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Standard costing and variance analysis

Unit: Management accounting

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April 2025

2 Questions
Question 5a
​​Explain FOUR advantages of standard costing.


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Question 5b
​ ​ ​​Bidii Ltd. produces a detergent branded “Kik”. During its first week of production, the cost accountant has provided the following information:

Standard cost (for one unit)
Sh.
Direct materials: 10 units @Sh.1.50
15
Direct labour: 5 hours @ Sh.8
40
Production overheads: 5 hours @ Sh.10
50
105

Actual figures (for whole activity):
Direct materials: Sh.6,435
Direct labour: Sh.16,324

Analysis of variances:
Direct materials:
Price
Sh.585(A)
Usage 
Sh.375 (F)
Direct labour:
Rate
Sh.636 (F)
Efficiency
Sh.360 (A)
Production overheads:
Expenditure
Sh.400 (F)
Volume
Sh.750 (F)

Required: 
Compute the following: 

(i) Actual output units. 

(ii) Actual price of material per unit. 

(iii) Actual wage rate per labour hour. 

(iv) The amount of production overhead incurred.


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December 2024

1 Questions
Question 5a
​​Variance analysis is the process of investigating the cause of differences between the actual amount of material, labour, sales and overheads and the expected budgeted amount. This results in either favourable variances or adverse variances. 

Required: 
(i) Identify FOUR causes of favourable material price variances. 

(ii) Explain FOUR remedies to adverse material price variances.


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August 2024

1 Questions
Question 5b
​​Explain THREE benefits of standard costing and variance analysis to an organisation.


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April 2024

1 Questions
Question 5a
​ ​​Hawk Ltd. uses a standard absorption costing in its operations. 

The following information is provided by the cost accountant:

Actual
Budgeted
Selling price per unit (Sh.)
2,600
3,100
Variable cost per unit (Sh.)
1,000
1,000
Output and sales (units)
8,200
8,700
Total fixed overheads (Sh.)
4,510,000
5,220,000

Required: 
(i) Sales price variance. 

(ii) Sales volume profit variance.

(iii) Fixed overhead volume variance. 


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December 2023

1 Questions
Question 5c
​ ​​ABC Ltd. produces and sells a single product Zed whose standard cost is as follows:

Sh.
Direct material (15kgs at Sh.260 per kg)
3,900
Direct wages (5 hours at Sh.60 per hour)
300
Fixed production overheads
....500
4,700

Additional information:
1
The fixed overheads included in the standard cost is based on an expected monthly output of 1,000 units.
2
Fixed production overheads are absorbed on the basis of direct labour hours.
3
During the month of November 2023, the actual results were as follows:
3
Production
890 units
Material
12,100 units costing Sh.1,835,500
Direct wages
4,200 hours worked for Sh.241,500
Fixed production overheads
Sh.470,000

Required: 
(i) Material price variance and material wage variance. 

(ii) Labour rate variance and labour efficiency variance.


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August 2023

1 Questions
Question 3b
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​​​Sigma Ltd. operates a standard marginal costing system. The following data has been collected for the month of July 2023 for its main product branded “SGM”:

Actual costs incurred:
Sh.“000”
Direct material (1,188 kilograms)
 11,286
Direct labour (5,760 hours)
 41,760
Variable production overheads 
 12,096
Fixed production overheads
 48,600

Variances:

Sh.“000”
Direct material price variance
594 Favourable
Direct material usage variance
1,080 Adverse
Direct labour rate variance
1,440 Adverse
Direct labour efficiency variance
2,520 Adverse
Variable overhead expenditure variance
576 Adverse
Variable overhead efficiency variance
720 Adverse
Fixed overhead expenditure variance
900 Favourable
Fixed overhead volume variance
4,500 Favourable 

Additional information: 
  1. Variable production overheads are absorbed based on actual hours worked. 
  2. There was no significant difference in opening and closing work in progress. 
  3. Actual production of product SGM was 1,080 units in the month of July 2023. 

Required: 
Prepare a standard product cost sheet for one unit of product SGM.


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April 2023

1 Questions
Question 5b
​ ​ ​​Dex Ltd. manufactures a single product branded “XV”. The company operates a standard marginal costing system. 

