CTA Awareness

1. Structure

Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements to commence the CTA qualification. However the CIOT strongly recommend those without an accounting or law qualification register for the ATT-CTA tax pathway route to qualification.

To join the ACA CTA joint programme, you’ll need to register as an ACA student first. When you get your ACA student number, you will be able to register with the CIOT.

Syllabus

Awareness paper (choose three subjects) - from £330 (inc.VAT)

The Awareness paper will examine three from five tax areas at a general awareness level. Do note that the three areas you select to study at the Awareness level must not be the same tax areas as your chosen two Advanced Technical papers.

Choose three from:

• Taxation of Unincorporated Businesses
• Taxation of Individuals
• Inheritance Tax, Trusts and Estates
• Corporation Tax
• VAT including Stamp Taxes

Recommended pathways

There are four recommended pathways to achieving this qualification, depending if you’re exempt from the Awareness paper.

Do note: the CBEs must be passed before entering for your final written paper. Also, as the Application paper technical knowledge is largely taken from the related Advanced Technical paper, it is advisable that, where possible, the related Advanced Technical paper is sat at the same sitting as the Application paper.

Exempt from the Awareness Paper:

Not exempt from the Awareness Paper:

2. Study methods

Do you prefer face-to-face learning? Online learning in your own time? Have family or work commitments? We have three study methods that suit different learning styles, to fit around your life. You'll benefit from award-winning tutors, practical learning methods, and ongoing support, right up until your exam.

Study methods available for this qualification

You can be confident in your exams whatever study option you choose, as we offer numerous practice questions and marked course exams. We provide expert support during evenings and weekends, and we have flexible study options and course start dates.

We offer both tuition and revision courses for the CTA papers. On tuition courses the focus is on learning the key areas of the syllabus covered in the course workbook, laying down a foundation of technical knowledge. Revision courses build upon this knowledge, focusing upon exam question practice and technique to prepare you for the real exam.

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Timetables - Classroom and Live Online

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3. Exams and sittings

Timings and working towards a sitting

Sittings take place every six months, with exams in May and November.

Awareness Paper

The Awareness Paper is one three-hour paper (with no reading time) and includes all five awareness modules. You’ll answer only the questions in the sections for each of your three chosen modules. The format of each module will be 12 short-form questions, worth five marks each. These will be a mixture of computational and written questions with no question choice. To achieve a pass you’ll be required to obtain 50% or more of the total marks available and a minimum of 21/60 in each individual module.

If you are a qualified accountant (ACCA with ATX, ICAEW, ICAI, ICAS), or qualified ATT, you may be exempt from this paper.

How long does it take to pass?

Students tend to take up to two years to complete the CTA qualification, but this depends entirely on your preferred way of learning and study pathways chosen. You must register with CIOT as a student at least four months in advance of taking your first exam.

4. Study materials and delivery costs

Study materials

All study methods include online and printed materials. These differ depending on which study method you choose.

Materials included in every course:

The following materials are included in every tuition course:

• Study Manuals and accompanying Question Banks

  The Study Manuals cover the syllabus for each course and are the key source of your learning material. The Question Banks are designed to test your understanding of the fundamental principles covered in each chapter in the corresponding Study Manual.

• Course Workbooks and Workbook Q&A

  The Course Workbooks are available if you’re a Classroom or Live Online student. These detail the core areas of the syllabus which will be covered during the Classroom and Live Online courses, incorporating worked examples. Additional questions to attempt in class are provided in the workbook Q&A section.

• Pre-revision question bank

  The pre-revision question bank contains more challenging questions for you to consolidate your knowledge of the full syllabus for each paper.

The following materials are included in every revision course:

• Revision question bank

  The revision question bank contains exam standard questions and recent past papers (all with answers updated to the relevant Finance Act), providing excellent final preparation for the exam.

• Memory joggers

  The memory joggers contain short summaries of the key rules covered in each chapter of the study manuals and also include any useful proformas. They are designed to refresh your knowledge on any areas you’re stuck on as you work your way through the revision question bank.

Delivery costs

5. MyKaplan: online learning environment

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MyKaplan is an online learning portal with additional resources to help you prepare for your exams. Your MyKaplan account forms the core of your study experience with Kaplan and includes the following:

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  PDF versions of your study manuals and question banks
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  PDF versions of your Course Workbooks (Classroom and Live Online only)
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  Links to recordings of the tricky topic tutorials and the Live Online recordings (Classroom and Live Online only)
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  Your course exam question papers and returned marked scripts (unless you are required by your employer to sit these in centre/under pre-agreed arrangements) and the course exam model answers
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  Study calendar and reminders
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  Other additional learning resources

Online Features

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  View your online materials in one place and access your content in a few clicks
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  You can email a tutor or request a callback
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  See instantly when your assessments have been marked

Access duration

Your chosen study method determines how long you can access your content for.

Classroom
6 months from last course date

Live Online
6 months from last course date

Distance Learning
6 months from enrolment date

computerMinimum system requirements for MyKaplan

6. Tutor support

We'll support you every step of the way throughout your CTA learning experience with us. You can contact a tutor and get the help you need quickly and easily.

Provided by Tutor Support team (our dedicated team of expert tutors):

• Email and request a callback (we'll get back to you within 48 hrs)

Please note request a callback is only available to UK based students and is available between 9am - 5.30pm Monday to Friday only.

Ways to get support

If you think you'd benefit from additional tutor support while studying, we recommend the structured study methods provided through our Classroom and Live Online courses.

7. Testing and mocks

We have a wealth of materials to help you revise for and pass your exams.

For tuition, you’ll get the following:

Course exam
The course exam has been designed to test your understanding of the material covered during your studies. It is at a simpler level designed to test your knowledge as you work through the content.

Pre-revision mock
The pre-revision mock has been designed to be attempted after you’ve worked through the the pre-revision question bank. The pre-revision mock is harder than the course exam, designed to prepare you for the revision phase of your studies.

For revision, you’ll get:

Revision mock
The revision mock should be attempted after you’ve have worked through the revision question bank. This is an exam standard exam designed to prepare you for sitting the real exam.

8. Pricing structure

Subject prices can differ depending on your study option and subject you choose to study. Go to our study methods page to learn more about each option.

For CTA, subjects are priced individually, with full courses broken down into Tuition and Revision courses which you can book on. Where a full Classroom and/or Live Online course (i.e tuition and revision) is selected, there is a 10% discount available.

Funding options

Apprenticeships ›

You may be eligible for an Apprenticeship through your employer, depending on your circumstances. For more information, speak to our Student Services team.

Employer sponsored ›

Your employer may fund the costs of your studies if you're already working in a related field and want to develop your learning. You'll need to speak to them to see if you're eligible.

Payment plans ›

Available for any course as long as the total cost is a minimum of £500 (before any discounts). Any available discounts can be applied, provided the terms and conditions of that discount have been met.

Classroom and Live Online course fees must be repaid over the duration of the course(s) purchased, up to a maximum of 12 months. The final payment must be made one month prior to the final date of the last course. Distance Learning course fees must be repaid over three months per subject purchased, up to a maximum of 12 months.