Caribbean Examination Council

Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

MATHEMATICS

Every Cent Matters

NAME OF CANDIDATE CANDIDATE NUMBER:

Zahair Bootman 0300110260

Tre Barker 0300110138

Rakaya Goodridge 0300110774

Kobe Griffith 0300110855

Ashe Burnett-Holligan 0300110421

NAME OF SCHOOL: THE ELLERSLIE SCHOOL

SCHOOL CODE: 030011

TERRITORY: BARBADOS

NAME OF TEACHER: Mr Williams

YEAR OF EXAMINATION: 2021

 Table of Contents

Introduction 2
Method 3
Item Calculations 4
Sample Calculations 5
Analysis of Data 7
Conclusion 8
INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this project was to decide which of the two items are more cost effective : a

larger quantity versus a smaller quantity. The members of the group compared a total of 11

items to determine which quantity was cost effective and the better buy. All of the items were

from the same brand, as well as from the same supermarket because the group wanted to

ensure that the data being collected was consistent. Statistical tools were used to help

represent and analyse the data such as tables and bar charts. The sample calculation that was

used was cost of item ÷ number of units.

METHOD

The group was formed on the 4th of February 2021, and there were a total of 5 students
selected in the group. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, students weren't able to collect the
data by themselves. Instead, the teacher went to Carlton Supermarket on the 11th of February
and observed the items and prices from the supermarket and then shared the images to the
students via a group chat. A list of items were provided which had a number of 20 items in all.
The group chose 11 items, and those items were :

● Sugar
● Chocolate
● Cheese
● Corn
● Peanuts
● Milk
● Oil
● Macaroni
● Potatoes
● Flour
● Cornmeal

Then filled in the table with the information such as the brand of the product, the type of
product, the number of units, the cost of the item and the cost of the item per unit. The
calculations for these items are : cost of item ÷ number of units. Next, we calculated the cost
per unit of each item, to find out which one was more cost effective. For a few items, we had to
convert a few items to lbs in order to work out the answer. Then we created a bar chart, which
showcased all of the data that was collected. After that we analyzed the data and discussed
which item was the better buy, which item cost per unit remained the same and which item was
not the better buy. We then drew our conclusion on what we thought about the research that
was done.
RESULTS
Table 1: Item Calculations
BRAND TYPE OF PRODUCT NUMBER OF COST OF COST PER
UNITS ITEM UNIT
$ $
TRADITIONAL SUGAR Barbados Traditional Sugar 2lbs $5.30 2.65✮
4.4lbs $13.90 3.16
CADBURY Whole Nut Chocolate 45g $3.40 0.08
120g $9.15 0.08
ANCHOR New Zealand Cheese 250g $7.60 0.03
500g $13.65 0.03
VALRICO Whole Kernel Corn 8.5oz $2.45 0.29
15oz $2.95 0.20✮
HOLIDAY Peanuts 45g $1.00 0.02
115g $2.85 0.02
SUNGOLD Low Fat Milk 1L $7.80 7.80✮
0.25L $2.30 9.20
ROBERTS Soybean Oil 2L $16.45 8.23✮
0.5L $ 4.75 9.50
SWISS Macaroni 400g $1.95 0.00
800g $4.00 0.00
IDAHO POTATOES Potatoes 1.454kg $8.22 5.65
0.930kg $5.25 5.65
BAJAN PRIDE Flour 1kg $3.75 3.75
2kg $6.30 3.15✮
INDIAN GIRL Corn Meal 454g $1.55 0.00
681g $2.30 0.00
SAMPLE CALCULATIONS

FORMULA:

𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 = 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑚 ÷𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠

BARBADOS TRADITIONAL SUGAR

Cost per unit = $5.30 ÷ 2lbs = $2.65 per unit

= $2.65 (decimal places)

Sungold Low Fat Milk

Cost per unit = $7.80 ÷ 1L. =$7.8 per unit

= $7.80. (2 decimal places)

Bar Chart

Figure 1: Item Cost Per Unit

ANALYSIS OF DATA/ DISCUSSION

6
For 11
of items, the cost per unit remained the same. The items that cost per unit remained the

same were :

● Chocolate

● Cheese

● Peanuts

● Potatoes

● Macaroni

● Cornmeal

For these items, the cost per unit remained the same, which meant it wouldn't matter if you

buy the bigger or smaller quantity.

5
For 11
of items, the larger quantity was the best cost efficient buy. Those items are :

● Sugar

● Milk

● Corn

● Flour

● Oil
Before the experiment was carried out, some people thought that the bigger item was the

better buy and some people thought that the smaller item was the better buy. However, when

the experiment was carried out it was concluded that the bigger item was the better buy.

It is important to conduct research in the same supermarket, because the prices would be the

same, unlike other supermarkets who might price the items higher or lower. Also,it would be

best to keep all of the items that were selected in one area so you don’t have to be going back

and forth to a different supermarket each time.

It is important to keep the same brand for each pair of items because if you use a different

brand for an item, it is a possibility that the pricing may be different. For example, we have

Cadbury chocolate and Hershey's chocolate. The brands may see their products worth

differently, whether it is worth more or less, and price it to what they think is best. However,

when using the same brand, they may think similarly for what they think their product is worth

and then price it accordingly.

CONCLUSION

From the data gathered that we collected, it was concluded that the larger item was the better

buy.