The following information for the month of March 2023 is availed to you:

1
The budgeted production and sales for the month amounted to 6,000 units.
2
The standard selling price of product “XV” per unit is Sh.13,200.
3
The variable standard manufacturing costs per unit are as follows:
3

Direct materials (2.5 kgs at Sh.1,690 per kg)
Sh.
4,225
Direct labour (1.25 hours at Sh.1,880 per hour)
4,350
Variable production overhead (1.25 direct labour hours at Sh.1,340 per hour)
1,675
4
The actual results for the month of March 2023 were as follows:
Production in units
6,380
Sh."000"
Sales (5,640 units)
81,075
Direct materials purchased and used (14,730 kgs)
27,987
Direct labour (8,535 hours)
15,363
Variable production overheads
8,974
5
The variable production overheads are absorbed on the basis of direct labour hours.
6
The opening and closing inventories of finished goods are valued at the standard variable manufacturing cost per unit.

Required: 
Compute the following variances: 

(i) Sales price. 

(ii) Sales volume contribution. 

(iii) Direct material price. 

(iv) Direct material usage. 

(v) Direct labour rate. 

(vi) Direct labour efficiency.


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December 2022

1 Questions
Question 4b
​ ​​Quota Ltd manufactures and sells a single product branded “TT” with a standard cost of Sh.1,100 made up as follows:

Sh.
Direct materials (15 square metres at Sh.30 per square metre)
450
Direct labour (5 hours at Sh.100 per hour)
500
Variable overheads (5 hours at Sh.20 per hour)
100
Fixed overheads (5 hours at Sh.10 per hour)
50

The standard selling price per unit is Sh.1,300. The monthly budget projects production and sales of 1,000 units. 

Actual figures for the month of November 2022 are as follows: 

  • Sales 1,200 units at Sh.1,320 per unit. 
  • Actual production 1,400 units. 
  • Direct materials 22,000 square metres at Sh.40 per square metre. 
  • Direct wages 6,800 hours at Sh.110. 
  • Variable overheads was Sh.110,000. 
  • Fixed overheads was Sh.60,000. 

Required: 
(i) Material price variance and material usage variance. 

(ii) Labour rate variance and labour efficiency variance. 

(iii) Fixed overhead capacity variance and fixed overhead efficiency variance.


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August 2022

1 Questions
Question 5b
​ ​ ​​The following information relates to actual output costs and variances for the month of May 2022 for a single product branded “T” manufactured by KK Ltd.:

Actual production
36,000 units
Actual cost incurred:
Sh.
Direct material (300,000 kgs)
8,400,000
Direct labour (64,000 hours)
5,440,000
Variable production overheads
1,520,000
Variances
Direct materials price
300,000 (Favourable)
Direct materials usage
180,000 (Adverse)
Direct labour rate
160,000 (Adverse)
Direct labour efficiency
320,000 (Favourable)
Variable production overhead expenditure
120,000 (Adverse)
Variable production overhead efficiency
80,000 (Favourable)

Additional information:
  1. There was no opening or closing work-in-progress during the period. 
  2. Variable production overhead varies with labour hours worked. 
  3. The company operates the standard marginal costing system.

Required: 
Standard cost card for product “T” for the month of May 2022.


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April 2022

1 Questions
Question 1b
​ ​​Rengo ltd. has provided the following data for the financial year 2022:

1
Budgeted output for the year
9,800 units
2
Standard details for one unit:
  • Direct materials 
40 square metres at Sh.530 per square metre.
  • Direct labour costs:
.......- Bonding cost centre
48 hours at Sh.250 per hour
.......- Finishing cost centre
30 hours at Sh.190 per hour
3
Budgeted costs and hours per annum:
3
  • Variable overhead:
Hours
Sh.
....Bonding cost centre
500,000
3,750,000
....Finishing cost centre
300,000
1,500,000
  • Fixed overhead:
....Production
39,200,000
....Selling and distribution
19,600,000
....Administration
9,800,000

Required: 

Prepare a standard cost statement of a unit cost showing: 

(i) Prime cost. 

(ii) Variable production cost. 

(iii) Total cost. 

(iv) Selling price per unit at a notion profit of 15% on cost.


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Question 2b
​ ​​To produce a litre of a product, 24 units of materials are required at a standard price of Sh.75 per litre. The actual production for the period is 75,000 units. Records proved that 80,000 units of materials were used at a price of Sh.73 per unit. 

Required: 
Calculate: 

(i) Material cost variance. 

(ii) Material price variance. 

(iii) Material usage variance.


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Question 2a
​​Explain the following terms: 

(i) Material variances. 

(ii) Labour variances. 

(iii) Standard costing.


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December 2021

1 Questions
Question 5b
​​lighlight four purposes of standard costing.


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November 2020

1 Questions
Question 4
​​Zaidi Merchants is a newly established manufacturing enterprise that uses standard costing in its operations. The firm manufactures a product branded "MX" which has a standard selling price of Sh. 120 per unit. Inventory is valued at standard cost.

