AS and A level Accounting

Course code: ACS

Level: A Level, AS Level

Availability: Day Course

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Summary

Accounting is essential to sound business decision making and through this course you will gain an understanding of the purposes, concepts, techniques and systems of financial and management accounting. You will learn how to prepare and interpret profit and loss accounts and balance sheets, as well as appreciate how businesses apply financial concepts in their decision-making. You will learn about the impact and applications of ICT in accounting.

Requirements

You will need:
At least five GCSEs at grade C or above to include English Language and Maths.  You do not need to have studied Accounting at GCSE level to take this course. A general interest in the business world and current affairs will be paramount and you will be required to use your initiative and be organised in your work habits.

because:

  • you will need good levels of communication and numeracy
  • you will be taking two examinations at the end of your first year
  • you will be required to develop skills in calculations, interpreting and analysing data, developing arguments and applying knowledge and methods to unfamiliar situations.

Course Content

In year 1 you will study units 1and 2 for an AS level.  In Year 2, you will take units 3 and 4 to complete the full A level.

Unit 1: Introduction to Financial Accounting

This unit will introduce students to the purpose and methods of keeping and verifying accounting records.  You will learn the system of double entry bookkeeping and how to prepare trading and profit and loss accounts and balance sheets.  It will cover areas such as the preparation of accounting records from source documents such as invoices, credit notes and bank statements.
You will be assessed by examination

Unit 2: Financial and Management Accounting

This unit will introduce you to different types of business ownership (sole trader, partnership and limited companies) and how their financial structure differs. You will develop your ability to prepare and analyse the accounts of sole traders and limited companies. You will be introduced to the ways in which financial accounting can provide valuable information for measuring and monitoring business performance through the use of budgeting and ratio analysis.
You will be assessed by examination

Unit 3: Further Aspects of Financial Accounting

This unit will give you the opportunity to develop your understanding of financial accounting techniques by learning about the procedures relevant to partnerships and how to prepare accounts when a business has not kept complete records. You will learn about the sources of finance available to a business, how and why limited companies publish their accounts and the importance of accounting standards.
You will be assessed by examination

Unit 4: Further Aspects of Management Accounting

This unit will develop your understanding of the ways in which accounting techniques can be used to aid the management of a business and contribute to effective decision-making, for example capital investment decisions. You will learn about manufacturing accounts and cost concepts including contribution, overhead absorption and variance analysis. You will also learn about “social accounting” issues, ethical decision making and the influence of stakeholders.
You will be assessed by examination

What else do I need to know?

Each unit will be supported by a range of textbooks and specially prepared study packs that will cover the key ideas and provide a variety of exercises to develop your understanding.  Accounting combines very well with Business Studies, Economics and any Mathematics course. The most obvious career the course can lead to is accountancy, but the course is also suitable for anyone wanting to pursue a career in any aspect of business. The AS level course would be particularly useful for students thinking about a career in engineering or science to help understand the financial constraints under which they may work. 

The course will also offer students exemptions from some aspects of the Accounting Technicians course that can be taken after A levels.

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