The ACCA Qualification Brochure

8/12/2019 The ACCA Qualification Brochure

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The ACCA Qualication


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Think about something you like

It could be your favouritefood. Your favourite gadget.Or your favourite movie.

Now think about the companies thatproduce your favourite things. Whydo they produce them? Well, theywant you to be a happy customer.Because happy customers are goodfor business. Happy customers makea company money. And money is themain reason why companies exist.Even charities and not-for-protcompanies need to make sure theyuse their funds in the most efcient

way. And every single organisation,big or small, local or global, is inbusiness to make money. Or savemoney. Or advise other businesseshow to make and save money.

All have one thing in common. Theyneed professionals who understandnance. Who can play a fundamentalrole in running the business. Who canhelp make the business a success.

There you have it. You’re thinkingabout a career in accountancy.

A career in accountancy is agreat choice and can offer youexcellent job prospects. You couldwork your way right to the verytop of an organisation with theright professional accountancyqualication. And becauseaccountants play a central function inany business, accountancy can offeryou prestige and responsibility.

There’s a lot to think about and

consider. You may already knowyou want to become a professionalaccountant and the type of workyou want to do. You just needto decide which accountancyqualication to complete. Or youmay still be undecided and want tokeep your options open in termsof where you work and what typeof accounting role you choose.

Whatever stage you are at in yourcareer planning, ACCA can help.The ACCA Qualication will helpyou reach your career destination.

2 THE ACCA QUALIFICATION



Here are just some of thereasons why you should choose

ACCA as your route to a careerin accountancy and nance.

The ACCA Qualication will provideyou with skills and knowledgerelevant to any business, whichmeans you are free to choosewhich type of accountancy role andorganisation you want to work for.

ACCA is known as the global bodyfor professional accountants andour qualications are available

around the world. It means you canstudy and work wherever you wishyour career path to take you.

People already working in theaccountancy and nance professionknow and respect our organisationand the qualications we offer. Byassociation, it means you will be indemand. Employers will recogniseand respect your ACCA Qualicationand know you have the right skillsneeded to get the job done.

We’ve been around for a long time– over 100 years. It means peoplein business know about us for allthe right reasons. We have a provenreputation for quality and excellence.

Think about ACCA

Our qualications remain globallyrelevant. Which is why employersrecruit individuals who have ourqualications and why we have somany students and members. Wecurrently have 147,000 members and424,000 students in over 170 countries.

We have a network of 83 ofcesaround the world to offer you supportwhile you complete your qualication.

What qualications you have nowwill determine at which point youstart your journey with us. There are

lots of qualications you can pickup along the way to measure yoursuccess and keep you motivated.

It’s up to you to decide how faryou wish to progress your career inaccountancy. Of course we hopeyou go all the way and become aprofessional accountant and an ACCAmember, working in the most seniorpositions. All we ask is that you havethe ambition and determinationto work hard to succeed. We hopethe information in this brochurewill help you make that decision.

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Collect qualicationsalong the way

As you study and train for the ACCA Qualication, there arelots of qualications you can achieve along the way as youprogress towards ACCA membership. This is a great way todemonstrate to employers the knowledge and skills you haveacquired and helps keep you on track and motivated. On your way to ACCA membership you can achieve:

– a Diploma in Accounting and Business – an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business

– a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University.




The ACCA Qualication

IS THIS SUITABLE FOR ME? You should choose this qualicationif you want to become a professionalaccountant and have the choice ofworking in any type of accountancysector, either in your own country orother countries around the world.

DO I NEED ANYQUALIFICATIONS TO START?

Yes. You need a minimum ofthree GCSEs and two A levels,in ve separate subjects,including maths and English,or equivalent qualications.

If you don’t have these minimumqualications, you should registerfor Foundations in Accountancy andstudy for one, or all, of our entry-level qualications. Please visit ourwebsite for more information.

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT?Professional exams are hard work,so only those with the determination

to succeed should apply. TheFundamentals level (the rst ninepapers) is equivalent to degreelevel and the Professional level isequivalent to a master’s degree.

