• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free ACCA & CIMA online courses from OpenTuition

Free ACCA & CIMA online courses from OpenTuition

Free Notes, Lectures, Tests and Forums for ACCA and CIMA exams

  • ACCA
  • CIMA
  • FIA
  • OBU
  • Books
  • Forums
  • Ask AI
  • Search
  • Register
  • Login
  • ACCA Forums
  • Ask ACCA Tutor
  • CIMA Forums
  • Ask CIMA Tutor
  • FIA
  • OBU
  • Buy/Sell Books
  • All Forums
  • Latest Topics

20% off ACCA & CIMA Books

OpenTuition recommends the new interactive BPP books for March and June 2025 exams.
Get your discount code >>

Can I take extra option papers?

Forums › ACCA Forums › General ACCA Forums › Can I take extra option papers?

  • This topic has 13 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 11 months ago by mrjonbain.
Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • August 8, 2014 at 8:44 am #188262
    kookimseng
    Member
    • Topics: 1
    • Replies: 2
    • ☆

    Hi,

    Can anyone confirm my doubts?

    I left one option paper to clear my ACCA, but I’m thinking of taking 2 option papers in this coming December sitting. It will increase my chances to graduate since if i pass anyone of the option paper I would have cleared my ACCA. Is ACCA allow me to do that?

    Thank you in advance.

    August 8, 2014 at 9:40 am #188315
    MikeLittle
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 27
    • Replies: 23310
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    That’s a new one on me – and I don’t know the answer. Instead of trying to work hard on two and hope that you get through one, why not work doubly hard on one and make sure that you nail it first time?

    That would seem to me to be a better strategy 🙂

    August 8, 2014 at 9:40 am #188316
    Kwasi
    Member
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 4
    • ☆

    I guess you will have to ‘clear’ your English before thinking of the final ACCA paper. I Sincerely, I have serious problems with people who think accountants are not required to speak or write good English. Speaking and writing perfect, or very good English in the least, should be the standard for the accounting profession. Gradually, the thought is growing in me that the professional bodies should begin to include a paper or two testing the ability of students to write and speak good English, and any candidate failing the paper(s) should be graduate as a professional accountant. The first time I read this statement “I left one option paper to clear my ACCA, but I’m thinking of taking 2 option papers in this coming December sitting”, I understood it to mean you were pursuing another course with only one paper left to complete it, but you abandoned it to pursue ACCA. Please read it to any good speaker of English, and this is the interpretation you will hear. To increase your chances of graduating into an accountant who speaks better English, please try to take additional lessons in English language. Please ask: “Will ACCA allow me to do that?” not “Is ACCA allow me to do that?”

    August 8, 2014 at 10:04 am #188330
    MikeLittle
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 27
    • Replies: 23310
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Hmmm! A bit up close and personal! Given that the ACCA exams are not testing English linguistic abilities (and despite your suggestion, I doubt they ever will) it would be unreasonable to criticise students for whom English is often their second language and sometimes their third or fourth.

    Such students may have no intention or desire to work in an environment where English is spoken or needed and are qualifying as ACCA in order to use accounting skills as well as communication skills.

    The fact that they are able to communicate, even though not as fluently as a natural English speaker, in a foreign language speaks much for their competences and confidence.

    I take my hat off to all of these students that are willing and able to put themselves into the position of taking technical examinations in a foreign language, and managing to do it successfully

    If I were a foreign non-natural English speaking student, I would take exception to the critical comment above. Ignore it and move on with the task of qualification

    August 8, 2014 at 11:12 am #188391
    Kwasi
    Member
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 4
    • ☆

    Probably, I descended a bit too heavily on our friend. Initially, I assumed the person was an African. Then I looked closer and found out he was Asian. Friend, I sincerely apologise to you.

    While allowing for the genuine problems of people for whom English is a second or third language, though – and congratulating them for their efforts to communicate in the language – I will only accept the validity of Mike’s proposition of the non-importance of English when ACCA begins to conduct the examinations in languages such asArabic, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil and Sinhalese, or maybe Hausa or Kiswahili. Until then, we must all encourage our students to try and enhance the quality of English they write, for they need it to interprete ratios and trends in financial analysis, besides having to answer in English all the questions in some papers. I’m not too sure Mike, if he were an examiner, would award full marks for unintelligible or unclear interpretations or answers. Let us stop doing our friends this injustice of making them think an enhanced ability to communicate in English is bad in itself.

    Anyway, I am an Akan from Ghana. Twi is my native language, and I did not have formal high school education after leaving middle school in 1971. I became a member of ICA (Ghana) by attending evening school and largely studying on my own. I only registered on (or should it be at?) this website on behalf of my teenage son who is writing the ACCA examinations.

    August 8, 2014 at 8:02 pm #188680
    Becky
    Member
    • Topics: 4
    • Replies: 160
    • ☆☆

    @qwasiantwigyamfi said:
    Probably, I descended a bit too heavily on our friend. Initially, I assumed the person was an African. Then I looked closer and found out he was Asian. Friend, I sincerely apologise to you. .

