aat foundation certificate and advanced diploma · our flexible aat foundation certificate and...

AAT Foundation Certificate and Advanced Diploma

Call our expert AAT advisors

on 0800 015 4350

Looking for more information? Call our expert AAT advisors on 0800 015 4350

Build lifetime success with our flexible, accredited coursesBuild lifetime success with our flexible, accredited courses

AAT, the Association of Accounting Technicians, are the UK’s leading membership and awarding body for technical accountants, with over 133,000 members worldwide. They award more than 90% of all skills-based accounting and finance qualifications.

Their qualifications are well-respected and sought-after by employers around the globe, as they give you practical, industry-focused knowledge that you can put to use from day one. An AAT qualification demonstrates that you have the most up-to-date accounting knowledge, the highest professional standards, and the drive to achieve your ambitions.

AAT: the gold standard for vocational accounting training Our flexible approach and

extensive support system allow you to achieve your very best.

That’s why our AAT pass rate is an astonishing 95%.Our AAT pass rate has been based on

1,280 exam sittings and 1,215 passes by

ICS Learn AAT students between

July 2015 and June 2016.

We’re the UK leader in online learning, and our flexible courses are perfect if you’ve got a busy life. They allow you to shape your study around your schedule: learn at your own pace, in your own time, wherever suits you best on whatever device you are on, whether that be mobile, tablet or laptop. That’s why students from all over the world trust us to help them take their career to the next level.

Years of Experience

We’ve been pioneers in flexible learning for 128 years, so you’ll

benefit from more than a century of educational expertise.

Payment Plans

You can spread the cost of your course with an interest-free

monthly payment plan.

Personal Tutor & Live Classrooms

As well as online course materials, you’ll benefit from unlimited

academic support and live tutor-led AAT webinars.


Our flexible AAT Foundation Certificate and Advanced Diploma in Accounting combined course is the essential first step in building a successful accounting and finance career.

You’ll learn the basic principles of accountancy, including double entry bookkeeping, on the Foundation course, then move on to more complex financial processes in the Advanced Diploma.

You’ll learn about preparing final accounts, VAT issues, management costing techniques, and professional ethics, ensuring you’re ready to take on well-paying and respected accounting roles - all without giving up your job, family time or social life. Your study can be completely shaped to suit you.

If you want to continue learning, you’ll only have one more course to complete before you’re a fully qualified accounting technician who can hold senior accounting jobs, start your own practice, and get the professional recognition that comes with being a full member of AAT (MAAT). The combined course is the quickest way to rise to the top in the accountancy profession.

Why this course is right for you

I chose to study AAT with ICS Learn because my friends who are also accountants recommended that this was the best route. I couldn’t agree more with them myself. ICS Learn is great because it allows you to balance your work and studying time, and you can go at your own pace. My tutor is on hand for me to ask any questions, which is always handy, and it was very easy to sign up and enrol!

Thomas Cruise

This course is perfect for you if:

You’re just starting out in your accountancy career

You want to quickly move to more senior accounting roles

You want to progress to the highest level of AAT study, the Professional Diploma

You want to save money and time by taking both courses in one

Entry Requirements

You don’t need any prior experience or qualifications to enrol, though you should be confident with numbers.

You must be over 19, and if English isn’t your first language, you’ll need an IELTS score of 5.5 or equivalent.

If you have any disabilities which you believe may impact your studies or assessments, please inform your Course Advisor before enrolment so that we can advise you on whether reasonable adjustments can be made to accommodate your needs.

If you have a criminal record or have been made bankrupt, AAT may not accept you as a member.


Achieve your

career goals with usYour course is the perfect foundation for building lifetime career success. With the benefit of our flexible approach, cutting edge course materials, and unbeatable tutor support, you’ll be well on your way to a lucrative and rewarding Accountancy career.

What’s it like studying online?

Get expert advice,

& get startedWhether you’re set on a course or are still deciding

which level is right for you, the first thing to do is call our specialist course advisors. There won’t be any sales

pressure - we know that taking a new qualification is a big decision. We’ll take the time to learn about your

experience, education and ambitions to make sure you pick the right course.

Easily keep track of progress & take exams as you learnYou’ll do progress checks throughout your course, so you and your tutor know exactly how you’re doing. You’ll sit practice exams before your assessments to ensure you’re fully prepared. When you’re ready, you’ll sit your exams at your local AAT centre.

Get unlimited support from

your AAT TutorAll our tutors are carefully selected AAT experts with

years of experience in distance learning, so they’re perfectly positioned to give you all the help you need. They’ll be with you from enrolment to graduation, so

there’ll always be a real person on hand by phone, email or chat if you get stuck.