WHAT KIND OF WORK COULD IDO WITH THIS QUALIFICATION?As a qualied chartered certiedaccountant you could work in anysector, in any type and size oforganisation. For example, withthe ACCA Qualication you canspecialise in one area of accountancy,eg audit or tax, with a small rmof accountants or one of the bigaccountancy rms. Or you maywish to work in a consultancy role,provide nancial information andadvice, or manage the nances ofa large multinational company.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKETO COMPLETE?It depends on what qualicationsyou have before you register withus. The quickest way to qualify is towork and study at the same time. Ifyou do, you could qualify in three orfour years. Studying for the ACCAQualication is very exible andyou can progress at your own pace.ACCA has a ten year time limit, fromthe date of registration, for you tocomplete the exam component.

CAN I MISS OUT SOMEEXAMS IF I HAVE RELEVANTQUALIFICATIONS?

Yes. For example, if you have arelevant degree from an accreditedinstitution, you may be exempt fromour rst nine exams, leaving youonly ve exams to complete. Pleasevisit our website to check whatexemptions you may claim basedon your previous qualications.

DO I JUST NEED TO PASS EXAMSTO BECOME ACCA QUALIFIED?No. You will also need to completethree years’ relevant practicalexperience and achieve 13performance objectives. Don’t forget,you will also need to complete theProfessional Ethics module too.

CAN I GO ON TO DO OTHER ACCA QUALIFICATIONS? Yes. As an ACCA member, you willbe required to keep your knowledgeand skills up to date. We providelots of learning opportunities foryou to do this, including technicalresources, articles to read, coursesand seminars. We also offer an MBAwith Oxford Brookes University formembers who wish to achieve ageneralist business qualication.

WHAT’S INVOLVED?

To achieve the ACCA Qualication youwill need to complete exams, an ethicsmodule and practical experience.

Exams

You need to complete 14 examsin total. A maximum of nineexams in the Fundamentals levelare available for exemption.

FUNDAMENTALS LEVEL

Knowledge exams

F1 Accountant in BusinessF2 Management AccountingF3* Financial Accounting

Skills exams

F4** Corporate and Business LawF5 Performance ManagementF6** TaxationF7* Financial ReportingF8* Audit and AssuranceF9 Financial Management

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

P1 Governance, Risk and EthicsP2* Corporate ReportingP3 Business Analysis

Two of the following options

P4 Advanced FinancialManagement

P5 Advanced PerformanceManagement

P6** Advanced TaxationP7* Advanced Audit and Assurance

* These exams are based oninternational standards for nancialreporting and auditing and havealso been adapted for nationalaccountancy practices in Hong Kong,Ireland, Singapore and the UK.

** In some countries, it is possibleto take versions of these examsbased on local law and tax.We call these variants. Visit ourwebsite for more details.



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Ethics

A Professional Ethics module designed to give you exposure to a rangeof perspectives to develop your ethical knowledge. It’s importantto ACCA that you know how to behave ethically and professionally.This module should be completed before, at the same time as orsoon after completing Paper P1, Governance, Risk and Ethics.

Experience

You will need to complete three years’ relevant practical experience and achieve13 performance objectives. This will help you to demonstrate to potentialemployers that you can apply your knowledge to the workplace and areready for business. You can achieve your work experience before, at the sametime as or after completing your exams. Ideally, at the same time is best.

ESSENTIALS (all nine to be completed)

Professionalism, ethics and governance

1 Demonstrate the application of professional ethics, values and judgement2 Contribute to the effective governance of an organisation3 Raise awareness of non-nancial risk

Personal effectiveness

4 Manage self 5 Communicate effectively6 Use information and communications technology

Business management

7 Manage ongoing activities in your area of responsibility8 Improve departmental performance9 Manage an assignment

OPTIONS (any four to be completed)

Financial accounting and reporting

10 Prepare nancial statements for external purposes11 Interpret nancial transactions and nancial statements

Performance measurement and management accounting12 Prepare nancial information for management13 Contribute to budget planning and production14 Monitor and control budgets

