ACCA Skill Syllabus: The Six Applied Papers
ConferenzaApplied Skills is the technical heart of ACCA - six exams that turn foundations into real professional competence in reporting, tax, audit, law and finance. Here is the middle level, paper by paper, and how the six connect.
1The six papers
Law and performance, then tax, reporting, audit and finance.
Corporate and Business Law
The legal framework a business operates within - contract, employment, company law and governance. The content follows a jurisdiction variant (for example a Global or country-specific version), so make sure you are on the right one.
Performance Management
Management accounting at greater depth - advanced costing, budgeting, variance analysis and performance measurement for decisions. It builds directly on MA from Applied Knowledge, so a strong base there pays off here.
Taxation
How the tax system works for individuals and companies - income, corporation, capital and indirect taxes. Taxation is jurisdiction-specific: you sit a chosen variant, so confirm which one applies to you on accaglobal.com.
Financial Reporting
IFRS-based financial statements - preparing single-company and consolidated accounts, and interpreting them. This is the reporting engine of the qualification and feeds straight into Audit and, later, SBR.
Audit and Assurance
The audit process end to end - risk assessment, internal control, gathering evidence, and reporting. Answer in the language of the standards and lean on what you know from Financial Reporting.
Financial Management
The finance decisions a business makes - investment appraisal, sources of finance, working capital management and basic valuations. Formula fluency plus interpretation is what earns the marks.
2Where to focus
Six technical papers reward connections and a steady plan.
Pair FR with AA
Audit tests the financial statements you learn to build in Financial Reporting. Studying them close together makes both click.
Lock in the right variant
Taxation, and often Law, depend on a jurisdiction variant. Confirm yours on accaglobal.com before you buy materials or book.
Reading IFRS without working it
Financial Reporting is a doing subject. Work full consolidation and preparation questions - do not just read the standards.
Underestimating the volume
Six technical papers are a big step up from Applied Knowledge. Plan the sequence rather than piling them all at once.
3How to plan them
A sensible order that lets each paper support the next.
- 1
Build Financial Reporting early
- FR sits at the centre - many other papers lean on it.
- Checkpoint: comfortable with a basic consolidation?
- 2
Add Audit alongside
- Study AA close to FR so the reporting knowledge stays fresh.
- 3
Take PM then FM
- Performance Management and Financial Management pair well together.
- 4
Fit TX and LW to your variant
- Checkpoint: materials match the jurisdiction you will sit.
Tap to reveal.
Which paper tests IFRS financial statements and consolidation?Reveal
Financial Reporting (FR) - preparing single-company and consolidated accounts under IFRS, and interpreting them.
Which papers depend on the jurisdiction you choose?Reveal
Taxation (TX), and usually Corporate and Business Law (LW), follow a jurisdiction variant. Confirm which variant applies to you on accaglobal.com.
How many Applied Skills papers are there?Reveal
Six - LW, PM, TX, FR, AA and FM - the technical core of the qualification.
Written by the Conferenza Study Desk to help learners - a friendly overview, not the official document. Applied Skills papers, exam format, variants, exemptions and dates can change; always confirm the current syllabus and rules on the official ACCA website (accaglobal.com).
Practise the right way for ACCA Skill
Chapter-wise question banks, sample papers and workbooks for ACCA Skill — everything you need to turn understanding into marks.