Study when &

where it suits youYou can get started on your course whenever you choose, and complete it as quickly or slowly as you like within the support period - there are no cohorts or deadlines, so we won’t chase you if you need to take some time off. Plus, all your study materials are online, so you can study from anywhere and on any device!


Our mission is to make learning affordable and accessible for all, no matter your circumstances. That’s why we make spreading the cost of your course as simple and manageable as possible with our flexible, interest-free payment plans.

You can get started right away with a deposit, then pay the rest through monthly direct debit. Our plans are flexible, so you can pay your balance off sooner if you’d like.

If you think your company will fully or partly fund your learning, we can help you put together a case, and invoice them for the cost of your course. Simply discuss this with your advisor when you enrol and they’ll give you all the information you need.

Employer-funded Accounting courses can be enrolled as an all-inclusive package which combines course, exam, centre and AAT Membership fees.

You also have the option of paying the full amount up-front if you’d prefer.

Flexible, affordable payment options

AAT and Exam Centre Fees

In order to sit your exams and receive your qualification, you’ll need to pay a few external fees:

AAT Registration Fees

AAT Annual Student Membership Fees

AAT Exam Fees

Exam Centre Administration Fees

You’ll pay these directly to either the exam centre or AAT, although we can include a year’s student membership on your payment plan. Our course advisors will fill you in on the latest AAT fee information so you’re not hit with any nasty surprises, and they’ll also advise you on how to pay them. Your exam centre fees will vary depending on the centre you choose.

I work Monday to Friday full-time, so studying for my AAT course during set hours after work just wasn’t an option for me. With ICS Learn I am able to study on my lunch break or at weekends, and after work if I want to. I love having the flexibility to choose where and when I study – I feel in control of my learning.

Faheema Patel, AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting

You can find out the cost of the course on our website, along with payment plan details and any discounts we’re offering this month. Alternatively, you can call our course advisors to find out more.


If you continue studying with AAT:

The next step is the Professional Diploma, which is the highest level of AAT study.

If you continue your education to this level, you’ll be qualified for a wide variety of lucrative and desirable roles, including:

On the combined course:

When you finish the Foundation Certificate, you’ll be ready to take on entry-level roles - you don’t need to wait util you’re finished the whole course to apply. You could work in roles such as accounts administrator, purchase ledger clerk, or trainee finance assistant.

Once you’ve completed the Advanced Diploma, you’ll be ready for more senior roles, including:

Where your qualification will take you

Average Salaries with an AAT Qualification

Once you’ve completed the Professional Diploma, you can apply for professional MAAT status, start your own accounting practice, or study on a fast-track route to become a Chartered Accountant.

Foundation Certificate

Advanced Diploma

Professional Diploma

between £17,000 & £24,000

between £20,000 & £30,000

up to £40,000

Accounts payable supervisor

Professional bookkeeper

Corporate recovery analyst

Finance officer

Insolvency executive

Indirect tax manager

Professional accounting technician

Commercial analyst

Payroll manager

Senior bookkeeper

Senior financial officer

Senior fund accountant

Senior insolvency administrator


How we support you

When you enrol, you’ll be able to join a live induction webinar so that we can show you how to navigate the Student Community, answer any questions you have, and - most importantly - give you a warm and friendly welcome to studying with us!

Your study materials have been specially designed for online learning by AAT and distance learning experts, and they’re split into bite-sized sections so they’re easy to follow from home.

Learning online doesn’t mean learning alone. In addition to your assigned AAT tutor, who’ll answer all your questions about coursework and exams, you’ll have our dedicated Student Support team waiting in the wings to help you with administrative tasks, using the Student Community, and any other non-academic queries you might have.

That means that no matter what you need, there will always be someone here to help. We’re with you every step of the way.

You’ll also benefit from a huge range of resources, including:

Mock Assessments

Interactive Quizzes

Progress Checks

Online Activities

Lively Group Forums

Personal Journal

AAT Resources

The Student Community is our easy-to-use online learning platform. It’s a one stop shop that allows you to:

Access your course materials

Contact your tutor and Student Support team

Submit your assignments

Connect with your fellow students

Live Online Classrooms

You’ll have the option of joining live tutor-led online classrooms. These let you talk to the tutor, interact with other students, and get help with anything you’re stuck with. The majority are scheduled during lunchtimes, evenings and weekends so they’re as easy as possible to fit around work, and they’re recorded too so you can replay them anytime.


In total, this combined course consists of 11 units, and is worth 56 UCAS credits. The Foundation course has 5 units, and the Advanced course has 6.

