Q.Distinguish between Costing and Cost Accounting.

Costing and Cost Accounting are closely related but not the same thing — one is a technique, the other is the full system built around that technique.

Costing is the technique and process of ascertaining cost — the principles and procedures followed to compute a cost figure. Cost Accounting is the broader, formal system that uses costing as its technique, but also includes the recording, classification, allocation and analysis of cost data, and the regular reporting of that information to management for control and decision-making. In short, costing is a part of cost accounting, not the other way round.

To summarise: every cost accounting system necessarily uses costing techniques, but costing by itself — say, simply computing what a job cost using a particular method — is only one component of the larger cost accounting system, which also records that information formally, classifies it, and reports it to management on an ongoing basis for control and decision-making purposes.

An alternative way to answer a "distinguish" question like this is a short point-by-point list rather than a table: state the meaning of each term first, then state 2-3 clear points of difference (scope, nature, objective) in your own words, ending with the one-line relationship (costing is a technique used within the broader system of cost accounting).

A common mistake is treating Costing and Cost Accounting as synonyms and simply repeating the same definition twice with different wording. Always bring out that Costing is the narrower technique, while Cost Accounting is the wider system (which includes costing plus recording, control, and reporting).