The British Council is working with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to roll out computer-based examinations for Foundation level qualifications. This started in September 2016 and since then ACCA candidates in 178 locations, in 38 countries, have had the option of sitting computer-based examinations. The phasing out of pen and paper exams began with the March 2018 session and by June 2019 all of our centres will be delivering computer-based ACCA exams.
As part of the roll-out we will be delivering ACCA computer-based exams in countries where we don’t have a British Council office. For example, in December 2017 we delivered the first ACCA computer-based exam session in Cambodia. This was managed by the British Council through our exams team in Thailand.
Our first task was to identify and secure a suitable venue. British Council exams officers and IT staff based in Thailand visited venues in Phnom Penh to assess the quality of the facilities, the suitability of the location, whether the computer hardware met our exacting specifications, and the technical expertise and professionalism of the venue staff.
The designated exams officers and the IT technician were fully trained on the ACCA exams platform and software and on how to troubleshoot and resolve problems that might arise. They travelled to Cambodia a few days before the exam session was due to start and, after installing the software, cascaded this training to staff at the venue. During the installation period, a senior member of the exams team in Thailand had remote access to the software and was able to carry out checks to confirm everything was in place ahead of the session.
The exams were a success and we will be running further computer-based sessions for ACCA in Cambodia throughout 2018.
This experience demonstrates how through deployment of experienced exams personnel and careful selection of venue partners, the British Council can successfully deliver CBT even in countries where we don’t have an exams operation on the ground.
Evalynn Jepita, Country Exams Manager Thailand