ACCA Syllabus
The ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) syllabus has three stages, all of which are covered in-depth by LSBF's expert tutors.
Here is a breakdown of the stages and the ACCA exam list, with more information on each stage and exam available below.
1- The Applied Knowledge stage contains three exams: Business and Technology (BT), Management Accounting (MA) and, Financial Accounting (FA).
2- The Applied Skills stage contains six exams: Corporate and Business Law (LW), Performance Management (PM), Taxation (TX), Financial Reporting (FR), Audit and Assurance (AA) and, Financial Management (FM).
3- The Strategic Professional stage contains six exams divided into two Essentials exams (Strategic Business Leader, or SBL, and Strategic Business Reporting, or SBR), and four Options exams, of which students must complete two: Advanced Financial Management (AFM), Advanced Performance Management (APM), Advanced Taxation (ATX) and Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA).
In addition to the three stages above, students must also complete the ACCA Ethics and Professional Skills stage. Depending on your current qualifications, you may be exempt from some of the 13 ACCA exams.
Changes are coming to the ACCA Syllabus in 2027. Find out more here.
The ACCA course syllabus consists of 13 exams divided into three levels:
- Applied Knowledge - 3 exams
- Applied Skills – 6 exams
- Strategic Professional – 2 Essentials exams and 2 Options exams out of 4
ACCA Levels Explained
Applied Knowledge
This stage, which includes BT, MA and FA exams, is the starting point for achieving your ACCA certification. Once you've passed all three exams, you can continue to the next stage of the ACCA qualification: Applied Skills.
Applied Skills
The Applied Skills stage examines the core technical ACCA subjects including law, taxation, auditing and financial management, financial reporting and performance management. You will develop knowledge and skills in these subject areas, reaching a level of knowledge equivalent to a bachelor's degree.
Strategic Professional (Essentials)
This part of the Strategic Professional stage is called Essentials, as it will provide you with the specialised skills and techniques required to become an expert accountant, either in a consultancy or high-level advisory role. Both Essentials exams must be completed.
Strategic Professional (Options)
In the second part of the Strategic Professional stage, students must choose and complete two of the four Options exams.
ACCA Syllabus Changes 2027
Changes are coming to the ACCA syllabus. Whether you're an existing ACCA student or thinking about starting your ACCA qualification, LSBF UK is here to help.
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Information about technical requirements
Our platform does not require any additional software. However, it is advisable that students have Microsoft Office installed on their computers as tutors may provide additional downloadable notes in Doc, Xlsx, PPT, and PDF formats.
Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari (Macintosh only) are all supported by Canvas on desktop.
Canvas has been carefully crafted to accommodate low-bandwidth environments. A minimum internet speed of 512kbps is recommended.
Information about when access to materials opens and closes
Access to all learning materials and live sessions opens in the month of intake and closes three months later. For example, if teaching starts in mid-June, access will stop in mid-September after the exams finish. Students taking Computer Based Assessments (CBE) have access for 6 months.
Learning materials consist of the following:
- Live tuition and revision sessions
- Recorded live tuition and revision sessions
- E-learning materials and resources
- Other relevant materials tutors may provide
Teaching Timetable
All courses are taught in the evening (BST), Monday through Friday. Classes typically start at 5:30 or 6:30 p.m. and run for 2-3 hours depending on the paper.
During workshops, students can speak to their tutors directly with any concerns.
Where there is a need, face-to-face revision may be offered on two weekends in London (excludes on-demand papers). If you cannot attend, you can either join the session live online or watch the recording.
Learning Expectations
We advise that you allocate nine hours of self-study per week in addition to your live classes. For the Strategic Professional exam, we advise 12 hours of self-study. Your tutors will discuss self study with you.
You will be asked to complete exam question practice (homework) throughout the session, which will be marked with feedback provided. You will also be asked to complete a time-limited exam that will also be marked with feedback.
We expect you to attend all live sessions, but if that is not possible (e.g., time zone constraints), we ask that you study using the recorded sessions provided. If you do not attend any sessions, live or recorded, then you may be removed from the course and may be deferred to the next session.
Information about Practical Experience Requirement (PER)
Studying for your ACCA exams requires you to pass them and gain practical experience that is essential to becoming a fully qualified accountant.
You must take the Ethical and Professional Skills module and gain professional experience by spending 36 months in an accounting or finance-related role.
Exam success, practical experience, and knowledge of ethics will enable you to become a successful accountant.
More detailed information can be found here (accaglobal.com)
All exam regulations and exam guidelines are set by ACCA. Students are also required to adhere to the ACCA Rulebook at all times.
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