The standard variable cost of one unit of MX is as follows:

Sh.
Direct materials
20
Direct labour (6 hours at Sh.8 per hour)
48
Production overhead
24
Total
92

Additional information:
1
The budgeted and actual activity levels for the month of April 2020 were as follows:
Budgeted units
Actual units
Sales
Production
25,000
25,000
25,000
26,000
2
The actual sales and variable costs for the month of April 2020 were as follows:
Sh.
Sales
2,995,000
Direct materials (purchased and used)
532,800
Direct labour (150,000 hours)
1,221,000
Variable production overhead
614,000

Required:
(a). Calculate the following cost variances for the month of April 2020:

(i).  Total direct materials cost variance.

(ii). Total variable production overheads variance,

(iii). Direct labour rate variance.

(iv). Direct labour efficiency variance

(b). A reconciliation statement between actual and budgeted profit or loss for the month of April 2020.

(c). Explain two factors to be taken into account in deciding whether or not to investigate individual variances.


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May 2019

1 Questions
Question 5b
​​Biashara Ltd. uses standard costing.. The following information relates to actual resuits for the period ended 30 April 2019:

Units produced
7,200
Sh.
Materials used (420kgs)
8,450
Labour costs (9,100 hours)
35,280
Various overheads
34,200
Fixed costs
28,500
Direct material price variance
370 
(favourable)
Direct material usage variance
252 
(favourable)
Direct labour rate variance 
1,120 
(favourable)
Direct labour efficiency variance
1,040 
(favourable)
Variable overhead expenditure variance
2,350 
(adverse)
Variance overhead efficiency variance
910 
(favourable)
Fixed overhead variance
500 
(adverse)

Additional information:
1
 The standard cost card and the budget for the period were misplaced and could not be recovered.
2
The accountant recalls that the budgeted output was 7,000 units.

Required: 
Using variance analysis, derive the following: 
(i) Standard cost card for the period ended 30 April 2019. 

(ii) Budget for the period ended 30 April 2019.


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November 2018

1 Questions
Question 4a
​​ Engtech Ltd. manufactures castings which are transferred to the machine shop of the same company at standard prices.

A standard costing system is applied. Basic standards in regard to materials stock are as follows:

1
Standard mixture
70% 
Ingredient Y
30% 
Ingredient X
2
Standard prices
Ingredient X
Sh.480 per kg.
Ingredient Y 
Sh.130 per kg.
3
Opening and closing stock of ingredients X and Y for the month of October 2018 are as follows:
Opening stock
Ingredient X
100 kgs
Ingredient Y
60 kgs
Closing stock
Ingredient X
110 kgs
Ingredient Y
50 kgs
4
Total purchases for ingredients X and Y are as follows:
Ingredient X 
 300 kgs at Sh.146,500
Ingredient Y
 100 kgs at Sh.12,500
5
The mixtures melted amounted to 400 kgs while castings produced were 375 kgs.
6
Standard loss is 10% of input.

Required: 
(i) Material price variances. 

(ii) Material mix variances. 

(iii) Material yield variances.


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May 2018

1 Questions
Question 5c
​​The standard cost card for production of a component "Wye" is as follows:

Materials
1 kg at Sh.4 per kg per unit
Labour
25 hours (100 units) at Sh.8 per hour
Variable overheads
Sh.48,000 for budget period
Fixed overheads
Sh.120,000 for budget period
Output
24,000 units

Details for a production of 2,000 units are as follows:

Materials issued
2,000 kgs at Sh.3.50 per kg
Actual production
1,800 units
Actual wages 
480 hours at Sh.8.50 per hour
Actual variable overheads
Sh.4,000
Actual fixed overheads
Sh.10,600

Required: 
(i) Materials usage v ariance. 

(ii) Labour rate variance. 

(iii) Variable overheads efficiency variance. 

(iv) Fixed overheads volume variance.


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May 2017

1 Questions
Question 3a
​​Outline four causes of material usage variances.


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November 2016

2 Questions
Question 2b
​ ​​ALZ Ltd. operates a standard overhead absorption costing system. The standard fixed overhead rate per hour is Sh.25. The following data relate to the month of October 2016:

Actual hours worked
8,250
Budgeted hours 
9,000
Standard hours of actual production
7,800
Actual.fixed.overheads.expenditure.(Sh.)
211,000

Required: 

For the month of October 2016, compute: 

(i) The fixed overheads volume variance. 

(ii) The fixed overheads expenditure variance. 


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Question 5
​ ​ ​​The following information has been extracted from the books of Wazi Enterprises Ltd., a company dealing with manufacture of plastic containers. 

