FLEXIBLE EXAMS - AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

Phase 1 countries

In September 2015 ACCA will be offering an additional exam session in some of our key markets which will be followed in 2016 by the introduction of four exam sessions a year across all of our markets, allowing all students to take their exams in March, June, September and December. These four sessions will be available to all students – not just those resitting – giving you, our students and their employers, much greater flexibility in how ACCA examinations are studied for and taken. This is in direct response to employer and student feedback asking for more flexibility in our exam schedule.

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Important dates for your diaries

When we asked education providers at Access ACCA, our virtual conference for education providers earlier this year, what they would most likely use the additional sessions for responses varied. Some said they would use the additional flexibility to align with employer schedules or plan new revision courses, while others said they would set up new courses enabling students to focus on individual papers at a time. What is clear is that education providers will use the new sessions to maximise their business models, a welcome move for both ACCA and the education community. The September 2015 session is therefore an ideal opportunity for education providers in these Phase 1 markets to test some of their ideas for potential usage of the additional sessions.

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Exam timetables for September and December 2015

A further benefit is that all ACCA exams will be offered in one week (a reduction from the current eight days), to allow for the earlier issuing of results. As we move into 2016 and the four exam sessions, results will be issued five weeks after the end of the exams which is a reduction on our current timescale.

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The feedback we are receiving from education providers around the world is extremely positive. While we would encourage students to make the most of these new exam sessions, we are reminding them that the exams will continue to be as rigorous as ever and will still require the same amount of planning and preparation. The maximum number of different exams a student can take over a year remains at four in one session or eight across the year (excluding resits), so this is not a way for students to rush through the qualification. Instead, we would encourage students to use the new sessions to maximise their chances of success in their exams and for you to consider how to use the new sessions in your business, to best meet the needs of your stakeholders and your business.