Six modules · also the ICAEW CFAB
The Certificate Level is the foundation stage of the ICAEW ACA — the premier UK chartered-accountancy qualification studied inside a training agreement at firms like the Big Four. Six on-demand, computer-based exams gate your progression: pass all six and you unlock the Professional Level; fail one four times and your route to membership is at risk. Most trainees sit these papers around a demanding day job, with a firm and a training contract watching the results. This page breaks down all six modules, how each is delivered, and how to clear them the first time.
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Every Certificate Level paper at a glance — the same six exams as the ICAEW CFAB
| Module | What it covers | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting Fundamentals | Double-entry bookkeeping, trial balances and preparing basic financial statements. | 2 hrs |
| Assurance and Risk Fundamentals | The audit and assurance process, internal controls, evidence, risk and ethics. | 1.5 hrs |
| Business Law | English contract, company, employment and insolvency law relevant to accountants. | 1.5 hrs |
| Business Insight and Performance | Costing, budgeting, variance analysis and decision-making, with how businesses are structured and financed. | 1.5–2 hrs |
| Sustainability and Ethics | Sustainability, governance, professional ethics and the role of technology in finance functions. | 1.5 hrs |
| Tax Fundamentals | UK income tax, NIC, capital gains, corporation tax and VAT fundamentals. | 1.5 hrs |
All six are objective-test exams marked out of 100 with a 55% pass mark. Pass the full set and you also hold the standalone ICAEW CFAB qualification; within a training agreement, the same six papers form the Certificate Level of the ACA before you move on to the Professional Level.
Bars show roughly how much of a typical cohort's resit effort each cluster absorbs
Tax Fundamentals and Business Law are rote-heavy: rates, thresholds, statutory rules and case names that change with each Finance Act and must be recalled fast under the clock.
Accounting Fundamentals and Business Insight and Performance are computational. One slip in a double-entry or variance question cascades, and the objective-test format gives no partial credit for method.
Sustainability and Ethics and Assurance and Risk Fundamentals reward broad recall over depth. Sitting six exams around a full-time training contract leaves little margin for under-prepared papers.
The Certificate Level is designed to be cleared in a trainee's first year, often two or three modules at a time. Because each paper allows only four attempts, a single stubborn module — usually Tax Fundamentals or Business Law — is where training contracts quietly come under pressure.
Two ways to sit each module — and what to expect on test day
You book through the ICAEW Pearson VUE portal and sit the exam in a quiet, monitored room. Staff verify your photo ID, store your belongings and watch the room. Exams are on demand year-round, so you choose the date and centre that fits your study and work schedule. ICAEW charges an entry fee per module, payable when you book.
You sit the same exam from a private room at home, monitored by a Pearson VUE OnVUE proctor through your webcam. You log in 30 minutes early to photograph yourself, your ID and your room, then a live proctor checks you in before the exam unlocks. You can reschedule online up to 24 hours before your slot.
A valid government photo ID matching your ICAEW profile. The OnVUE proctor captures a photo of you and your ID before the exam begins.
A clear desk, no second screen, no phone or notes within reach, and a webcam scan of the room. No one else may enter while you sit the exam.
Stay on-camera the whole time. Leaving frame, talking aloud or losing connection can flag or void the session, so a stable setup matters as much as the prep.
The Certificate Level gates the start of a chartered-accountant career
Open entry — but four attempts and a training contract raise the stakes
Difficulty: Individually each module is foundational, but trainees sit six of them while billing client hours full-time. The objective-test format gives no marks for method, Tax and Law demand precise recall, and the four-attempt cap turns a single weak paper into a genuine threat to your training contract — exactly the pressure our help is built to remove.
Six on-demand exams, a four-attempt cap and a firm watching every result make the Certificate Level a quiet pressure point in any training contract. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted accountancy specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us which module (Tax Fundamentals, Business Law, Accounting Fundamentals and so on), your delivery method (centre or OnVUE), and your target date. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord.
We review the module, your remaining attempts and your timeline and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with an ACA specialist who maps the work around the objective-test format, the module syllabus and the OnVUE environment — discreetly and confidentially.
Results land the day after you sit. You only pay once your pass is confirmed on your ICAEW results. No verified pass, nothing owed.
See the pay-after-you-pass accountancy services, how matching works, and where to start.
Straight answers about the ICAEW ACA Certificate Level
Service and sibling accountancy & finance exams
Pair with a vetted accountancy specialist on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified pass.
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View exam CMAIMA's US management-accounting credential — another globally recognised accountancy qualification.
View examGet expert ICAEW Certificate Level help with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified pass. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.