Finance and nancial management

15 Evaluate potential business/investment opportunitiesand the required nance options

16 Manage cash using active cash management and treasury systems

Audit and assurance

17 Prepare for and collect evidence for audit18 Evaluate and report on audit

Taxation19 Evaluate and compute taxes payable20 Assis t with tax planning



Thinking big

IF YOU WANT ACHALLENGING AND

REWARDING CAREERIT’S ESSENTIAL THATYOU GET QUALIFIED.AT THE END OF THEDAY, WHEN YOU STEPINTO A BOARDROOM,YOU WANT TO ADDVALUE AND SPEAKWITH AUTHORITY.


Having enjoyedworking for a Big Fourrm in Barbados,Canada and theBahamas – acrossa broad range ofindustries – it is littlewonder that ChrisBrome FCCA, a seniormanager at KPMG,can’t think of anythingelse he’d rather do.

‘I really enjoy travelling and exploringnew places,’ says Chris. ‘I love toexperience new cultures and people,and fortunately my current job hasafforded me travel to a numberof places across Europe, North

America and the Caribbean.’

Originally from Barbados, Chrisstudied for a degree in computerscience and accounting from theUniversity of the West Indies. ‘Ichose subjects in my degree thatclosely followed the ACCA syllabusso that when I registered withACCA my degree studies would berecognised and I could gain maximumexemptions. As a result, I only hadto sit seven exams with ACCA.

‘I joined KPMG Barbados in 1998and started my ACCA studies. Ifound that a combination of self-study, group study and revisionclasses worked bes t for me.’ Chriscompleted his nal exams two yearslater and achieved membership thefollowing year. ‘As I was workingwhile I was studying I was ableto put my studies into context.This meant my work helped meunderstand the theory and I foundthat I could immediately put into

practice what I was learning in mystudies. It also helped that I wasearning while I was learning.’

Chris’s decision to study ACCA stillrequired careful thought: ‘Be awareof the uncertainty, but inspired bythe possibility,’ is his advice. ‘As youconsider whether or not to pursuean ACCA qualication there maybe tremendous doubt in your mindabout registering and whether ornot you will pass the exams. But ifyou look past that, you can be reallyinspired by the possibilities thatare almost immediately created.’

Chris’s achievements, includingbeing top Barbados student in twosubjects, were recognised at workthrough remuneration and promotion.It also enhanced his ability tomanage relationships with clients.

‘I was invited to travel to Toronto in2002 where I started to work in thenancial advisory services area. By2003 I was an assistant manager.But I continued to have a keeninterest in corporate nance. And I

maintained contact with colleaguesin the Caribbean.’ In 2004, Chrisreturned to Barbados. Two yearslater he was promoted to managerand was working on transactions upto US$370m, for which he enjoyeda secondment to the Bahamas.

He is now a senior manager at KPMGin Barbados in the corporate nancearea and has experience of workingacross a number of industries. ‘WhatI most enjoy is that no two days arethe same. I get satisfaction fromseeing a completed assignmentin the form of a report, and fromthat report your client taking actionbased on what you’ve advised. It’salso about working with a goodteam of individuals on a project.

‘Working in a Big Four rm likeKPMG provides variety – both interms of the people and companiesthat you get to work with – andyou can expect to enjoy upward,global and cross-functional mobility.

I can’t think of anywhere else I’drather be. And there’s one thingmy job will never be – dull.’



F A S T F A

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WHAT ’ S I NV

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IN PRACTICE

Chris was part of an internationalteam performing an evaluation ofthe operations for the privatisationand development of an airport.

He managed a team of regional resourcesthat performed nancial due diligencefor a multimillion-dollar transactionwhich involved reviewing the operationsof a hotel and development costsfor a number of villas in St Lucia.

Chris led a team of professionals thatperformed bid defence services for a clientinvolved in a hostile t akeover situation.

