Level7End-pointassessmenttechnicalspecificationhandbook—Appendices 1

Level7Accountancy/Taxation Professional ApprenticeshipEnd-point assessment technical specification handbook

Appendices

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Contents4 A. Project report (EPA2) assessment criteria

6 B. Project report (EPA2) template

Level7End-pointassessmenttechnicalspecificationhandbook—Appendices1

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A. Projectreport(EPA2) assessment criteria

Skill as expressed in the standard CIMA assessment criteria

Building RelationshipsBuild trusted and sustainable relationships with individuals and organisations.

Consistently support individuals and collaborate to achieve results as part of a team.

1 Build effective working relationships with peers.2 Earn the respect and trust of senior colleagues.3 Collaborate with and support colleagues to help your team achieve results.4 Give appropriate advice to support less-experienced colleagues.5 Build effective working relationships with external organisations, such as

customers and suppliers.

Business InsightInfluence the impact of business decisions on relevant and affected communities based on an appreciation of different organisations and the environments in which they operate.

1 Use relevant information to inform business decisions.2 Appreciate how business decisions will affect different stakeholder

groups in different ways.3 Considerhownegativeimpactsofbusinessdecisionsonspecific

stakeholder groups could be mitigated.

CommunicationCommunicate in a clear, articulate and appropriate manner. Adapt communications to suit different situations, individuals or teams.

1 Communicate in a clear and appropriate manner with colleagues at different levels of the organisation.

2 Communicate with external stakeholders in a way consistent with organisational values.

3 Select the most appropriate mode of communication for the message conveyed and the target audience.

Ethics and IntegrityIdentify ethical dilemmas, understand the implications and behave appropriately. Understand their legal responsibilities, both within the letter and the spirit of the law, as well as be aware of the procedures for reporting concerns over potentially unethical activities.

1 Show an awareness of the CIMA code of conduct and keep up-to-date with any changes in legislation or other professional standards.

2 Identify ethical issues (for example conflicts of interest) and understand the implications of ignoring them.

3 Respond to ethical issues in a professional manner, escalating them to appropriate colleagues if necessary.

LeadershipTake ownership of allocated projects and effectively manage their own time and the time of others. Demonstrate good project management skills to deliver high quality work within the appropriate timeline. Act as a role model and motivate others to deliver results.

1 Takeresponsibilityforspecificprojects,producingrealisticplansthataresupported by key stakeholders.

2 Effectively allocate and manage resources in order to ensure the successful completion of projects according to agreed plans.

3 Lead by example, motivating other members of the project team to deliver high-quality work on time and within budget.

Problem Solving and Decision MakingEvaluate information quickly and draw accurate conclusions. Assess a problem from multiple angles to ensure all relevant issues are considered. Gather the appropriate facts and evidence in order to make decisions effectively.

1 Distinguish information that is pertinent to problem-solving from that which is irrelevant.

2 Make effective use of pertinent information to make timely and accurate decisions.

3 Evaluate problems from different perspectives and ensure that these are considered in the decision-making process.

Level 7 Accountancy / Taxation Professional Apprenticeship: Project report

Behaviours as expressed in the standard CIMA assessment criteria

Adds ValueAnticipate an individual’s / organisations future needs and requirements. Identify opportunities that can add value for the individual / organisation.

1 Identifyopportunitiestoincreasetheefficiencyofcurrentworkingpractices and processes.

2 Work with colleagues to take advantage of these opportunities.3 Anticipate changing requirements of stakeholders and take account of

these when planning own work.

Continuous ImprovementTake responsibility for their own professional development by seeking out opportunities that enhance their knowledge, skills and experience.

1 Take ownership of own professional development, developing an awareness of own strengths and weaknesses and planning for self-development within the role.

2 Reflect upon areas for professional improvement and identify appropriate developmentactivitiestofillthesegaps.

3 Seek and reflect upon feedback on performance from colleagues at all levels of the organisation.

4 Show evidence of learning from professional experiences, for example by changing one’s approach in response to constructive criticism.

5 Show a willingness to operate outside of one’s ‘comfort zone’ and engage with new experiences.

FlexibilityAdapt approach to assist organisations and individuals to manage their conflicting priorities as circumstances change.

1 Demonstrate an ability to use analytical skills to understand conflicting relationships between different stakeholders and how to resolve conflicts when they arise.

2 Appreciate that stakeholders’ requirements can change for valid reasons and show sensitivity to these changes.

3 Dealcalmlyandefficientlywithconflictingprioritiesanddeadlines.

Professional ScepticismApply a questioning mind to conditions which may indicate a possible misstatement of financial information due to error or fraud.

1 Questionthevalidityoffinancialandnon-financialdatausedtomakemanagement decisions.

2 Proactivelyseekanexplanationofinconsistenciesidentifiedinsuchdata.

3 Apply professional judgement to determine whether inaccurate data is the result of error or fraud.

Level7End-pointassessmenttechnicalspecificationhandbook—Appendices 5

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B.Projectreport(EPA2)templateProject report guidance:

wTheprojectreportshouldfocusonthefinal12monthsoftheapprenticeshipinordertoensuretheworkexperienceundertakenisatasufficientlevelofcomplexitytomeettheLevel7requirements.

w All 10 skills and behaviours should be covered by the project report, see appendix A for full details.

w It is strongly recommended that one of the four sections focusses strongly on the skill of building relationships and another on the behaviour of continuous improvement, since these are the only two skills and behaviours not also assessed by the strategic case study (EPA1).

wEachsectionshouldhaveawordcountof700-1000words.Themaximumtotalwordcountfortheprojectreport is 4000 words.

wOnlyPDFdocumentswillbepermittedwithamaximumfilesizeof8MB.

w To pass the project report an apprentice must achieve a mark of 50% or equivalent.

Across the four sections of this project report, you must demonstrate how you have met each of the 10 skills and behaviours at least once.

Level7End-pointassessmenttechnicalspecificationhandbook—Appendices 7

Section 1

Skills and/or behaviours claimed (in this section, you should focus on building relationships).

Describethetaskandyourspecificrole,responsibilitiesandactions.

Evaluate your use and development of the professional skills and/or behaviours claimed.

Critically examine the lessons learned. What would you do differently in future?

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Section 2

Skills and/or behaviours claimed (in this section, you should focus on continuous improvement).

Describethetaskandyourspecificrole,responsibilitiesandactions.

Evaluate your use and development of the professional skills and/or behaviours claimed.

Critically examine the lessons learned. What would you do differently in future?

Level7End-pointassessmenttechnicalspecificationhandbook—Appendices 9

Section 3

Skills and/or behaviours claimed.

Describethetaskandyourspecificrole,responsibilitiesandactions.

Evaluate your use and development of the professional skills and/or behaviours claimed.

Critically examine the lessons learned. What would you do differently in future?

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Section 4

Skills and/or behaviours claimed.

Describethetaskandyourspecificrole,responsibilitiesandactions.

Evaluate your use and development of the professional skills and/or behaviours claimed.

Critically examine the lessons learned. What would you do differently in future?

Level7End-pointassessmenttechnicalspecificationhandbook—Appendices 11 Level7End-pointassessmenttechnicalspecificationhandbook—Appendices11

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December 2018