Financial Accounting (FA)/FFA
September 2018 to August 2019
Guide to structure of the syllabus and Study guide This syllabus and study guide are designed to help with teaching and learning and is intended to provide detailed information on what could be assessed in any examination session.
Overall aim of the syllabus
This explains briefly the overall objective of the syllabus and indicates in the broadest sense the
capabilities to be developed within
the examination.
Relational diagram linking
Financial Accounting (FA)/FFA with other ACCA exams
This diagram shows direct and
indirect links between this examination and other examinations
which preceding or following it.
Some examinations are directly underpinned by others. It indicates where you
are expected to have underpinning knowledge and where it would be useful to
review previous learning before undertaking study.
Main capabilities
The aim of the syllabus is broken
down into several main capabilities which divide the syllabus and study guide
into discrete sections.
Relational diagram of main
capabilities
This diagram illustrates the flows and links between the main capabilities (sections) of the syllabus and should be used as an aid to planning teaching and learning in a structured way.
Syllabus rationale
This is a narrative explaining how the syllabus is structured and how the main capabilities or sections of the syllabus are linked. The rationale also explains in further detail what the examination intends to assess and how.
Detailed syllabus
This shows the breakdown of the main capabilities (sections) of the syllabus into subject areas. This is the blueprint for the detailed study guide.
Approach to examining the
syllabus
This section briefly explains the structure of the examination and how it is assessed.
Study Guide
This is the main document that students and education and content providers should use as the
basis of their studies, instruction
and materials. Examinations will be based on the detail of the
study guide which comprehensively
identifies what could be assessed within any examination.
The study guide is a precise
reflection and breakdown of the syllabus. It is divided into sections
based on the main capabilities
identified in the syllabus. These sections are divided into subject
areas which relate to the
sub-capabilities included in the detailed syllabus. Subject areas are broken down
into sub-headings which describe the detailed outcomes that could be assessed
in examinations. These outcomes indicate what exams may require students to
demonstrate, and the broad intellectual level at which these may need to be
demonstrated (*see intellectual levels below).
Intellectual levels
The syllabus is designed to progressively broaden and deepen the knowledge, skills and professional values demonstrated by the student on their way through the qualification.
The specific capabilities within
the detailed syllabuses and study guides are assessed at one of
three intellectual or cognitive
levels:
Level 1: Knowledge and
comprehension
Level 2: Application and analysis
Level 3: Synthesis and evaluation
Very broadly, these intellectual
levels relate to the three cognitive levels at which the Applied
Knowledge, the Applied Skills and
the Strategic Professional exams are assessed.
Each subject area in the detailed
study guide included in this document is given a 1, 2, or 3
superscript, denoting intellectual
level, marked at the end of each relevant line. This gives an
indication of the intellectual
depth at which an area could be assessed within the examination. However, while
level 1 broadly equates with Applied Knowledge , level 2 equates to Applied
Skills and level 3 to Strategic Professional, some lower level skills can
continue to be assessed as the student progresses through each level. This
reflects that at each stage of study there will be a requirement to broaden, as
well as deepen capabilities. It is also possible that occasionally some higher
level capabilities may be assessed at lower levels.
Learning hours and education
recognition
The ACCA qualification does not
prescribe or recommend any particular number of learning hours for examinations
because study and learning patterns and styles vary greatly between people and organisations.
This also recognises the wide diversity of personal, professional and
educational circumstances in which ACCA students find themselves.
As a member of the International
Federation of Accountants, ACCA seeks to enhance the education recognition of
its qualification on both national and international education frameworks, and
with educational authorities and partners globally. In doing so, ACCA aims to
ensure that its qualifications are recognized and valued by governments,
regulatory authorities and employers across all sectors. To this end, ACCA
qualifications are currently recognized on the education frameworks in several
countries. Please refer to your national education framework regulator for
further information about recognition.
Each syllabus contains between 20
and 35 main subject area headings depending on the nature of the subject and
how these areas have been broken down.
Guide to ACCA examination
structure
The structure of examinations
varies within and between levels.
The Applied Knowledge examinations
contain 100% compulsory questions to encourage candidates to study across the
breadth of each syllabus. These are assessed by a two-hour computer based examination.