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Name CHRIS BROME

Job title SENIOR MANAGER– ADVISORY

Employer KPMG BARBADOS

Studies Joined ACCA in 1998,completed his nalexams in December2000 and achievedmembership in 2001

Career at 12 years’ experiencea glance working mainly in nancial

advisory services inBarbados, the Bahamasand Canada in offshorebanking, insurance,telecommunications,retail, hospitality, tourismand leisure, oil and gas,government and not-for-prot organisations

Hobbies ‘Liming’ (hanging out) withfriends and playing the piano



Destination anywhere FINANCIALEXPERTISE IS NOTONLY AN ADVANTAGEFOR ANY MANAGER,BUT A FUNDAMENTALREQUIREMENTFOR THOSE ATTHE TOP OF ANYORGANISATION.


‘It’s a career whereboth your earningand travel potentialare limited only bythe opportunities youchoose,’ says SarahPumfrett FCCA. Havingleft school at 16 to workin a shop, she startedher ACCA studies aged27. Sarah has now seenthe world, and hasnever looked back.‘I left school at 16 and startedwork the following day in anironmonger’s shop,’ says Sarah.‘I sold everything from ne chinato maggots! From there, I helda variety of jobs in a number ofsectors including engineering, localauthority, education, agriculture,and also in charity. At the sametime I went to night school to gainsome qualications. I was 27 when Imade my big decision. I had two joboptions – driving an ambulance andtraining to be a paramedic or takinga role as an internal audit clerk. Andthe rest, as they say, is history.’

Just over a decade later, Sarah is

now a senior internal auditor atShell, a global group of energyand petrochemicals companieswith around 101,000 employees inmore than 90 countries. ‘Internalaudit is more common sense thanrocket science,’ explains Sarah.‘Essentially, what I do is nd outwhat management wants to achieve,identify what can get in the way,and assess whether or not thereare controls in place to allow themto manage, monitor and evaluatetheir progress towards their goals.’

Sarah started her ACCA studies in1998. Back then she was employedfull-time, simultaneously ran abusiness par t-time, and had sixhorses to look after. During herstudies she attained a couple ofpromotions and also changedemployer, moving from the publicto private sec tor. ‘I won’t lie, it wastough’ admits Sarah. ‘It wasn’tpossible for me to attend regulartuition or intensive study sessions.

So I simply bought the approvedtextbooks and studied as best I couldduring evenings and weekends.

‘ACCA isn’t an easy option. It willtake hours of study, experienceand hard work. But the dedicationwill pay dividends as employersrecognise the value qualiedaccountants bring to business. It’sa profession with great exibility,which truly can be tted in around“life” in terms of work/life balance.’

Sarah attempted four exams eachexam session every six months. Buttowards the end of her studies shefocused on one paper at a time.‘There were some papers I foundeasy and passed rst time and therewere some that I struggled with,’admits Sarah. ‘There was always adilemma between studying fewerpapers and attempting to get a goodpass rst time, or studying as manyas I could and then retaking any thatI failed. I decided that, for me, there

was more value in qualifying thanbeing a prize-winning student.’

Sarah completed her nal exams in2003. ‘Attaining ACCA after all thehard work nally gave my motherthe opportunity to “wear a hat”at my graduation. I remember therst time I wrote “ACCA” aftermy name. I’d been asked to writea reference for somebody and itwas a fantastic feeling to add theauthority of my designation.’



F A S T F A

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WHAT ’ S I NV

OL VE D ?

Name SARAH PUMFRETT

Job title SENIOR INTERNAL AUDITOR

Employer SHELL

Studies Joined ACCA in 1998,completed her nal exams inFebruary 2003 and achievedmembership a month later

Career at 12 years’ experience workinga glance across Africa, Asia, the

Middle East, Europe andthe Americas, includingassignments in PortHarcourt, Nigeria; Tehran,Iran; Damascus, Syria;and Anchorage, the US

Hobbies Caring for fourhorses and two dogs,gardening, reading andlistening to music

SARAH’S WORK FALLS INTOTHREE BROAD PHASES

PreparationFinding out about the business.

