You will use financial data such as wages, sales, and purchases in order to find out:

• if a business is making a profit or a loss (trading and profit and loss accounts) 
• the number of sales that need to be made in order to survive (the break even position) 
• how much it costs to make a product – in order to set a realistic price and control the business 
• the overall value of a business (the balance sheet) 
• the results of business decisions

You will learn the double entry bookkeeping system used throughout the world and used by accountants to write entries into accounting records.  You will be learning and using accounting techniques and procedures to construct financial records.  Most of the time you will be doing exercises involving ordering and manipulating data but there is an element of writing relating to accounting theory.  In accounting, you will mostly work individually as there is little scope for group exercises.

This is a new-style linear A level course.  You will NOT be entered for an external AS exam at the end of the first year.  In the second year of the course, you will take external exams that assess content covered in the first and second year.  These exams will determine your A level grade. All units are assessed by external examination - there are no coursework units.  25-30% of marks are for written content.

Students to carry out extended research on the following:

• Accounting Apprenticeships and career pathways;
• AAT Apprenticeships;
• Prospects Apprenticeships;
• Social and Environmental Accounting. Is it a fad?  Discuss.
• Creative Accounting or Fraud.  What are the key differences?
• Accounting news;
• The Independent - Accounting news.

It is possible and indeed useful to combine the study of accounting with almost any other subject, since most people will be called upon to make project proposals and use financial information, whatever their future job may be.  In recent years, students have often combined it with business studies, mathematics and economics but there are no formal restrictions on choice.

Accounting will provide students with both the skills and characteristics required for further study in accountancy, whether that be in an apprenticeship environment or at university.  Accountants with these skills are highly sought after and currently, the median starting salary for a graduate is £30,000 whilst the average global salary for qualified accountants is £111,300.

Although most students go on to university, a number join accounting firms in order to study for professional accounting qualifications. These usually take about three years but students receive a salary and have all their tuition fees paid. Qualified accountants command high salaries and work in a wide range of businesses.

If you are interested in accounting as a possible career then it would be useful for you to look at some websites which give you an insight into the professional world of accounting and career opportunities as follows:

ICAEW

Grant Thornton

Please see below for careers and labour market information for accounting - use the refresh buttons to find out about different courses and careers, and use the left and right arrows to view more detailed information.

You can find the prep work for this course at prepwork.farnborough.ac.uk.

Q:  What is accounting about?
A:  Accounting is about identifying, recording and using financial data such as bills, wages, sales and purchases in order to find out:
- If a business is making a profit or a loss
- The number of sales that need to be made in order to survive
- How much it costs to make a product – in order to set a price
 - The overall value of a business.
Much of the work involves learning techniques for recording and analysing financial information.  You will learn the double entry bookkeeping system used by accountants throughout the world to maintain business accounting records. This is a great choice of subject for numerate students who would like to develop their data extraction and analysis skills.

Q:  What qualifications do I need?
A:  You should have at least a grade 5 in GCSE maths, as there is significant numerical work, and a grade 5 in English language as 40% of the course is written responses to theory questions.

Q:  Which subjects combine well with accounting?
A:  Many students link maths, business and economics with accounting, but we also have
students who are taking subjects like psychology, music and philosophy.
We recommend you select your A level subjects from areas which interest you.

Q:  Why should I choose A Level accounting?
Some of the reasons you might like to choose accounting are:
- If you think that you may work in a business environment, it is very useful to have a background knowledge of financial terms and statements
- It is one of the few professions that you can go straight into with A Levels
- You do not have to go to university to become an accountant! Many accounting firms large and small offer accounting apprenticeships.

Q:  How is accounting assessed? 
A:  Accounting is assessed by external examination only and there is no coursework. It can be a good choice therefore for students who have selected other subjects with a heavy coursework content.