How to approach the Strategic How to Tackling

prepare the exam

Business Reporting (SBR) exam
SBR has a wide ranging syllabus, which includes many accounting standards,
some introduced in Financial Reporting and others examined only in SBR. Advice from an Most frequently used SBR exam verbs:
Current issues, exposure drafts and narrative reporting frameworks also expert tutor
feature. Questions are set in the context of single entities, groups, private or
public sector, for-profit, or not-for-profit organisations. n Make use of ACCA resources
n Real life reading – eg real
To study SBR effectively you need to understand the nature of the exam and company financial statements
what you will be asked to do. DISCUSS EXPLAIN ADVISE
n Cover the syllabus widely – Read this article for more about exam verbs
breadth rather than depth
n Practice questions, and take
Question approach:
SBR – The Big Picture time to review your answers.
If you’re preparing for an SBR ✓ Analyse the requirements
CBE, visit this page for guidance
✓ Read the scenario carefully to understand
on how to approach question issues and any stakeholder perspective
Stakeholders
practice, including using the
In SBR, as in the workplace, new ACCA Practice Platform ✓ Identify relevant technical knowledge
you need to consider the n R
 emember – more than one standard
point of view of investors n Written aspects are very
Professionalism is may be relevant, and consider the
and other stakeholders. more than calculating important – don’t just practice
This means analysing and Ethics numbers. It means principles from the Conceptual Framework.
numbers
interpreting information, applying ethics
explaining how transactions and judgement to n Get used to planning and ✓ Apply this to the scenario
Judgement add value, taking n Don’t simply regurgitate everything
affect the financial writing clear answers.
a holistic view and
statements and other you can remember. Select relevant points
communicating
reports or explaining Professionalism professionally. and explain how they apply to the facts in
accounting treatments
and disclosures. the scenario
REPORTING Links to support n Y
 ou may need to produce some
• financial and non-financial calculations as part of an explanation
• single entities, groups, for-profit, not-for-profit resources but numbers alone will not earn enough
Detailed marks to pass.
Knowledge New detailed n Examining team guidance
gained in knowledge knowledge
previous n Examiner’s reports
• standards
exams
• current development n Technical Articles
Writing a good answer
n How to approach Section B questions
Conceptual Framework – how to demonstrate
n Ethics and Professional Skills module
professionalism:
The Conceptual Framework underpins the whole syllabus. The better you know the n Read the mind of the marker – Part 1
Framework, the easier it is to learn the principles of each individual standard.
n Read the mind of the marker – Part 2 n Plan your answer
n Tutor video review of the March 2020 n Use headings and short paragraphs
exam n 
Consider the stakeholders – relevant
n Strategic Professional CBE support content and appropriate tone.
n FAQs