Studying for your ACCA can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. But to find out you’ve won a prize for all of your hard work feels incredible. Have a look at some of our learners who achieved such commendable results in the March 2023 sitting.
How the prizes are awarded
In the attempt to show recognition of outstanding exam achievements, ACCA rewards learners who achieve 85% or above in BT, MA, FA, and LW with a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of their success. Cash prizes are also awarded to those who attain the highest mark worldwide for their individual exams. In addition to this, those who achieve the highest total average worldwide in their Strategic Professional exams are awarded with a medal.
The recent March 2023 sitting found several Kaplan learners achieve fantastic results.
Kaplan’s ACCA prizewinners
Highest total average marks for Strategic Professional worldwide
1st Place Affiliate - Sabina Akhtar
Winning 1st place affiliate means that Sabina achieved the highest overall marks in the world in the Strategic Professional exams. We caught up with Sabina to hear how she felt after finding out her achievement:
“I was pretty relieved to see that I’d passed, especially as this was my last exam. But I was also quite shocked as I did not expect to do so well, nor did I expect to achieve the gold prize!”
If you’re studying, or looking to study, for your ACCA, there are not many people that are more qualified than Sabina to give you some top tips:
“My top tips for other ACCA learners would be that even though it gets hard, it’s only a temporary journey. So persevere and you will fly through each exam. Also, hard work does truly pay off. I never aimed to be a prizewinner, I just genuinely want to do so well in my exams, and it was the time and effort that I put into my revision that helped me to achieve this amazing award.
But always make sure that you take time out for yourself to relax and unwind, and don’t feel guilty about it!”
2nd Place Affiliate - Rebecca Kennedy
Rebecca also shared her reaction to her prize and tips for other learners that are in a similar position:
“I was extremely happy to find out I had won a prize in the March exam sitting. This was my final ACCA exam paper so it was a great way to finish off the qualification and finish my exams! I wasn’t expecting to win a prize so when I saw the email come through it was quite a shock, especially with it being for my average mark for the Strategic Professional exams, it felt like a great achievement.
My top tips would be to make a checklist of things you want to complete during your revision, check them off as you go and put in the work to ensure you go into the exam feeling good! I feel like going into the exam with a positive attitude allows you to give it your best go. Also, I think it’s important to find the study method that works best for you - I prefer reading to watching videos, for example.”
3rd Place Affiliate - Hayden Lefley
We also recently caught up with Hayden who shared how he felt about his incredible achievement:
“I received this prize upon the completion of my ACCA qualification, so I was very excited to be finishing on such a high! With there being thousands of candidates, it would be unrealistic for me to expect a prize. However, I certainly aimed to deliver prize-winning answers in all of my exams.
My top tip would be to use the resources available to build a deep understanding of the topics you are being examined on. If you have a deeper understanding as opposed to memorising facts, it becomes a lot easier to recall the large volume of content required in the exam.
Further to recalling the necessary content, the best answers will be tailored to the given question and case. I really tried to capitalise on my thorough understanding to make every point specific to the case and questions. By doing so, I was confident that I would pick up the marks available.”
Highest mark worldwide for individual exams
ACCA Advanced Audit and Assurance (International) - Daniel Gordon
ACCA Audit and Assurance - Ryan Barnes
Not only did Ryan achieve such an impressive result in his exam, but he also self-studied with Kaplan’s published resources.
ACCA Advanced Taxation - Becca Ross
Again, Becca self-studied with Kaplan materials which helped her to achieve 96 out of a possible 100 marks.
We would like to congratulate everyone who achieved such incredible results, those who passed their exams, and those who are still studying to reach their career aspirations. We understand that it can be difficult and a lot of hard work, but if you persevere, you will succeed.
Want to see your name on this list?
If you’re interested in studying for your ACCA with Kaplan, have a browse through our courses. We ensure that all learners feel supported throughout their whole journey, so if you’re looking for any more information, contact our team at studentservices@kaplan.co.uk or on 0161 259 7400.