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也许你过了ACCA F阶段考试感到自信满满，但事实是P阶段才是真正开启ACCA的挑战。许多学员在过渡到P阶段时，明显感觉到难度档次提升一级，再有ACCA考试中，对P阶段设了7年的成绩期限，让不少学生大受挫折。但欲速则不达，首先请记住浦江财经告诉你P1-P5科目中的这些注意点。
ACCA P1 Exam Tips
ACCA P1 Exam Tips March 2016 Session are given below by famous tuition providers
Kaplan
Each P1 paper offers 4-6 marks for displaying professional skills, which can easily be the difference between a pass and a fail.
The marks are available for both format and the tone and style of your answer, where you may have to prepare a speech or write a letter on behalf of the Board addressing specific concerns.
Take a look at the Article of 24 August 2009 for more guidance and some great hints on style.
P1 is a very wordy paper, and the examiner wants to ensure that you have a good grasp of the theories behind the questions, but also that you can successfully apply the theories to given scenarios.
Therefore, it is very easy to get lost within a question if your layout and approach to a question is poor.
A good approach is to apply 3 rules in your answer:
Introduction – this should be very short, but can help you get over any ‘writers block’.
It might include a read back of the question, or a definition of the subject matter (for example, if the question asks for the roles of NED’s, start by very quickly defining what an NED is)
Theory – this section will show the examiner that you actually understand the issue being questioned, again, as with the introduction, this should really be kept short, it can be a section quote from the code, or a reference to an author (Cadbury or Greenbury et al).
Application – This will be the main bulk of your answer and should relate directly to the scenario.
This is often the most difficult section of the answer, but should be made easier by the use of the introduction and theory sections.
In addition remember the golden rules of written questions:
Plenty of white space
Headings as required
Short punchy meaningful paragraphs
Following are some of the famous topics that were tested in past
Corporate governance critique and improvements.
Effective internal control systems, reporting within differing jurisdictions.
Influence of and intervention by institutional investors.
Diversification of Board
Function and importance of internal audit.
Risk definition, analysis of risk and the role of the Board of Directors.
Risk correlation and strategies for management of such risks.
Ethical standpoints and their application to business decisions.
Corporate codes of ethics critique and improvements.
Tucker’s ethical decision making model.
Social and environmental footprint.
Sustainability accounting.
Integrated Reporting
Conflict of interest and independence
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
ACCA P2 Exam Tips
ACCA P2 Exam Tips March 2016 Session are given below by famous tuition providers
Kaplan
Do not ignore ethics it appears in every section A question and could have up 10 marks.
Always apply your 5 standard workings when doing CSFP. This will help ensure easy marks are picked up and it is easier for the marker to follow what you have done.
Do not ignore the current issue question. Often it contains numerical aspects of an accounting standard you are familiar with as well as the current issue.
E.g. reviewing the use of FV and the new rules on financial assets in IFRS 9.
Practise as many questions as possible across the syllabus, and don’t only concentrate on consolidation.
Practice writing out pro-formas so you can do this quickly and efficiently on exam day.
Use the reading time effectively – decide which question you are not going to attempt from Section B and then read the Section A question.
If you need help with Accounting Standards, read Clare Finch’s guide to IFRS.
If you struggle with Groups, read Tom Clendon’s guide to Group accounts
Consolidation is hugely important but you can’t pass the exam on this alone – a significant number of marks in the consolidation tests your understanding of other accounting standards.
Don’t overrun your time on part A of question 1. There are often easier marks available in pasts B & C.
If you can’t do something ignore it and move on – time is very tight and there is no point staring at a blank piece of paper if you really don’t know what to do.
In addition to consolidation the examiner is particularly keen on:
Revenue Recognition
Financial Instruments
Pensions
Deferred Tax
Reconstruction of insolvent company
Foreign Currency
Impairment
The examiner writes articles that are published on accaglobal.com – search for “Graham Holt”.
An understanding of the Accounting framework is vital in being able to discuss any issues surrounding an accounting standard or proposed change to that standard.
Unlike F7, there are very few marks, if any, for simple figures in the Consolidation exercise. Marks are concentrated on the adjustments and detailed computations of key group issues, like Goodwill, NCI etc.
Make sure your workings are clear and fully explain any adjustments you make to comply with relevant IFRS.
Do not treat the Consolidation exercise as being all 50 marks of question 1. It will typically be 35 so allocate the correct time to it and the other elements in Q1.
In scenario style questions in section B, be sure to state the relevant accounting standard for any advice that you give, together with the relevant rules from the standard and then subsequently state the advice on correct treatment of facts in the scenario. Don’t be tempted to jump straight to a statement of the correct treatment as marks will not be maximised by doing this. Read articles and read around the subject.
Remember
Do not add up the accounts.
Start each question on a fresh page.
