Introduction

Welcome to the ACCA Financial Accounting (FA/FFA) course.

The FA/FFA course is one of the three courses in ACCA’s Applied Knowledge level. ACCA describes it as providing “a broad introduction to the world of finance and developing essential understanding and techniques in accounting.”

If you’d like to see how FA/FFA fits into the full qualification pathway, refer to the ACCA Qualification.

This course also supports ACCA’s Foundational Level awards (certificates and diplomas), including the ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Business and the Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) qualification. In other words, you can use the same FA/FFA content to prepare for either:

• ACCA qualification exams, or
• Foundational level awards exams offered by ACCA

For details on those awards, refer to ACCA Foundational Awards (FIA).

ACCA defines the main objective of FA/FFA as developing “knowledge and understanding of the underlying principles and concepts relating to financial accounting and technical proficiency in the use of double-entry bookkeeping, including the preparation of basic financial statements.”

Eligibility

Eligibility to enrol in the ACCA qualification varies by country. Check the requirements here: ACCA Minimum Entrance Requirements.

If you’re not eligible for the ACCA qualification exams, explore the Foundations in Accountancy (FIA) courses.

The FA/FFA syllabus

This course follows the ACCA FA/FFA syllabus closely.

The syllabus organizes the exam into nine (9) broad modules (A to I). Each module is divided into sub-modules with specific learning objectives. Exam questions are written to assess those objectives.

ACCA classifies objectives as either:

• Knowledge: recalling concepts and definitions
• Skills: applying, analyzing, and synthesizing concepts in context

For the full syllabus and learning objectives, refer to the ACCA FA/FFA Syllabus and Study Guide.

How to use this course

This course is aligned to the FA/FFA syllabus and is organized into nine (9) chapters, matching the nine syllabus modules. Each chapter contains sub-chapters.

In each sub-chapter, you’ll see the relevant syllabus learning objectives. After you complete a sub-chapter, take the accompanying quiz to check how well you’ve met those objectives.

If you score below average, don’t move on yet. Review the sub-chapter and make sure you understand the ideas before continuing. The course builds from chapter to chapter, so gaps early on can make later topics - especially skills-based ones - much harder.

You’ll also find articles written by the ACCA FA/FFA examination team on topics students often find challenging. Read these as you reach the relevant topics. They’re useful for clarifying tricky areas and highlighting common mistakes to avoid.

For Modules 7 and 8 (which include multi-task questions in the exam style described below), plan to repeat the walkthrough questions several times. These questions often feel more demanding because they combine multiple steps and require careful exam technique.

Exam format

The FA/FFA exam is a 2-hour computer-based examination (CBE) with two sections:

• Section A: 35 objective choice questions, worth 2 marks each (70 marks total)
• Section B: 2 multi-task questions, worth 15 marks each (30 marks total)

Section B mainly tests Modules 7 and 8 of this course:

• Consolidations (group accounts)
• Accounts preparation

These questions typically ask you to prepare financial statements (or extracts), such as the statement of profit or loss, statement of financial position, or statement of cash flows.

Each part of a multi-task question is designed to be independent. That means there is no “own figure rule”: an error in one part won’t carry forward and affect later parts.

A specimen question is provided at the end of the content for practice.

You need a score of 50% or higher to pass.

Tips for success

Make steady progress through the material:

• Read the content carefully.
• Click Complete at the end of each chapter.
• Keep up with your assigned reviews.

For guidance on how the platform works, see the Achievable method.

If you want to study on your phone, see study on the go for instructions on turning the program into an app.

Consistency matters more than occasional long study sessions. A practical starting point is 20-30 minutes per day. As the exam gets closer, increase your study time.

As you work, watch for patterns in your mistakes. When you can name what you’re struggling with (for example, “I keep mixing up debit and credit entries” or “I’m slow at preparing statements”), you can target your review time more effectively.

Additional tips

Approach the course with commitment and consistency, and focus on understanding - not just finishing.

• Don’t rush through chapters at the expense of being able to apply the ideas.
• Engage actively: pause, reflect, and make notes when something isn’t clear.
• Where it helps, create simple mental pictures of processes (for example, how a transaction flows through double-entry bookkeeping into the financial statements).
• If you work in a finance-related role, connect the concepts to what you see at work. Practical links often make the rules easier to remember and apply.

These habits help you build a solid foundation and develop the ability to synthesize information in exam-style questions.