The sales budget for the first six months of the financial year ending 31 December 2016 was as follows:
Month
Sales.(units)
January
10,000
February
12,000
March
14,000
April
15,000
May
15,000
June
16,000

Additional information:
1
Finished goods inventory at the end of each month is expected to be 20% of budgeted sales quantity for the following month.
2
Finished goods inventory was 2,700 units on 1 January 2016.
3
There would be no work in progress at the end of any month.
4
Each unit of finished product requires two types of raw materials as follows:
  • Material X: 4 kgs at Sh.10 per kg
  • Material Y: 6 kgs at Sh.15 per kg 
5
Materials on hand on 1 January 2016 was 19,000 kgs of material X and 29,000 kgs of material Y.
6
Monthly closing stock of material is budgeted to be equal to half of the requirements of next month's production.
7
Budgeted direct labour hour per unit of finished product is 3/4 hour.
8
Budgeted direct labour cost for the first quarter of the year 2016 is Sh.1,089,000.
9
Actual data for the quarter ended 31 March 2016 is as follows:
Actual production quantity: 40,000 units
Direct material cost (Purchase cost based on materials actually issued to production)
  • Material X: 165,000 kgs at Sh.10.20 per kg
  • Material Y: 238,000 kgs at Sh.15.10 per kg
Actual direct labour hours worked: 32,000 hours
Actual direct labour cost: Sh.1,312,000

Required: 

(a) 
(i)
Monthly production quantity for the quarter ended 31 March 2016.
(ii)
Monthly raw material consumption quantity budget for the four months from January 2016 to April 2016.
(iii)
Materials purchase quantity budget for the quarter ended 31 March 2016. 

(b)

Compute the following variances:
 (i)
Material price variance.
(ii)
Material usage variance. 
(iii) 
Direct labour rate variance.
(iv)
Direct labour efficiency variance.
 


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May 2016

1 Questions
Question 2a
​ ​​ Rivt Fries Enterprises: Ltd. manufactures food products. The details of the manufacturing cost of one of its products branded "Tamu" is provided below: 

Standard cost per unit: 
Materials: 6 kilograms at Sh.480 per kilogramme 

Labour: 4.8 hours at Sh.800 per hour. 

Additional information: 
  1. The actual cost for the month of April 2016 was as follows: Materials: 59,000 kilograms at Sh.500 per kilogramme Labour: 47,500 hours at Sh.900 per hour 
  2. The actual production amounted to 10.000 units. 
  3. The variable production overheads are absorbed at 50% of the direct labour cost. 

Required: 

(i) The material cost variance. 

(ii) The labour cost variance. 

(iii) Reconciliation of standard and actual costs in (a)(i) and (a)(ii) above.


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November 2015

1 Questions
Question 4b
​ ​ ​ ​​Qui Ltd. manufactures a single product branded "Q". The standard selling price and variable cost per unit of product "Q" are as follows:

Selling.price
Materials
Labour

2.kilograms.at.Sh.10.per.kilogramme
3 hours at Sh.24 per hour
Sh.
136
20
72

Additional information:
1
The budgeted sales for the month of October 2015 were 38,000 units.
2
The actual results for the month of October 2015 were as follows:
Production.and.saies.................
Selling price per unit
Materials.(76,000.kilogrammes)
Labour (114,000 hours paid)
36,000 units
Sh.134
Sh.754,000
Sh.2,656,000
3
The company operates a standard costing system and a just-in time (JIT) purchasing and production system.

Required: 
Showing applicable variances, prepare a statement that reconciles the budgeted contribution with the actual contribution for the month of October 2015.


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Question 2b
​ ​​A limited company operates a system of standard costing. The following infor nation is available for ilie inonth of July 2015:

1
Actual cost data:
Direct materials purchased (36000 Kgs.)
Direct wages (6800 hours) 
Variable production overheads
Fixed production overheads
..................................................................
Sh.
1,890,000
2,210,000
620,000
1,880,000
2
 Output during the period was 3500 units of product Y.
3
The standard production units were budgeted at 4800 units.
4
The standard cost data per unit is as follows:

Direct materials purchased (Sh.500 per Kg.)
Direct wages (2 hours)
Variable production overheads
Fixed production overheads

.........................................................................
Sh.
500
600
200
400
1,700
5
Labour records show 6200 hours were worked. 600 hours were recorded as idle time due to machine breakdown.

Required: 

(i) Direct material cost, price and usage variance. 

(ii) Labour cost, rate, efficiency and idle time variance. 

(iii) Variable overheads cost variance. 

(iv) Fixed overhead expenditure variance. 


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