FieldworkInterviewing, reviewing evidenceof risk management controls,documenting results.

WrapConcluding on the effectiveness ofrisk management controls, performingroot cause analysis on controlgaps and failures, agreeing actionsto address the deciencies withmanagement, and issuing the report. Her work covers ‘upstream’ – get ting theoil/gas out of the ground and throughto a point for processing, ‘midstream’– initial processing (such as liquefyingnatural gas), ‘downstream’ – turning thecondensate into chemicals, lubricantsand by-products at the reneries, throughto sales on the garage forecourt.

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IS THIS SUITABLE FOR ME?If you decide to complete the ACCAQualication, you will be awardedthe Diploma in Accounting andBusiness on your way to completingthe ACCA Qualication.

DO I NEED ANYQUALIFICATIONS TO START?It depends. There are two waysyou can achieve this qualication.If you don’t have any previousacademic qualications you cancomplete the Diploma, but you willneed to register as a student on theFoundations in Accountancy register.

For more information on Foundationsin Accountancy, visit our website orcontact us using the contact detailson the back page of this brochure.

If you have a minimum of threeGCSEs and two A levels in veseparate subjects, including mathsand English, you can register

for the ACCA Qualication andcomplete the Diploma on the way toachieving the ACCA Qualication.

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT?It is broadly equivalent to the rstyear of a degree programme/HND.

WHAT KIND OF WORK COULD IDO WITH THIS QUALIFICATION?

You could work in thefollowing type of roles: – basic bookkeeping – trainee accountant in a commercial

organisation or accounting practice – accounts clerk in public sector.

WHAT’S INVOLVED?If you have qualications to meet theminimum entry requirements to startyour ACCA Qualication, you canachieve the Diploma on the way togaining your ACCA Qualication. Youwill need to register as a student forthe ACCA Qualication and complete:

– the rst three exams of theACCA Qualication. These are:F1, Accountant in Business, F2,Management Accounting andF3, Financial Accounting.

– a professionalism and ethicsmodule called Foundationsin Professionalism.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKETO COMPLETE?It’s up to you, but please note thereis a 10-year time limit to completethe exams when gaining the ACCAQualication. You can sit the examsin June and December at one of our380 exam centres around the world.

You can complete Foundationsin Professionalism before or afterthe exams. So you could completethis Diploma in 6–12 months.


Yes. Please visit our website to checkwhat exemptions you may claim basedon your previous qualications.

CAN I GO ON TO DO OTHER ACCA QUALIFICATIONS?We hope you will continue to studyfor your ACCA Qualication andprogress to becoming a qualiedchartered certied accountant.

You can continue with the ACCAQualication from F4 onwards.


Diploma in Accounting and Business

PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICSTo achieve the Diploma inAccounting and Businessyou also need to completean introductory levelprofessionalism and ethicsmodule called Foundationsin Professionalism. Thisinteractive and online moduleis designed to help youdevelop your understandingof what it means to actprofessionally and ethically.There is no set time allocatedto completing Foundations inProfessionalism. We encourageyou to complete the module atyour own pace to allow you toreect on what you have learnt.



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PROFESSIONAL ETHICSTo achieve the AdvancedDiploma in Accounting andBusiness you will also needto complete the ProfessionalEthics module. This interactiveand online module is designedto help you develop yourunderstanding of what itmeans to act professionallyand ethically. It is part of therequirements anyway for ACCAmembership so you only needto complete it once. Thereis no set time allocated tocompleting the ProfessionalEthics module, which you willbe given access to completewhen you become eligible tosit Paper P1, Governance, Riskand Ethics. We encourage youto complete the module atyour own pace to allow you toreect on what you have learnt.

Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business

IS THIS SUITABLE FOR ME?If you decide to complete the ACCAQualication, you will be awardedthe Advanced Diploma in Accountingand Business on your way tocompleting the ACCA Qualication.


