Come March 2020, some ACCA PQs in the UK will still be able to sit paper-based Strategic Professional exams. This is because the option to sit the new CBE exams will be restricted initially to four cities – and the list doesn’t include London.

That means unless you opt to sit exams in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds or Manchester you will be sitting the paper Strategic Professional exams.

All locations in the Czech Republic and Ireland go CBE-only in March, however.

For June 2020, ACCA says all locations in the UK will be CBE. There will be quite a long leadtime across the world, too.

Jamaica and South Africa will make the switch in December 2020, and in Malaysia and Sri Lanka it will be June 2021.

China, Pakistan and Mauritius will go CBE-only in March 2021, and for Hong Kong its September 2021.

June 2021 looks like the last time anyone will be sitting a paper exam.

Students should note that once Strategic Professional CBEs are offered in a location the paperbased exams will no longer be available. This, says ACCA, will allow students to continue their digital journey from Applied Skills, making the transition ‘smoother’ through the qualification.

That said, ACCA revealed some ATX and AAA adapted exams will be introduced at a later date than the other Strategic Professional exams.