The Corporate and Business Law exam
is a two-hour computer-based objective test examination for English and Global,
and available as a paper based version for all variants.
The other Applied Skills
examinations (PM, TX-UK, FR, AA, and FM) contain a mix of
objective and longer type questions
with a duration of three hours for 100 marks; these
questions directly contribute
towards the candidate result. These exams are available in computer-based and
paper-based formats. Prior to the start of each exam there will be time
allocated for students to be informed of the exam instructions.
Computer-based exams
For the Applied Skills (PM, TX-UK,
FR, AA and FM) computer-based exams candidates will be delivered an extra 10
marks of objective test content (either five single OT questions or five OT
questions based around a single scenario), for which candidates are given an
extra 20 minutes. These questions are included to ensure fairness, reliability
and security of exams. These questions do not directly contribute towards the
candidate’s score. Candidates will not be able to differentiate between the
questions that contribute to the result and those that do not. All questions
have been subject to ACCA’s regulatory approved quality assurance process.
The total exam time is therefore 3
hours and 20 minutes. Prior to the start of the exam candidates are given an
extra 10 minutes to read the exam instructions.
Paper-based exams
For paper-based exams 15 minutes
are added to the three hours to reflect the manual effort required as compared
to computer-based exams. All paperbased and computer-based questions have been subject
to the same quality assurance process. There will be time awarded by the
invigilator to read the exam instructions.
Strategic Business Leader is ACCA’s
case study examination at the Strategic Professional level and is examined as a
closed book exam of four hours, including reading, planning and reflection time
which can be used flexibly within the examination.
There is no pre-seen information
and all exam related material, including case information and
exhibits are available within the
examination. Strategic Business Leader is an exam based on one
main business scenario which
involves candidates completing several tasks within which additional material
may be introduced. All questions are compulsory and each examination will
contain a total of 80 technical marks and 20 Professional Skills marks. The
detail of the structure of this exam is described in the Strategic Business
Leader syllabus and study guide document.
The other Strategic Professional
exams are all of three hours and 15 minutes duration. All contain two Sections
and all questions are compulsory. These exams all contain four professional
marks. The detail of the structure of each of these exams is described in the
individual syllabus and study guide documents.
ACCA encourages students to take
time to read questions carefully and to plan answers but once
the exam time has started, there
are no additional restrictions as to when candidates may start writing in their
answer books.
Time should be taken to ensure that
all the information and exam requirements are properly read and understood.
The pass mark for all ACCA
Qualification examinations is 50%.
Guide to examination assessment
ACCA reserves the right to examine
anything contained within any study guide within any
examination session. This includes
knowledge, techniques, principles, theories, and concepts as
specified.
For the financial accounting, audit
and assurance law and tax exams, except where indicated
otherwise, ACCA will publish
examinable documents once a year to indicate exactly what regulations and
legislation could potentially be assessed within identified examination
sessions.
For examinations regulation issued
or legislation passed on or before 31 August annually, will be
examinable from 1 September of the
following year to 31 August of the year after that. Please refer to the
examinable documents for the exam (where relevant) for further information.
Regulation issued or legislation
passed in accordance with the above dates may be
examinable even if the effective
date is in the future.
The term issued or passed relates
to when regulation or legislation has been formally approved.
The term effective relates to when
regulation or legislation must be applied to entity transactions
and business practices.
The study guide offers more
detailed guidance on the depth and level at which the examinable
documents will be examined. The
study guide should therefore be read in conjunction with the
examinable documents list.
QUALIFICATION STRUCTURE
The qualification structure
requires candidates who wish to be awarded the Diploma in Accounting and
Business to pass the Accountant in Business (AB)FAB, Management Accounting
(MA)FMA and the Financial Accounting (FA)FFA examinations and successfully
complete the Foundations in Professionalism (FiP) module.
Syllabus structure
The Foundations Level suite of qualifications is designed so that a student can progress through three discrete levels; Introductory Certificate level, Intermediate Certificate level and the Diploma level.
Students are recommended to enter Foundations level at the level which is most appropriate to their needs and to take examinations in order, but this is not a mandatory requirement
Financial Accounting (FA)/FFA September 2018 to August 2019
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