You need the minimum entryqualications to start the ACCAQualication, which is three GCSEsand two A levels in ve separatesubjects, including maths andEnglish. Or you could completeACCA’s Diploma in Accounting andBusiness rst – via the Foundationsin Accountancy route – and thengo on to complete the AdvancedDiploma. If you choose this route youcan miss out exams F1, F2 and F3.

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT?It is broadly equivalent to anundergraduate degree programme.

WHAT KIND OF WORK COULD IDO WITH THIS QUALIFICATION?

You could work in thefollowing type of roles: – a wide ranging and responsible

accounting role in a small tomedium size organisation

– a nancial reporting and/ornancial decision-support role,possibly in a supervisory role,within an accounting departmentof a larger organisation

– a nancial supervisory ormanagement role in accountspayables and/or receivables,or a nancial role in xed assetaccounting or in nancialshared service centres

– an accounting technician rolein a commercial organisation.

WHAT’S INVOLVED? You will need to register forthe ACCA Qualication.

When you have completed theFundamentals level exams (F1-F9)and also the Professional Ethicsmodule, you will be awarded theAdvanced Diploma in Accountingand Business. You can progress tothe Professional level to continueyour ACCA Qualication.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKETO COMPLETE?It’s up to you, but please note thereis a 10-year time limit to completethe exams when gaining the ACCAQualication. You can sit the exams inJune and December at one of our 380exam centres around the world. Youcan complete the Professional Ethicsmodule before or after you completePaper P1, Governance, Risk and Ethicsto be awarded the Advanced Diploma.


Yes. Please visit our website tocheck what exemptions you mayclaim based on your previousqualications. However, pleasenote you will have to complete atleast two of the Fundamentals levelexams and the ethics module to beawarded the Advanced Diplomain Accounting and Business.

CAN I GO ON TO DO OTHER ACCA QUALIFICATIONS? Yes. We hope you will continuewith your Professional level examsto gain the ACCA Qualication.




BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Accounting

IN TERMS OF THEUSUAL TIME ANDCOSTS INVOLVEDIN UNDERTAKING ADEGREE IT’S GREATVALUE FOR MONEYAND A CLEVER WAYOF GETTING YOURACCA STUDIESRECOGNISED BY AUK UNIVERSITY.

IS THIS SUITABLE FOR ME? You can achieve a BSc (Hons) degreein Applied Accounting, awardedby Oxford Brookes University,while you work towards your ACCAQualication. Perfect for those ofyou who haven’t got a degree. Andeven if you are a graduate, you getthe opportunity to achieve a degreeawarded by a UK university withan excellent reputation. OxfordBrookes University has been voted

the best modern university in theSunday Times Good UniversityGuide for 10 years in succession.


You can complete this qualicationas you work towards achievingACCA membership so you needthe minimum entry qualicationsto start the ACCA Qualication,which is three GCSEs and two Alevels in ve separate subjects,including maths and English. Or youcould complete ACCA’s Diploma inAccounting and Business rst – viathe Foundations in Accountancyroute. If you choose this route youcan miss out exams F1, F2 and F3.

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT?Although this degree programmeis exclusively available to ACCAstudents, it is awarded byOxford Brookes University andis the same level as any other UKundergraduate degree programme.

WHY WOULD I WANT ADEGREE IF I’M WORKINGTOWARDS A PROFESSIONAL

ACCOUNTANCY QUALIFICATION?ISN’T A PROFESSIONALQUALIFICATION A HIGHERLEVEL OF QUALIFICATION?

Yes it is and even if you have arelevant accounting degree you wouldstill need to complete a professionalaccountancy qualication to becomea qualied accountant. But if you want

to add valuable qualications to yourCV and boost your job prospectsyou should consider completingthis degree. A degree gives youcredibility in the workplace. Youalso develop new skills which arehighly valued by employers and canlead to improved job prospects.The combination of a degree anda professional qualication makesyou very employable. And thegood thing about this degree isthat you gain it at the same timeas you are studying for your ACCAQualication. So you get twoqualications without doubling yourworkload (or the cost of studying).