The first half of the course, the Foundation Certificate, sits on the Qualifications and Credit Framework at Level 2, or Level 5 in the Scottish system. The final qualification you’ll receive, the Advanced Diploma, sits at Level 3, or Level 6 in the Scottish system.

About your course

Unit Hours of study

Unit Assessment Length

Tested in Synpotic?

Advanced Bookkeeping 90 2 hours Yes

Final Accounts Preparation

60 2 hours Yes

Management Accounting: Costing

80 2 hours 30 mins Yes

Indirect Tax 60 1 hour 30 mins Yes

Ethics for Accountants 50 None Yes

Spreadsheets for Accounting

50 None Yes

Advanced Diploma in Accounting

The synoptic test for the Advanced course will consist

of two separate sessions of 1 hr 30 mins each.

They take place six times a year, so you should plan

your study around this.

To complete your course, you’ll sit 5 individual computer-based assessments at an AAT approved exam centre. Prior to this, you’ll complete mock assessments that’ll be marked by your tutor to ensure you’re fully prepared. There are two kinds of AAT assessment:

Foundation Certificate in Accounting

Unit Hours of study

Unit Assessment Length

Tested in Synpotic?

Bookkeeping transactions

60 2 hours Yes

Bookkeeping controls 45 2 hours Yes

Elements of costing 45 1 hour 30mins Yes

Using accounting software

45 2 hours No

Work effectively in finance

45 None Yes

Unit assessments test what you’ve learned in that specific unit. They generally involve multiple choice questions, or sometimes written answers. You must complete all the unit assessments before you sit the synoptic exam

The synoptic assessment will test what you’ve learned across multiple units. It allows you to demonstrate your new knowledge and skills by applying them to a real-world situation.

Typically, students complete this course in 12 months (6 months each for the Foundation and Advanced levels), but some do it faster or slower than this depending on their circumstances. We give you a generous support period of 30 months so that you have the flexibility to go at your own pace - you won’t be held back by inconvenient deadlines or the pace of other students, and you can always take time off if life gets hectic.


What you’ll learn (Foundation)

With our flexible AAT courses, you’ll get the same exceptional learning experience as you’d expect in a traditional classroom, but with no restrictions on when, where, and at what pace you learn. Our courses cover everything you need to know to achieve your accounting career goals and build lifetime success.

Work effectively in finance

In this module, you’ll learn to:

Understand the finance function within an organisation

Use personal skills development in finance

Produce work effectively

Understand corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethics and

sustainability within organisations

Bookkeeping controls


Understand payment methods

Understand controls in a bookkeeping system

Use control accounts

Use the journal

Reconcile a bank statement with the cash book

Usjng accounting software


Set up accounting software

Process sales and purchases transactions

Process bank and cash transactions

Perform period end routine tasks

Produce reports

Bookkeeping transactions


Understand financial transactions within a bookkeeping system

Process customer transactions

Process supplier transactions

Process receipts and payments

Process transactions through the ledgers to the trial balance

Elements of costing


Understand the cost recording system within an organisation

Use cost recording techniques

Provide information on actual and budgeted costs and income


What you’ll learn (Advanced)

Spreadsheets for Accounting

Design and structure appropriate spreadsheets to meet

customer needs

Use spreadsheet software to record, format and organise data

Use relevant tools to manipulate and analyse data

Use software tools to verify accuracy and protect data

Use tools and techniques to prepare and report accounting

information

Final Accounts Preparation

Distinguish between the financial recording and reporting requirements of different types of organisation

Explain the need for final accounts and the accounting and ethical principles underlying their preparation

Prepare accounting records from incomplete information

Produce accounts for sole traders

Produce accounts for partnerships

Recognise the key differences between preparing accounts for a limited company and a sole trader

Indirect Tax

Understand and apply VAT legislation requirements

Accurately complete VAT returns and submit them in a timely manner

Understand the implications for the business of errors, omissions and late filing and payment

Report VAT-related information within the organisation in accordance with regulatory and organisational requirements

Ethics for Accountants

Understand the need to act ethically

Understand the relevance to the accountant’s work of the ethical code for professional accountants

Recognise how to act ethically in an accounting role

Identify action to take in relation to unethical behaviour or illegal acts

Advanced Bookkeeping

Apply the principles of advanced double-entry bookkeeping

Implement procedures for the acquisition and disposal of non- current assets

Prepare and record depreciation calculations

Record period end adjustments

Produce and extend the trial balance

Management Accounting: Costing

Understand the purpose and use of management accounting within an organisation

Apply techniques required for dealing with costs

Apportion costs according to organisational requirements

Analyse and review deviations from budget and report these to management

Apply management accounting techniques to support decision making

Find out more at :www.icslearn.co.uk

@ICSLearn ICSLearn

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