Exam Surgery

e-ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK
FROM THE EXAMINERS
In the last edition of VITAL (issue 35
winter 2007/2008) we looked at
the feedback from the examiners
on the Accounting, Assurance and
Principles of Taxation modules.
This time, we take a look at the
examiners feedback on the Business
and Finance and Law modules.
More than 14,000 e-assessment tests
have now taken place and the pass
rate has been high in all modules.
Of these, over 2,000 candidates
have now sat Law and nearly 1,000
have sat Business and Finance.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE
The syllabus for Business and Finance
is wide-ranging. Make sure you
prepare fully by studying the complete
learning materials very carefully, and
testing yourself using the web
sample as well as the question bank
and the end of chapter questions.
There are always some calculation
questions in the assessment and you
should ideally practise using the
ICAEW-authorised calculators.
In the exam expect a mix of
questions:
some are complex, some are
straightforward
some will take longer than others
question order is randomised;
do not be put off by having a
complex question first.
There is no time pressure in the exam
so spend time reading the questions
carefully. However, if after careful
consideration, you are still not sure
of the correct answer, mark the
question for review and move on to

For all modules other

than Law, there will
always be some
calculation questions
in the assessment.
Ideally practise for
these using the
ICAEW-authorised
calculator.

the next question. Questions marked

in this way can then be revisited at
the end of the test as there is likely
to be sufficient time for this.
When you have finished the exam,
stay in the assessment room and
check your answers, especially the
accuracy of calculations.
LAW
To date, well prepared candidates
have gained excellent results in Law
and the statistical data shows similar
pass rates in any given assessment.
Candidates do not seem to have
encountered any time pressure in
completing the exam, but always
recheck answers if you have time.
Candidates generally seem to have
covered the majority of syllabus areas
in sufficient depth but two areas
seem to have proved challenging.
These two areas are:
whistleblowing
provisions relating to information
handling.
In addition, although knowledge of
company law is good, some
candidates have demonstrated
minor weaknesses in insolvency.
Overall, candidates who study the
learning materials carefully and
who work through the practice
assessments should not encounter
any difficulty in passing.
In the next issue of VITAL we will
look at the examiners feedback
for the Management Information
module.

www.icaew.com/students