Distance Learning Support

At Start Learning we pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive tutors. Your tutor support will start as soon as you receive your course and will be valid for 18 months. All our tutors are highly qualified with extensive experience in supporting distance learning students. You contact your tutor via email and they are responsible for marking assignments answering your questions and guiding you through the course.

Home Study Entry Requirements

Basic English reading and writing skills are required. We recommend you have general skills and knowledge associated with a GCSE course or equivalent

At Start Learning we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further, so we try to keep our entry requirements to a minimum.  

Recommended Hours of Study

It is recommended that 200 hours of your time should be allocated towards study for the AS and A2 examinations.

Distance Learning Course Contents

A Level Accounting consists of AS Level and A2 Level

AS Level
Unit 1 – ACCN1 – Introduction to Financial Accounting
• Introduction to financial accounting
• Recording financial data
• Checking accounting records
• Balance Sheet and Profit & loss

Unit 2 – ACCN2 – Financial and Management Accounting
• Business entity concept
• Accounting concepts
• Further aspects of preparing primary accounts
• Limited Company accounts
• Ratio analysis and business performance
• Ratio Introduction to budgeting
• ICT within accounting

A2 Level
Unit 3 - ACCN3 - Further Aspects of financial Accounting
• Sources of Finance
• Incomplete records
• Partnership Accounts
• Published accounts of Limited companies
• Accounting standards
• Stock valuation

Unit 4 – ACCN4 – Further Aspects of Management Accounting
• Manufacturing accounts
• Marginal, absorption and activity based costing
• Standard cost and variance analysis
• Capital Investment Appraisal
• Budgeting: Further considerations
• Social accounting

AS Level + A2 Level = A Level in Accounting

Recommended Reading
Business Accounting 1, Frank Wood & Alan Sangster, FT Prentice Hall, ISBN 0273655523

Business Accounts, David Cox, Osborne books, ISBN-10: 1872962637

Business Accounting 2, Frank Wood & Alan Sangster, FT Prentice Hall, ISBN0273655574

Qualification

AS +A2 = A level in Accounting.
Both AS and A2 level courses and examinations must be successfully completed to gain a full A level.

Language of Examination

English

Examination Centre

You can find a full list of private candidate centres here: AQA Private Candidate Centres

Start Learning will provide you with a list of examination centres but it is entirely your responsibility to find a centre which will accept you as an external candidate.
In some cases you should be prepared to travel to another town or city to take your exams.

Start Learning provides expertise support and advice for students in their studies through their comprehensive course packs and tutoring system. However, we do stress that it is the student’s responsibility to find a centre to register and take their exams with. We are aware that sometimes this is difficult or even impossible to arrange.

Now we have come to an arrangement with a centrally located centre where Start Learning students will be able to take their exams. It is the English Maths Science Tuition & Educational Centre, located in Birmingham, right in the centre of England.

We realise this may still involve a good deal of travelling for some students but the long-term benefits of being able to gain A Levels far outweigh the short-term  expense and inconvenience.

For further information, please go to:
http://www.englishandmaths.com/Index.php

or: English Maths Science Tuition Centre Ltd.
40 Showell Green lane
Sparkhill
Birmingham,
B11 4JP
England
United Kingdom

Tel: 0121-771-1298

The contract for sitting exams is between you and the centre and we will provide you with comprehensive instructions on when and how to deal with the examination centre.

Summary of Examinations

Unit 1 – ACCN1 – Introduction to Financial Accounting
Percentage: 50% of AS Level, 25% of A Level
Examination Time: 1 hour 30 minutes written examination
Total Marks: 80 raw marks
Format: Four compulsory questions – each carrying a variable number of marks, each with a variable number of sub-questions

Unit 2 – ACCN2 – Financial and Management Accounting
Percentage: 50% of As Level, 25% of A Level
Examination Time: 1 hour 30 minutes written examination
Total Marks: 80 raw marks
Format: Four compulsory questions – each carrying a variable number of marks, each with a variable number of sub-questions.

Unit 3 - ACCN3 - Further Aspects of financial Accounting
Percentage: 25% of A Level
Examination Time: 2 hours written examination
Total Marks: 90 raw marks
Format: Four compulsory questions – each carrying a variable number of marks, each with a variable number of sub-questions. This unit is synoptic.

Unit 4 – ACCN4 – Further Aspects of Management Accounting
Percentage: 25 % of A Level
Examination Time: 2 hours written examination
Total Marks: 90 raw marks
Format: Four compulsory questions – each carrying a variable number of marks, each with a variable number of sub-questions. This unit is synoptic.

Qualification
AS +A2 = A level in Accounting.  Both AS and A2 level courses and examinations must be successfully completed to gain a full A level.