Brighter students, not easier exams
The ICAEW has said brighter students rather than easier questions could be the reason for its record pass rate in its latest final admitting exams.
More than 80% of institute trainees passed their last-stage exams – the best since the case study paper was introduced in 1994.
The exams, which were sat in July, were the last before the new advanced stage exams are introduced in November.
Phil Armitage, the institute’s education director, denied the exams had become easier to pass. ‘The students may well be becoming brighter,’ he said. ‘The amount of preparation that goes into the exams is enormous.’
At the same time, the institute announced students who were due to sit the new papers would be sent a booklet on how to pass the advanced stage exams, which would emphasise the need for practical experience.
‘We have been emphasising for two or three years the importance of being able to apply a range of technical skills in a business situation,’ Armitage said.
The 1,500 or so trainees that passed the final exam will be able to apply for full institute membership in the near future.
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