Payroll Management
Many congratulations to Helen Ellis and Kelly Edwards-Hughes who both passed the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers examination for the Diploma in Payroll Management last month - with marks of 100%! The exam does require a high degree of accuracy (which is just as well when it comes to getting people's pay correct) but 100% in an any exam is quite unusual and well worth a drum roll - or a double drum roll in this case. This excellent result is a testament to the hard work each candidate put into studying Payroll and, we trust, to the specially written material offered by FT Authors plus the tutorial guidance of our expert Tutor, Ray Taylor. Congratulations all round.

GCE AL Exams from 2014

You may have read in the press that changes are to be made in the GCE AL examinations by the UK Government. The changes are intended to make the examinations 'more rigorous' and so enhance their value as qualifications. 

The education inspectorate, Ofqual, has now announced that there will be no AS or AL exams in January from 2014. The exams will be held in June each year only. This also applies to A2 coursework. 

Exams will be held as normal in January 2013 and after that there will be no more winter sittings. The A2 exam paper is June only in any case but January 2013 is the last time that A2 coursework can be submitted at a January exam. So if your course includes coursework and you have not already submitted it you should aim to submit your coursework in June 2013 or June 2014.

We understand that candidates will still be allowed to re-sit an exam but, less conveniently, apparently only the following summer. There is not yet any restriction on the number of re-sits but there is likely to be some limitation.

No changes to the specifications in terms of content of syllabus and exam papers have been announced so far. Usually, the examination boards give two years' notice of any significant changes. When we have any information I will post on this site.

If you need to make any changes to your plans for study because of the switch to June exams only please get in touch with me