Have your say There’s was

Totally wired

What has happened with the ACCA’s exam centre provision? It seems to have introduced remote invigilation and forgotten how exam centre exams work!

Stress-free exams don’t work with wires and extension leads everywhere – that’s health and safety gone mad! I showed the picture you put on your website to friends and they were shocked that ACCA could let this happen.

Surely, they still inspect centres before going live? We all know with ‘the new normal’ that you don’t have to physically visit – you could get the invigilators to give you a virtual tour of the rooms on Sunday afternoon and have them signed off then. Just like we do for ACCA remotely invigilated exams!

PQ needs to step up, too. You are supposed to be our champion. True, you are the only ones shining a light on the situation, but please you must do more. I seem to remember you said ACCA had solved its ‘Monday Exam Blues’. That hasn’t happened.

I have also read that there is real fear that what is happening will have a negative effect on people looking to join the profession. As my favourite Facebook group said: “They couldn’t do it worse if they tried”. Name and address supplied The Editor says: I read that comment. UK (Only) ACCA Distance Learning Students is a fantastic group and was shortlisted at the PQ awards. We are on the case and will keep up the pressure. As one tutor said: “The excuses are wearing thin.”

Our star letter writer wins a fantastic ‘I love PQ’ mug!

Tech doesn’t work

After the continuing problems with ACCA CBE exams, both in exams centres and remotely, I think it’s time they return to traditional pen and paper. ACCA’s technology doesn’t work.

If people get lucky then it’s fine, if not they get stuck with an accountancy body whose aim is only to raise exam and membership fees every year. They don’t think of the well-prepared students on the day of the exam when they offer a repeat in three months. Circumstances change, my three months became a year! A student, sent via LinkedIn

Nothing changes…

In all honesty the whole ACCA exam process was a shambles back when I was sitting them nearly 10 years ago. I’ve witnessed question papers not printed properly and the invigilator taking their sweet time sorting it out, exams starting when not everybody has question and answer booklets and practically at every exam the chatter and laughter amongst the invigilators was infuriating!

So sadly these issues are probably the tip of the iceberg! An FCCA, on LinkedIn Flexibility is needed

It happens too often. ACCA at least need to be flexible and allow the students to resit the next day/ week. It’s very unfair to make them wait three months. So much effort goes into the exams and it is as if they couldn’t care. They don’t even offer compensation for the stress or the cost of taking another revision course to refresh your memory for the next session only a refund for the exam. A June sitter, via LinkedIn

The fall-out from the latest ACCA exams has led to a call for a return to paper exams. One PQ told us: “Please restart paper based exams again in all centres around the world in light of Covid19. I may not sound reasonable but this is the only way out until all technical glitches for strategic professional exams, including both centre based CBE and remote CBE, are resolved.” Another said: “New structure is absolute crap. Why change the exam methodology when you can’t implement it successfully?”

There was a suggestion that ACCA should run computer and paper-based exams simultaneously. They could then be ready to offer a paper exam when there is an issue with the CBE.

Some students felt the CBEs are not practical for exams because of the lengthy scenarios and different sheets: “You miss sheets because the screens are too small. You cover the clock and the time just passes,” explained one sitter.

This wasn’t universally supported. One PQ stressed: “I really do not understand the fuss. CBE is the future. We need people doing practical problems on spreadsheets.” They also reminded everyone of the complaints about having to physically write for hours on end. “This is not time to go backwards, we need exams that live in the real world.” said another.

We also discovered there have been with thefts at one of the exam centres. At Vitspro Newcastle one sitter had £30 taken from their purse. The thief, however, left her Apple wrist watch and Kindle untouched. Another students confirmed on twitter she too had had £20 stolen, and ACCA is now on the case. It is rare for such thefts to take place as the bags are usually secure and only students and invigilators have access to them.

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