BE NEAT in the exam.
Time management (or lack of it!) is the most common reason for failure.
ACCA P3 Exam Tips
ACCA P3 Exam Tips March 2016 Session are given below by famous tuition providers
Kaplan
Embed your knowledge on the core models from Johnson and Scholes (the examiner based this paper on their work).
When answering questions, write answers like you are writing to your senior management. Make it as professional as possible. Marks are allocated to this in section A.
Do not start writing answers straightaway. Take a minute to think about the structure and presentation of the answers.
It is important with this level to remember that writing lots of knowledge and theory will not get you through the exam. The key is application to the material and expanding the relevance to the scenario.
We suggest watching the news / reading the papers, but with a critical eye. For instance when you see that a business has launched a new product or moved into a new market think about the theories you have learnt that may be relevant. In this case it could be:
Porter’s generic strategies
Ansoff
Bowman’s clock
Then apply those theories to the real life situation – understand why they have created this product/why they have gone into this market. With practice you will find it easier to apply the theories to the scenario.
And of course you can do this for other areas of the syllabus.
There is nothing worse for a marker than getting a script which is just a page of writing.
Try to think about making your script easier to read for the marker. Headings and Sub-headings along with a bit of space will help. Then use your paragraph to explain the point you are making.
If it is easy for the marker to see the points being made this can make the difference between pass and fail for a borderline script, include application, plus relevance within your statement, avoid listing.
If you use the word ‘and’ in your answer, are you making two separate points? If yes, maybe you need to split your paragraph into two headings / sub-headings.
There are 3 professional marks which will constitute professionalism, presentation and layout.
Know the theory and apply it.
Create mind maps of the key knowledge, then learn these.
Do practice questions under timed conditions and if possible, get them marked.
Make sure you’ve read all the current examiner articles, available on the ACCA website.
Get good business awareness – read a quality newspaper.
Use the reading time to select questions, and get frameworks for answer plans.
Do a section B question first.
Don’t focus on the numbers – do not spend more than 15 minutes on them per question.
Watch the clock – allocate your time efficiently – don’t overrun.
Layout your answers in a way that the marker can clearly read and understand.
Read the question carefully!
ACCA P4 Exam Tips
ACCA P4 Exam Tips March 2016 Session are given below by famous tuition providers
Kaplan
P4 is a technical paper with some complex calculations sometimes but DO NOT think of the exam as numbers-only.
There are plenty of discursive parts which are usually easier than the calculations and easy marks can be picked up by applying commercial awareness and common sense.
Analyse the individual requirements of the question.
If you can do the wordy bits first then do so as you will not get bogged down in them like you will with the calculation elements.
Do not expect to finish a question. You must stick to time, especially on the calculations which are very easy to over-run on.
The exam is extremely time pressured and the secret to passing is to have a go at every part of every question, not to try and get 100% on every question – to do that you would need about 7 hours!
If you are not sure what to do with a particular figure in a question, ignore it and move on – state assumptions, you haven’t got time to worry about it!
If you get a Black-Scholes question, always list out the input variables as your first stage and assign the relevant values to them – there will be about 2-3 marks usually for doing this.
Practice as many questions as possible but do as many as possible to time. You must get used to doing the questions in the time available and not spending too long on them.
Practice as many questions as possible across the syllabus, and don’t only concentrate on what you consider to be the core areas.
Choose carefully on section B of the paper – it is very limited choice but nonetheless it will be critical.
Do not put down unnecessary workings; because as it will cost you heavily in lost time.
If there is a calculation that you are unable to complete – for e.g. a WACC which prevents you from going on to do the NPV, then just make a reasonable assumption and estimate a WACC which you have been unable to calculate, this will then allow you to progress the calculation and get on to the often more generously rewarded discursive parts of the question.
Look out for examinable articles – two in particular for June 2011:
24 August – The new examiner Shishir Malde gives his approach for the P4 paper
23 September – Another article by the new examiner Shishir Malde on Risk Management January/February article
Two key topics are always NPV appraisal and capital structure, particularly CAPM and Betas. You will not pass if that is all you know but you will struggle to pass if you do not know them!
ACCA P5 Exam Tips
ACCA P5 Exam Tips March 2016 Session are given below by famous tuition providers
Kaplan
Answer the wordy bits first, provided they don’t depend on calculations you’ve not yet done. This paper awards approx 70% of the marks for discussion, and 30% for calculations.
Watch your time management when doing the calculations. Although they are not technically complicated, they can be time consuming.
Lots of practice before the exam means you should be reasonably efficient at these parts in the exam, although you may well take more time than the 1.8 minutes per mark you should theoretically allow.
However, if you realise it is taking too long, make up some numbers, move on and use those figures as the basis of your discussion as you’ll get the follow through marks on that basis. |
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