CoursesOnline AAT Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Courses – course syllabus

Online AAT Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Courses – course syllabus

This training is one of the most comprehensive courses that you can find, allowing you to progress through the entire AAT pathway from start to finish. During this course, you will learn everything you need from Level 2, 3 and 4 covering a total of 20 units including compulsory and optional units where you can choose to specialise. There are five units in level 2, six units in level 3 and nine units at level 4.

Starting with the basics at Level 2 you will study the following five units:

Unit 1: Bookkeeping Transactions – The basics of double entry book keeping and the importance of related business documents, trial balances, reconciling statements, dealing with payment records and discounted transactions

Unit 2: Bookkeeping Controls – Learn how to accurately prepare control accounts, make use of journals and learn about the banking system as well as being able to manage petty cash, cash books and control accounts

Unit 3: Elements of Costing – Conduct calculations in relation to the cost of products and budget effectively and learn the basics of cost behaviour, using spreadsheets, manufacturing accounts, product coding and inventory and labour costing.

Unit 4: Using Accounting Software – Acquire the skills that you need to process transactions, set up new company information and manage accounts using accounting software. This unit will teach you how to manage sales, ledgers and transactions and understand receipts and payments.

Unit 5: Work Effectively in Finance – Be able to work collaboratively as part of a skilled accounting team, undertake accounting and payroll with ease and understand professional ethics that relate to accounting.

This unit will conclude Level 2. The AAT Level 3 Qualification will include the following six units:

Unit 1: Advanced Bookkeeping – Know how to use a sub divided accounting system for the purpose of reconciliations and trial balances, manage valuations of an inventory, prepare accounts for debts that are irrecoverable and learn how to dispose of non-current assets.

Unit 2: Final Accounts Preparation – Outline how you can prepare accounts for various businesses while being able to record the structure of a partnership and manage accounts when records are incomplete

Unit 3: Indirect Tax – Explore VAT in more detail including legislation and the preparation of VAT returns

Unit 4: Management Accounting: Costing – Accurately prepare budget accounts in relation to business costs such as expenses, labour and materials, understand how to forecast and take into consideration limiting and break even factors.

Unit 5: Ethics for Accountants – Learn about the various ethical guidelines that apply to accounting

Unit 6: Spreadsheets for Accounting – Understand the role of spreadsheets and how they are used for accounting tasks

Once you have completed Unit 6 you have reached the end of Level 3 and can progress onto the final, advanced Level 4 to complete the pathway. The AAT Level 4 qualification consists of nine units. Students are required to complete six. Level 4 includes a collection of both compulsory and optional units including:

Compulsory Units

Unit 1: Management Accounting: Budgeting – Expand your knowledge of budgetary control systems to develop detailed budget reports to account for variances and flexible budgeting

Unit 2: Management Accounting: Decision and Control – Conduct analysis of financial performance based on a number of situations and reconcile actual and projected costs

Unit 3: Financial Statements of Limited Companies – Prepare financial statements in line with financial regulations and frameworks

Unit 4: Accounting Systems and Controls – Develop an advanced understanding of company accounting systems.

Optional Units

After completing the first four compulsory units, you will have to choose a further two modules to complete the qualification. These modules can be any of the following:

  • Personal Tax – Learn the fundamentals of employee tax processing
  • Business Tax – Familiarise yourself with business taxes
  • Cash and Treasury Management – Develop your knowledge of cash flow patterns and forecasting
  • Credit Management – Expand your expertise in company liquidity and credit control
  • External Auditing – Learn about the audit process and how to contribute to an audit at work