CAIE A-Level Economics 7.1.1 Total & marginal utility

CAIE A-Level Economics 7.1.1 Total & marginal utility
Cambridge International AS & A Level Economics 9708 syllabus for exams in 2026, 2027 and 20282026–2028

Practise reading total and marginal utility tables and diagrams to decide how extra consumption changes consumer satisfaction.

How this is tested

  • calculate marginal utility from total utility tables for successive units consumed
  • interpret when total utility rises, falls or is maximised from a marginal utility diagram

Question 1

[Maximum number: 1]

The table shows the total utility gained by a consumer from the consumption of water.

quantity<br>consumed<br>/bottlestotal<br>utility
00
130
240
348
454
558

What can be concluded from this table?

A

Marginal utility increases as consumption increases.

B

The consumer cannot switch expenditure to another product to increase total utility.

C

The marginal utility of the 3rd unit is 8 .

D

The marginal utility of the 5th unit is 2 .