We take a look at the ACCA SBR and FR exams for December. How were they for sitters?
SBR
âI didnât enjoy that,â said one PQ after sitting the SBR exam on Thursday. There was a lot of forex, not much groups and a full question on sustainability. Some got cash flows in Q1, but it seems forex dominated most papers. Many sitters said they were already preparing for the March sitting.
Sitters found the exam âtoughâ, âa nightmareâ, and âridiculousâ in equal measure, and some felt none of the ethics questions were like anything set in previous exams. As one candidate said: âEthics was weird, no conceptual framework.â
Someone sitting the paper for a second time said: âI am shocked you couldnât have prepared for this paper. It is nothing like other previous exams.â Students said the questions were not like anything in the revision kits.
The Open Tuition poll saw over one in three describing this one as a âdisasterâ and a further 42% said it was âhardâ. Just one in five found it OK!
FR
This one was described as âweirdâ by some. âI was surprised I didnât see any lease or financial instrument in my exam,â said one sitter. For them it was mainly contacts revenue, PPE, intangibles and gain in exchange rate. The section C question was calculating NCI for the CSPL. Many sitters describe it as a âdisasterâ. âA lot of questions on really abstract parts of the syllabus, including exemptions to the standards,â said another. That meant if you didnât know every exception you were picking up any marks.
What upset sitters was the most important chapters for the paper seemed âexcluded from the examâ. It means lots of revision didnât come up. The only saving grace for some was that cash flows wasnât there either!
People who got the Cheese business question were in heaven. One PQ went as far as saying they âloved it!â This question was almost identical to one set in September 201, they said. Proving that going over past papers can really pay off.
