| Exam Board | AQA |
|---|---|
| Module | Further AS Paper 2 Discrete (Further AS Paper 2 Discrete) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Session | June |
| Marks | 4 |
| Paper | Download PDF ↗ |
| Mark scheme | Download PDF ↗ |
| Topic | Critical Path Analysis |
| Type | Effect of activity delay/change |
| Difficulty | Moderate -0.5 Part (a) requires simply reading the critical path from a completed activity network diagram (1 mark). Part (b) involves understanding how doubling activity G's duration affects downstream activities' earliest start and latest finish times - this requires basic critical path analysis concepts but is straightforward application once the network is given. The question tests understanding rather than construction or complex reasoning, making it slightly easier than average. |
| Spec | 7.05a Critical path analysis: activity on arc networks7.05b Forward and backward pass: earliest/latest times, critical activities |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Critical path is \(ADEHK\) | B1 | Must state correct critical path and no others |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Uses model to assess effect of change of activity \(G\) on earliest start times of activities \(I\) and \(J\), or states that \(G\) remains non-critical | M1 | PI by A1 |
| States explicitly that earliest start time and latest finish time of activity \(K\) remain unchanged | B1 | |
| Deduces that earliest start times of \(I\) and \(J\) increase to 14 and that latest finish times of \(I\) and \(J\) are unchanged | A1 |
## Question 3(a):
Critical path is $ADEHK$ | B1 | Must state correct critical path and no others
---
## Question 3(b):
Uses model to assess effect of change of activity $G$ on earliest start times of activities $I$ and $J$, or states that $G$ remains non-critical | M1 | PI by A1
States explicitly that earliest start time and latest finish time of activity $K$ remain unchanged | B1 |
Deduces that earliest start times of $I$ and $J$ increase to 14 and that latest finish times of $I$ and $J$ are unchanged | A1 |
---3 A project consists of 11 activities $A , B , \ldots , K$
A completed activity network for the project is shown in the diagram below.\\
\includegraphics[max width=\textwidth, alt={}, center]{ecbeedf5-148e-40ad-b8a2-a7aa3db4a115-04_972_1604_445_219}
All times on the activity network are given in days.\\
3
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\alph*)]
\item Write down the critical path.\\[0pt]
[1 mark]
3
\item Due to an issue with the supply of materials, the duration of activity $G$ is doubled.
Deduce the effect, if any, that this change will have on the earliest start time and latest finish time for each of the activities $I , J$ and $K$
\end{enumerate}
\hfill \mbox{\textit{AQA Further AS Paper 2 Discrete 2022 Q3 [4]}}