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← Class 12 Accounting

Class 12 · English Medium · Cambridge · Accounting

Ledgers, trial balance and corrections

Prepare ledger balances and recognise what a trial balance cannot prove.

Shared cross-level core and stretch unit. Start with the core questions, then use the stretch example for deeper work. The same unit is available in related class and board pathways; it is not a full grade-specific or examination-specification course. A teacher should select the appropriate depth and further topics.

Learn the idea

A ledger groups transactions by account. A trial balance lists balances to check debit-credit equality. Agreement catches some arithmetic and posting errors but not all omissions, reversals or incorrect account choices. Corrections must reflect the real transaction rather than forcing a convenient total.

Worked example

Cash debits of 1000 and 500 and credits of 300 leave a debit balance of 1200. Omitting both sides of a 200 sale leaves the trial balance equal while records remain incomplete.

  1. Post both sides accurately.
  2. Calculate each closing balance.
  3. Investigate discrepancies and possible invisible errors.

Stretch example

If a cash payment of 420 was entered as 240 on only the cash side, the difference is 180. The correction depends on the actual entries already made; never assume both sides were wrong without inspecting them.

Your written practice

Show your working on paper and enter your answer here. If it does not match, compare the model and try again.

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1250

2000−750 = 1250.

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200

5000−4800 = 200.

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no

Complete omission affects neither total.

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A receipt from customer A is posted to customer B’s account although the cash side is correct.

Use the correct category of account but wrong individual account.

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It temporarily holds an unexplained difference; the underlying errors still need investigation.

Explain the unresolved uncertainty.

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180

420−240 = 180.

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Opposite errors of equal amount can cancel in the total even while individual accounts are wrong.

Explain what equality misses.

Ledger check

Prepare three small ledger accounts and a trial balance from fictional entries.

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