If you’re planning to start the ACCA course, one of the first things worth knowing is what subjects you’ll be studying. It’s not just about passing exams… it’s about developing knowledge that lines up with how accounting and finance actually work.
The ACCA qualification is split into 3 levels – Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills, and Strategic Professional. Each level covers different parts of accounting, finance, tax, audit, and business. The structure makes sense if you’re planning to work in roles that deal with numbers, strategy, or regulation.
Let’s go through what you’ll study at each stage so you know what to expect.
Applied Knowledge Level
This is the starting point. You begin with three subjects that introduce core ideas. These aren’t advanced, but they lay the base.
Business and Technology (BT)
This subject gives you a picture of how businesses are set up, what departments they usually have, and how financial information supports decision-making. It also covers systems, data, and basic tech used in business environments.
Management Accounting (MA)
You learn the ins and outs of the company’s accounting system in this ACCA course subject. This includes costing, budgets, performance planning, and short-term decisions. It’s about using data to make choices within an organisation.
Financial Accounting (FA)
This is where your education in company investment-focused finance will begin. You learn about double-entry bookkeeping, ledgers, and producing basic financial reports.
These subjects aren’t too technical, and you don’t need a finance background to follow them. They give you a structured introduction that helps in the next level.
Applied Skills Level
This level takes you from basic ideas to more technical topics. You go from recording transactions to applying rules and methods used in real-world jobs. There are six subjects here.
Corporate and Business Law (LW)
This subject covers the legal environment businesses operate in. That includes contracts, employment, business formation, and how laws affect commercial decisions.
Performance Management (PM)
This one builds on what you learned in management accounting. You cover more detailed costing methods, budgeting techniques, and performance measurement.
Taxation (TX)
This subject teaches how tax works – both for individuals and businesses. You’ll calculate taxes, follow basic rules, and understand how tax affects decisions. The version depends on which country you register from.
Financial Reporting (FR)
You go beyond the basics and learn how to prepare full sets of financial statements. You’ll apply international reporting standards and learn how to read reports more critically.
Audit and Assurance (AA)
This introduces the audit process, how evidence is gathered, and how auditors form opinions. You also look at risks, documentation, and ethical responsibilities.
Financial Management (FM)
Here, you start learning about finance from a business investment angle. You look at working capital, risk, raising finance, and how companies make financial decisions.
If you’re wondering how this fits into your longer-term goal, you might want to read more on what is ACCA and how these subjects build your path in global finance careers.
Strategic Professional Level
By the time you reach this level, the subjects become broader and more applied. Instead of just learning rules, you work through business scenarios. There are two core subjects that everyone takes, plus two optional ones.
Strategic Business Leader (SBL)
This subject combines everything from leadership to governance, risk, ethics, and strategy. All questions are based on real business cases and you’ll be expected to analyse a situation and suggest what should happen next.
Strategic Business Reporting (SBR)
This subject moves deeper into financial reporting. The focus shifts to ethics, transparency, and how financial reports influence decision-making. You apply international reporting standards in a more practical setting.
Optional Subjects (Choose Two)
- Advanced Financial Management (AFM)
- Advanced Performance Management (APM)
- Advanced Taxation (ATX)
- Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA)
These optional papers let you focus on an area that fits your goals. If you’re aiming at finance leadership roles, AFM is common.
If your path is audit or tax, AAA or ATX makes more sense. The point is, by the time you reach this level, the ACCA course subjects reflect the kind of decisions you’ll be making at work.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking at ACCA seriously, knowing the subjects isn’t just about exams… it’s about seeing what kind of work you’ll eventually be doing. The structure is well thought out. You start from how businesses operate, build through tax, law, and reporting, and end up dealing with full business cases at the senior level.
The ACCA course is a long-term decision, but the subjects are laid out in a way that’s manageable, logical, and career-relevant. And if you’re looking for a training partner that understands both working professionals and full-time students, Zell Education’s ACCA batches are worth checking out. Their track record with exam results, practical learning style, and schedule flexibility make them a strong choice for anyone who wants to get this done without guesswork.
