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Results redesign
Your results and exam entry forms are changing
16 Aug 2007
Judith Bennett, head of exams at ACCA, provides guidance on how students’ results and exam entry forms are changing from August 2007:
The new ACCA Qualification has brought with it the opportunity to review the information that is provided to students following each exam session. Details regarding your progress to membership have been added, and you will now receive a separate Examination Results and Status Report in addition to your Examination Entry Form for the next session.
EXAMINATION ENTRY FORM
Section A – Examination options
A new section has been added to the Examination Entry Form to provide assistance in ensuring that the papers you wish to enter comply with the progression rules for the qualification you are attempting. Failure to enter for a valid combination of papers may delay or jeopardise acceptance of your entry.
Section B – Examination entry
If you are eligible to sit Papers F1 to F3 of the new ACCA Qualification, the computer-based examinations (CBEs) section will appear on your Examination Entry Form. This replaces the current extended deadline process as you can indicate here if you intend to take CBEs at a Licensed Centre during the current exam cycle, and enter for the balance of your four papers in the paper-based section below. For example, if you plan to take Papers F2 and F3 by CBE before 31 January 2008 at a Licensed Centre, you do not have to enter for these at the paper-based session in December 2007 and can choose to enter Paper F1 and any paper from F4 to F9 – which would usually contradict the progression rules.
The paper-based exams are displayed in timetable order. You can only select one paper on each day. Papers that you are eligible to attempt will have a box alongside them and you should place a cross in the appropriate box to show the papers you wish to attempt.
ACCA Qualification students should use this section to select the standards under which they wish to be examined if entering to sit Papers F3, F7, F8, P1 (SGP), P2, P4 (SGP) and/or P7. You can choose between international standards (INT) or – depending on your tax variant – international standards adapted to national requirements in the UK, Singapore, Ireland, Hong Kong SAR, or Malaysia. Students should make their selection by crossing the box under the relevant heading for any papers they wish to attempt at the forthcoming session. You do not have to choose the same standards for accounting as for audit, and you can update selections at any future session if you do not pass the paper chosen.
Conversion points to note for ACCA Qualification students holding a pass in Paper 3.7 and one option paper
If you passed Paper 3.7, Strategic Financial Management and still have one option paper outstanding at conversion, you will receive a ‘provisional converted pass’ in Paper P1, Professional Accountant and a ‘provisional converted pass’ in Paper P4, Advanced Financial Management.
If you wish to receive credit for Paper P4 you should enter for Paper P1 at any session from December 2007. On gaining a pass for Paper P1, your ‘provisional converted pass’ for Paper P4 will be amended to a ‘converted pass’ and the status for Paper P1 will be updated to ‘pass’ in the examination status section of your Examination Results and Status Report.
If you wish to receive credit for Paper P1 you should enter for an outstanding Options paper at any session from December 2007. On gaining a pass for the Options paper, your ‘provisional converted pass’ for Paper P1 will be amended to ‘converted pass’ and the status for the Options paper will be updated to ‘pass’ in the examination status section of your Examination Results and Status Report.
If you hold a pass in Paper 3.7 you will not be eligible to attempt Options Paper P4. If you fail your chosen paper you will be able to select a different paper at any future session.
Special transition rule
If you were eligible to take an option paper in June 2007 (ie notified in your February 2007 Examination Entry Form) you will be allowed to take new Options papers with or before Essentials papers, subject to timetable clashes. You are required to attempt any outstanding papers in the Fundamentals level before, or with, papers in the Professional level.
Section C – Examination centre
If this is not your first exam session with ACCA, the centre where you sat your most recent exams will appear in this section. If you wish to sit at the same centre, no further information is required, and we will allocate you to this centre (subject to capacity). If this is your first exam session with ACCA, or if you wish to change your centre, you will be required to complete the details in the ‘update centre name’ and ‘update centre code’ boxes, using the Examination Centre List issued with your Examination Entry Form.
EXAMINATION RESULTS AND STATUS FORM
This new form provides you with a complete picture of your status with ACCA.
Sections A and B – Examination results and status
Your exam results and exam status following the most recent paper-based session are shown here. Your results will reflect exemptions and CBE passes awarded up to the end of the most recent exam cycle.
Section C – Professional Ethics module status
This section will confirm whether you have completed the Professional Ethics module. The Professional Ethics module is a mandatory element of the ACCA Qualification for students registering or re-registering from 1 January 2007. The module, which is interactive, can be accessed through myACCA.
If completion of the Professional Ethics module is not mandatory for you, but you are eligible and would like to undertake the module, simply log in to myACCA and follow the link to the Professional Ethics module.
If you have opted in to the ACCA/Oxford Brookes degree partnership and intend to submit your Research and Analysis Project after September 2008, you will be required to undertake the Professional Ethics module prior to embarking on the project, irrespective of your date of registration.
If you do not have regular access to the Internet, you can request a CD-rom or paper version of the Professional Ethics module. Please note that in these circumstances a handling fee will apply. Please contact ACCA Connect for more information.
Section D – Practical experience requirement status
This section shows the performance objectives you have achieved and recorded with ACCA as at the date of the status report. In order to be eligible to apply for ACCA membership, you will need to achieve all nine Essentials and at least four Options performance objectives. If you are using the online trainee development matrix (TDM), any additional performance objectives you have achieved since the date of the report will be reflected online.
If you are using the paper TDM, you will have the opportunity to update your performance objective status on your PER annual return. You can access the online annual return through myACCA. Alternatively, a paper return will be dispatched with your 2007 annual subscription demand. Please note that you will need to retain hard copies of your answers to related challenge questions and the sign-off by your workplace mentor as ACCA may require to view these for PER audit purposes.
This section also shows the time in months in a relevant accounting or finance role you have accumulated and recorded towards the 36-month requirement for ACCA membership. This information can also be updated on your PER annual return.
Transition to the new PER
If you registered with ACCA before 1 January 2007, you have until 31 December 2007 to transfer any Student Training Record (STR) elements of competence you achieved under the old PER to the new PER performance objectives. You can do this by using the online transition tool or by completing a paper transition form, available to download from myACCA or on request from ACCA Connect. Any STR elements of competence you have already transferred to performance objectives using the online tool will be shown as ‘Achieved’ on this status report. If you have transferred any STR elements using the paper transition form you can update the status to ‘Achieved’ on your PER annual return. Please remember to retain your signed-off STR and your completed paper transition form, if applicable, as ACCA may require these for PER audit purposes.
If you have achieved, and had signed-off by your supervisor, the required 16 STR elements of competence (or required 15 pre-2001 elements of competence) you will be able to ‘bank’ your completed STR on your PER annual return. This will save you from having to transfer individual STR elements of competence to performance objectives. You will need to retain your signed-off STR as ACCA may require this for PER audit purposes.
Section E – Oxford Brookes status
Your current status on the Oxford Brookes University degree is detailed in this section. If you wish to study towards the degree, and are eligible to do so, you must opt in prior to attempting Papers F7, F8, or F9.
Section F – Your progress to membership
This section summarises your progress towards ACCA membership – including how many exams you have completed, the number of performance objectives achieved, and the length of experience that you have gained in a relevant role. Your Professional Ethics module status is also detailed in this section.
From Student Accountant magazine.