    WOW.

    August 8, 2014 at 8:15 pm #188685
    ninska
    Member
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 66
    • ☆☆

    My American manager has very bad English. And he is CPA! He for example keeps using “your” when actually meaning “you’re”. But maybe that’s the reason he doesn’t take my bad English too seriously. He concentrates into the message behind the language instead of the language itself 🙂

    August 8, 2014 at 8:38 pm #188688
    Kwasi
    Member
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 4
    • ☆

    That you draw attention to this error of your American manager means you’re unhappy with him on this and, therefore, on my side of the issue. I couldn’t be more grateful. Let us aspire for excellence. I would want us to place the greater emphasis on written reports and the negative effects that business entities might suffer because of unintelligible or poorly-written communication.

    August 8, 2014 at 8:58 pm #188695
    anjali18
    Member
    • Topics: 10
    • Replies: 42
    • ☆☆

    thank you mike i totally agree with you as i am among those whose second language is english.

    @kookimseng said:
    Hi,

    Can anyone confirm my doubts?

    I left one option paper to clear my ACCA, but I’m thinking of taking 2 option papers in this coming December sitting. It will increase my chances to graduate since if i pass anyone of the option paper I would have cleared my ACCA. Is ACCA allow me to do that?

    Thank you in advance.

    i have tried it for you it will not allowed you sit more than one for your final paper.
    i have failed unfortunately but with hard work practice and the support and help we get from opentuition and tutor like mike am sure will make it next time.
    goodluck

    August 9, 2014 at 9:46 am #188847
    Kwasi
    Member
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 4
    • ☆

    Anyway, I am an Akan from Ghana. Twi is my native language, and I did not have formal high school education after leaving middle school in 1971. I became a member of ICA (Ghana) by attending evening school and largely studying on my own. I only registered on (or should it be at?) this website on behalf of my teenage son who is writing the ACCA examinations.

    Mike: Such students may have no intention or desire to work in an environment where English is spoken or needed and are qualifying as ACCA in order to use accounting skills as well as communication skills.

    Dear Mike, Please do initiate a campaign to have ACCA examinations conducted in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese?), Tagalog and Farsi, because candidates speaking those languages won’t ever have any intention or desire to work in an environment where English is spoken. You could be sure of one thing if you did: I would be your self-appointed agent in Africa.

    Once again, would examiner Mike award full marks for unintelligible or unclear interpretations or answers for no other reason than that the candidate wasn’t born and brought up in Cambridge, Kent or Yorkshire.

    We deserve better than this kind of reasoning, Mike, if accountants are to gain the respect we are rightfully entitled to.

    Point of note: English is a second language in my own case too.

    June 10, 2024 at 11:53 am #707082
    Anonymous
    Inactive
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 1
    • ☆

    You cannot take extra optional papers beyond the required number in the ACCA qualification. You must choose the specified number of optional papers as part of the standard structure. Consider supplementary courses or certifications outside the formal ACCA program if you’re interested in additional topics.

    June 10, 2024 at 2:39 pm #707093
    mrjonbain
    Moderator
    • Topics: 6
    • Replies: 2427
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    neha7325732, welcome to the Opentuition forums. It IS possible to take further optional papers as an Affiliate or as a member of ACCA.

    June 10, 2024 at 2:40 pm #707094
    mrjonbain
    Moderator
    • Topics: 6
    • Replies: 2427
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Please see this recent response to a similar query-

    https://opentuition.com/topic/is-it-possible-to-give-3-options-exams/

    June 10, 2024 at 2:43 pm #707095
    mrjonbain
    Moderator
    • Topics: 6
    • Replies: 2427
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    https://www.accaglobal.com/uk/en/help/exam-entry.html#Can-affiliates/members-enter-additional-exams?

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Log In

Primary Sidebar

Donate
If you have benefited from our materials, please donate

ACCA News:

ACCA My Exam Performance for non-variant

Applied Skills exams is available NOW

ACCA Options:  “Read the Mind of the Marker” articles

Subscribe to ACCA’s Student Accountant Direct

ACCA CBE 2025 Exams

How was your exam, and what was the exam result?

BT CBE exam was.. | MA CBE exam was..
FA CBE exam was.. | LW CBE exam was..

Donate

If you have benefited from OpenTuition please donate.

PQ Magazine

Latest Comments

  • MikeLittle on Civil Law, Common Law, Criminal Law – ACCA Corporate and Business Law (LW) (ENG)
  • beata443c on Civil Law, Common Law, Criminal Law – ACCA Corporate and Business Law (LW) (ENG)
  • heary123@ on Group SFP – Unrealised profit and inventory in transit – ACCA Financial Reporting (FR)
  • heary123@ on Group SFP – Unrealised profit and inventory in transit – ACCA Financial Reporting (FR)
  • John Moffat on PM Chapter 15 Questions Financial Performance Measurement

Copyright © 2025 · Support · Contact · Advertising · OpenLicense · About · Sitemap · Comments · Log in