Tuesday 3 May 2016

Must know tips from the examiners

What better advice can you receive than from the examiners themselves? After all not only do they write the ACCA exam, they also mark it!

I recently attended a conference in London where examiners fed back on the performance of accountancy students. It's a great shame that you were not all in the audience with me as they gave some great advice on how students can perform better in the exams. Despite the fact you weren't there, the good news is that the ACCA Examiners' Reports are issued after every sitting. They contain nuggets of information that are essential reading for students.

It was interesting in the conference that the examiners were disappointed that many students did not take the time to read their ACCA reports - as the same problems were coming up time and time again!

Here are the key points from ACCA F4 and F5 exams. ACCA F6, F7, F8 and F9 will follow over the next few days. 


F4 Exam Tips


Feedback from previous exams:
  • Evidence of question spotting
  • Evidences of students skim reading the question 
  • Some incomplete scripts suggesting that students ran out of time
  • Lack of knowledge in some areas of the syllabus
Tips:
  • Revise all aspects of the syllabus - there is nothing to be gained by question spotting
  • Carefully read the question - some questions are structured in a way which requires close reading
  • Spend sufficient time thinking about the answer - do not dive in!

F5 Exam Tips


Feedback from previous exams:
  • Some students relied on question spotting
  • Lack of knowledge in some areas with students only focussing on a few areas in their revision
  • Failure to answer all requirements of the question
  • Students jumped into answer the question without a plan
Tips:
  • Work through the ACCA online study resources (e.g. past exam papers and examiner's reports)
  • Develop time management skills
  • Identify any gaps in your knowledge early on in your revision - go into the exam having sufficient knowledge of all areas of the syllabus
  • Read the question carefully - answer all requirements
  • Finish your answer with a conclusion (particularly important for questions that discusses both sides of the argument)

For full analysis of the most recent ACCA Examiner's Report go to the following links: F4 Examiner's Report    F5 Examiner's Report
Remember, keep an eye out for ACCA F6 and ACCA F7 tips in the next blog post.

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