WHAT’S INVOLVED? You don’t actually have to goto Oxford Brookes and studyfor three years to complete thisdegree. What you have to do is:– register for the ACCA Qualication – complete the Fundamentals

level exams (F1-F9) – complete the Professional

Ethics module – submit a Research and

Analysis project.

As two of these three steps arerequired anyway to completethe ACCA Qualication, theonly extra work you have to dois complete a business-relatedResearch and Analysis project.

CAN I GO ON TO DO OTHER ACCA QUALIFICATIONS?We hope you will continue to studywith ACCA and progress yourcareer to the next level. If you havecompleted the degree you will also

be awarded the Advanced Diplomain Accounting and Business (havingcompleted the Professional Ethicsmodule and exams F1-F9) and canprogress with the Professional levelexams of the ACCA Qualication.



F A S T F A

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Name AFFAN ALIJob title AUDIT ASSISTANT

Employer ROHAN MAH ANDPARTNERS, SINGAPORE

Studies Joined ACCA in 2005and completed his nalexams and gained his BScin Applied Accountingin December 2008

Career at 14 months’ experiencea glance working at PwC in Lahore,

Pakistan, and has workedat a rm in Singapore for

the past nine monthsHobbies Watching and playing

cricket and football

Degree ofcondenceAffan Ali, originally from Pakistan andnow living in Singapore, completedthe CAT exams, ACCA exams andgained a degree from the UK’s leadingmodern university, all within ve years.‘What’s best is that I didn’t have torepeat any studies,’ says Affan. ‘Iused the CAT Qualication as a fast-track on to the ACCA Qualication,and the ACCA exams I passedcontributed towards achieving theBSc degree. It meant I only neededto complete a Research and AnalysisProject and the Professional Ethicsmodule to gain a BSc (Hons) degreein Applied Accounting awardedby Oxford Brookes University.’

‘Attaining the degree showsemployers that you have the keygraduate skills of self-reection andcommunication,’ explains Affan.‘To complete the project I chose tofocus on the accounting and businessissues within an organisation andexplained why a company’s nancial

performance had changed. You needto look into its business environmentand identify those actions taken bythe company, its competitors andgovernment which led to changes inthe overall business performance.’

Affan chose Shell and was awardeda prize for the best project outof the 2,500 ACCA students whosubmitted their projects at the samesession. Judges said his analysis wascoherent, accurate, informative logicaland intelligent. ‘It’s my proudestachievement to date,’ says Affan.

It took Affan about two months tocomplete his Research and AnalysisProject. ‘In terms of the usual timeand costs involved in undertaking adegree it’s great value for money anda clever way of getting your ACCAstudies recognised by a UK university.But more than that, I wouldn’t haveotherwise had the opportunity to beawarded a degree. And the beautyis that students can gain a degree

from Oxford Brookes Universityfrom anywhere in the world.’

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READY TO APPLY?

So you’ve now decided on a career in accountancyand to complete the ACCA Qualication.

The next thing you need to do is apply to be a student.

You can register at any time of the year. The easiest and quickest way toapply is online. There are lots of extra benets if you do. You can: – upload all your supporting documentation, saving time and postage costs – apply online for any of ACCA’s range of qualications – plan ahead and enter for your exams at the same time, saving you time and

money (there are discounts available for early exam entry – please note thisservice will be available later in the year)

– claim provisional exemptions so you know at which level you can startyour studies, immediately after completing your application

– track your application – start studying! Your application will only take a short time to process

and we will conrm at which level you can progress your studies.

Apply online at www.accaglobal.com/applynow

If you can’t apply online, you will need to submit a paper application form. You can obtain a paper application form by contacting your nearest ACCAofce or contact ACCA Connect – our global customer contact centre. You’llnd the details on our website and on the back cover of this brochure.

Please note, if you submit a paper application form you will need to allowplenty of time for your application to be processed so you can, if you wish,sit exams at the next available exam session. We start issuing exam entryforms from mid February and August for exams in June and December.And don’t forget to allow extra time for postal delivery services fromyour home country to the UK. Please visit the ACCA website, contactACCA Connect or your local ACCA ofce for further information.

