Wednesday 17 August 2016

What is the biggest problem examiners have identified in the ACCA P4 exam?

Being told to revise the entire syllabus may seem an obvious piece of advice from the examiner, but it is astonishing just how many students don’t do this!

Examiners were surprised at the number of candidates that also lack basic accounting knowledge. This suggests that many students did take the time to ensure they understood the basics before learning more complex areas of the syllabus.

This is what the examiners had to say about it:


“In this paper, successful candidates demonstrated this clearly, while candidates, who did not achieve a pass, did not demonstrate sufficient understanding and knowledge of the syllabus areas examined.” - ACCA P4 Examiner’s Report – March 2016

“Candidates struggled to explain how this purchasing power parity relationship may affect a company’s cash flows, a topic area which was introduced in the F9 paper.” - ACCA P4 Examiner’s Report – March 2016

“Lack of detailed knowledge of parts of the syllabus areas, focussing either on the numerical parts or the discursive parts instead of a balanced approach.” - ACCA P4 Examiner’s Report – September 2015

“Last minute intensive study, attempting to spot questions or topics and relying on hints is a strategy that is unlikely to yield success. The December 2014 paper required candidates to have a thorough knowledge of a range of syllabus areas, including those that had been tested in recent past examinations, such as swaps.” - ACCA P4 Examiner’s Report – December 2014

The key point to be taken from this feedback is that a 'strategy' of learning a limited number of core topics and expecting to pass is not going to work! The ACCA P4 exam builds upon some of the content from the ACCA F9 paper, so refresh your memory on those topics that have been brought forward before building your knowledge in the other key areas. Knowing the basics will benefit you in the long run. Don't try to cut corners here or you will just end up with problems! 

Learn the entire ACCA P4 syllabus using our free Online Study Text. Find out more details about the Astranti Study Texts by going to - ACCA P4 Study Texts

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