ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

A Level Accounting requires you to achieve the minimum entry requirements for your chosen pathway plus a minimum of a 5 in GCSE English Language and Maths.

EXAM BOARD

AQA

COURSE STRUCTURE

The A Level Accounting course is delivered over 2 academic years. You will receive 4 hours 40 minutes of lessons per week. You are also expected to complete work independently outside of lessons. Your group will be taught by one teacher and the focus within lessons will be very much upon applying the concepts taught within the classroom to accounting based problems. This will be backed up by thorough and regular classroom based assessment.

The course will focus on both financial and management accounting and will therefore offer you a relevant pathway into both Chartered and Certified Accounting. The course has been developed in conjunction with both CIMA and ICAEW and therefore links with accounting qualifications post college including:

• • • • • The role of the accountant in an organisation
        • Double entry
        • Verification of accounting records
        • Understanding and application of accounting concepts
        • Preparation of final accounts for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
        • Investment appraisal
        • Standard costing– comparison and evaluation of budgeted and actual figures
        • Marginal Costing
        • Accounting for organisations with incomplete records
        • Budgeting
        • The impact of ethical considerations

Although the course is numerical, there will be a requirement for you to explain the reasoning and possible impacts on an organisation behind the calculations. Therefore, an ability to write essays and construct arguments has become increasingly important.

ASSESSMENT

PAPER 1

Written exam: 3 hours, worth 120 marks (50% of A-level)
Three compulsory sections:
Section A: 10 multiple choice questions and several short answer questions. The section is worth 30 marks.
Section B: 2 structured questions each worth 20 marks. The section is worth 40 marks.
Section C: 2 extended answer questions each worth 25 marks. The section is worth 50 marks.

PAPER 2

Written exam: 3 hours, worth 120 marks (50% of A-level)
Three compulsory sections:
Section A: 10 multiple choice questions and several short answer questions (30 marks).
Section B: 2 structured questions each worth 20 marks (40 marks in total).
Section C: 2 extended answer questions each worth 25 marks (50 marks in total).

TRIPS AND ENRICHMENT

The department will support you in arranging relevant work experience, either with local or national firms. You will be supported in an application for accountancy training programmes and applications to University.

You will also have the opportunity to hear from a range of guest speakers from the profession, including RSM and Dutton Moore as they regularly visit the college to offer advice to students on the available pathways into the profession.

An overseas trip to New York is offered specialising in Accounts, Business and Economics. The trip focuses on the financial, economic and legal structures that make up the bustling city.

PREPARATION FOR THE COURSE

To prepare for this course, you will need to keep a keen eye on the financial world around you. Watch the movements on the stock market and think about any shares you might like to invest in and the reasons why. It will also be beneficial for you to regularly watch the news and identify any keen events that may be happening around the world which may have a positive or negative impact upon the performance of a business.