ACCA is working hard to ensure there is no repeat of the September exam problems experienced by a significant minority of its students come December.
It told PQ magazine that just over 94% of centre-based exams in the UK went by without a hitch. This still left 6% of candidates who experienced long delays, and even cancellations. ACCA’s director of customer service, Leigh Currie, told PQ magazine: “We apologise wholeheartedly and are determined to put things right.”
Post-exam the ACCA invited students to an online meeting so it could hear directly from them about their ‘experiences’. PQ magazine editor Graham Hambly was also invited to a Zoom meeting to discuss feedback and put forward suggestions. He told the ACCA that invigilators needed to be better briefed about what to do when things go wrong. With some students sitting at their exam terminals for up to seven hours in September, he said both water and snacks (fruit, etc) should be made available in there are significant delays.
ACCA explained that many of the venues used at the last session were new to hosting, because of ongoing closures and capacity issues at other venues. It is now working with those it is using again in December, to ensure they are fit for purpose and of the standard ACCA expects.
For several sittings now those sitting the exam on the first day – the Monday – seem to have suffered the worse. Currie is committed to ensure these centres are ‘Monday ready’, saying: “We have tested and tested again the systems and processes to reduce any risks.”
You can read Currie’s article on page 17 of the latest PQ magazine. Just click on the cover by scrolling down the home page…
