The four scales of production, one-off, batch, mass and continuous, their features, advantages and disadvantages, and how to match a scale to a product and quantity.

A four mark application question, a scale and reason for each. Bespoke wedding dress: one-off production, because only a single, unique item is made to the customer's exact measurements by skilled workers, justifying the high cost (2 marks for naming the scale and explaining why). Tins of baked beans: continuous production, because identical tins are made nonstop, 24 hours a day, in huge numbers at very low cost per item using fully automated plant (2 marks). Markers reward the correct scale matched to the quantity and a reason. A common error is to confuse mass and continuous, or to give a scale with no justification.

A three mark Compare question. Advantage of one-off: each product can be made exactly to the customer's needs, unique and often high quality, with low set-up cost (1 mark). Disadvantage: it is slow and expensive per item because it relies on skilled labour and cannot use the economies of scale that mass production enjoys (1 mark plus 1 for a developed comparison). Markers reward a clear advantage and disadvantage set against mass production. A common error is to compare one-off with batch instead of mass, or to give only one side.