’000) 1 mark

Changing Asim Kassam’s figures for March as instructed 1 mark

Changing Megan Hope’s name as instructed 1 mark

Add AVERAGE SALES column 1 mark

Insert formula to calculate Average Sales for each representative 3 marks

Each correct representative highlighted 1 mark (total 3 marks)

Page eight

MARKING SCHEME—TASK 2

(ignore consequential errors from Task 1)

50 marks total

Marks to be allocated for researching and providing required information:

3 marks for each correct representative 9 marks

One mark for each correct Country and Conference 3 marks

One mark for each correct unit of currency 3 marks

2 marks for each correct calculation of exchange value 6 marks

One mark for each source of information 5 marks

One mark for each example of information available from

each source (maximum 2 for each source) 10 marks

TOTAL = 36 MARKS

Marks for keying-in, accuracy and presentation:

The remaining 14 marks are to be allocated on the basis of the memo being completed

accurately and with consistent layout.

Marks are to be deducted as follows (up to a maximum of 14 marks):

One mark for each typographical/spelling error;

One mark for each instruction not correctly followed;

Maximum of 2 marks for inconsistent spacing overall;

No deduction for grammatical errors.

Page nine

MARKING SCHEME—TASK 3

20 marks total

Correct printout of database 4 marks

Accurate completion of Course Information Sheet 8 marks

Deduct one mark for each typographical/spelling error

up to a maximum of 4 marks

Accurate completion of Catering Booking Form 6 marks

Sign and Date the Catering Booking Form 1 mark

Attach the Database printout to the Catering Booking Form 1 mark

Deduct one mark for each typographical/spelling error/

instruction not correctly followed up to a maximum of 3 marks

In each form deduct one mark for any piece of information omitted

No deduction for non-alignment of text

[END OF MARKING INSTRUCTIONS]

Page ten