You see, it is quicker and easier to register online!

OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH NATIONAL ACCOUNTANCY BODIES

In certain countries, ACCA works in partnership with the national accountancybody to allow you to gain membership to both ACCA and the national body at thesame time. We refer to these partnerships as Joint Examination Schemes. It meansyou only need to sit one set of exams to meet the exam requirement for the ACCAQualication and the national body qualication. You will need to register withACCA and the national accountancy body if you live in a country where we havea Joint Examination Scheme. Please visit our website for further information.



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ARE YOU READY TO STUDY?Completing our self-check modulesin maths and English can helpyou decide if you are ready tostart your studies with ACCA.

The self-check modules are optionalto complete, free of charge, andcould save you time and money asthey provide instant feedback onyour levels of ability in maths andEnglish – the language in whichACCA’s exams are assessed.

Not only could the modules boostyour condence, but they may alsogive you the reassurance you needto begin studying with ACCA.

Also available are e-learningmodules to improve your maths,as well as information on learningmaterials offered by other providersto enhance your English languageskills. Visit our website to completethe self-check modules and

access the learning resources.

GETTING STARTEDAfter you have registered with usas a student, you will need to thinkabout how you want to study forthe qualication you have chosen.There are lots of different ways tostudy so you need to decide whatstudy method is right for you.

You can choose to study at a tuitionprovider, by distance learning oreven self study. And you can choosefull-time or part-time, depending onhow much time you have available.

If you decide face-to-face learningis for you, ACCA has a network ofover 440 tuition providers aroundthe world. Some of them are part ofACCA’s Approved Learning Partnerprogramme, which means they arechecked by ACCA and offer high-quality tuition and support. You cannd your nearest Approved LearningPartner on the ACCA website.

THE RIGHT MATERIALSHowever you decide to study, youshould make sure you use the mostup to date study materials availableand preferably from one of ACCA’sApproved Learning Partners - content(or ALP-c for short). BPP LearningMedia is ACCA’s only PlatinumApproved Learning Partner - content.

You can nd BBP’s contact details onthe back of this brochure. As BBP isACCA’s Platinum Approved LearningPartner - content, its materials aresubject to quality assurance by ACCA,including exclusive examiner reviewsof study texts and exam question kits.

ACCA also has a number of qualityassured Gold Approved LearningPartners - content. The Gold ALP-cproviders, as of 1 January 2011, arelisted on the back of this brochure.Please visit our website to nd themost up-to-date details of ACCA’sApproved Learning Partners -content. You will also nd details of

non-approved learning materialsand suggested wider reading whichmay help support your studies.

PROVE YOUR ABILITY To complete the ACCA Qualication,you also need to gain relevanttraining. It’s up to you to decide if youwant to work and study at the sametime or complete your exams rstand then focus on getting the right

job to get the experience required.

We have a global network of over8,500 Approved Employers whowe work closely with to make surethey provide you with the righttype of training and development.But you can gain your trainingwith any employer. They don’thave to be approved by ACCA.

It is your responsibility to nd anemployer to work for but we willgive you lots of guidance andsupport to help you make the rightchoice. Through our website we will

provide you with resources to helpyou record your relevant training.



ANY QUESTIONS?

Contact ACCA Connect – our global customer services centre – byemail or telephone or visit our website for further information.

[email protected]+44 (0)141 582 2000www.accaglobal.comPLATINUM APPROVED LEARNING PARTNER - CONTENT

BPP Learning Media is ACCA’s Platinum Approved Learning Partner - content

[email protected]+44 (0)845 075 1100www.bpp.com/learning-materials.aspx

GOLD APPROVED LEARNING PARTNERS – CONTENT

Get Through [email protected]+44 (0)845 257 5729www.getthroughguides.co.uk

[email protected]+44 (0)1189 890629

www.kaplan-publishing.kaplan.co.uk

Documents

The ACCA Qualification Brochure