ICAEW materials – what has changed?

This year ICAEW is going paperless by providing the workbook (previously the study text) and question bank in an e-format on a digital bookshelf.  The tax tables and audit standards will also be provided in this way.

The only exception is the IFRS Blue Book which will still be provided as a paper copy.

What is included with my ICAEW course?

As part of your ICAEW course at First Intuition, you will receive the following materials:

ICAEW workbook

These digital publications act as reference tools and are easily searchable.  They can be annotated and accessed on a number of devices to help you study wherever you may be.  The workbooks also include questions for you to test your understanding with a button to easily check the answer.

ICAEW question bank

As with all things, practice makes perfect.  So the best way to practice for a computer based exam is by using computer based resources.  The question bank allows you to mimic the experience of the exam itself as you build your knowledge.

FI course notes

These come in both soft copy and hard copy for you.  Hard copy notes allow you to write in as you are learning.  Soft copy notes allow you to refer back easily when you are not near your notes.  Hard copy notes can also be taken into the open book exams (BPT, CR, SBM and case) in addition to your ICAEW digital bookcase.

FI Learn access

All materials can be accessed through your FI Learn account.  You can watch pre recorded videos covering the course notes and watch debriefs of course and mock exams and for certificate papers you can also attempt practice assessments and test your learning quizzes.

Permitted texts

Tax tables for TC/BPT and Audit Standards for AA – provided by the ICAEW on the ICAEW digital bookshelf, easy to navigate for that quick fact required in the exam.

Why has the ICAEW changed?

Given exams are all computer-based with paperless scenarios, it’s a natural progression for learning materials to be so too. This allows them to be accessed wherever you are, on the device that is most convenient for you either on a mobile, tablet or desktop.  As well as ensuring you are practising in a paperless way ready for the exam.

What are the benefits?

• Portability – Instant access, on any device wherever and whenever. No need to carry around heavy printed materials! Your annotations will be synchronised across all devices when you are online.
• Availability – You can download your ICAEW materials to access when you are offline.
• Interactive – Annotate, highlight and search – you can still annotate and highlight while studying, and have the added benefit of searching not only the learning materials, but your annotations too. Access past exam questions directly from your question bank. Test yourself by hiding and revealing the answers at the touch of a button.
• Accessibility – You can access your personal ICAEW Bookshelf within the open book exams. You will be able to access your materials, your annotations and highlights and use the search functions, during your open book exams! (BPT, CR and SBM).
• Updatability – Digital format means resit students can be more easily supported. You will automatically have access to the latest edition of learning materials without any extra charge!
• Navigability – a digital format is immediately more accessible, as it offers functionality that allows you to navigate to sections quickly, zoom in and change background colours
• Useability – use the text to speech or speed reader options to study in a way that suits you and your needs.

Not to mention saving 262 tonnes of paper per year!

How do I access my ICAEW materials?

Upon purchase of an FI course, a licence will be made available to you to redeem via an email link from the FI centre you booked with. Once redeemed, access your ICAEW learning materials via the Bibliu app. This is available from the Apple and Google Play stores. When logging in, select ICAEW from the drop down and enter your ICAEW log in details.

What do FI tutors say?

Join FI tutors Ryan Hill and Ginny Bradwell as they discuss ICAEW’s move to paperless materials and what this means for you and your studies (11mins).

What do other students say?

Sagar

“It is good as we don’t have to worry about going through the whole book and highlighting important bits beforehand and we can use the time instead to revise and study. The search function is a LOT faster than looking through a book… this saves time in the exam.”

Clare

“It is good because it is far easier and faster to electronically search for a section than flicking through a large book.  Just having a highlighted book doesn’t mean you can find anything!”

Jack

“I think the search function alone makes it worthwhile. The highlighting could be useful when picking bits to bring across into your answers too.  I love how we can navigate between questions and answers in the QB quickly without having to turn to the back constantly.

Rebecca

“Seems like it would be a lot easier to search for what you need rather than using a book and would save a lot of time in the exam. If you can copy and paste straight from text into your answer then this could also save time which is good.  I really like having the workbook and question bank on my phone to access whenever and wherever.”

David

“Ctrl F is a game changer!”

ICAEW materials FAQs

Does this mean I can’t take paper copies into the exam?

For AA and TC you will have access to a clean version of your permitted text in the exam.  No hard copies can be taken in  We will work with you during the tuition phase to find things quickly and easily.

For FAR you can take the Blue IFRS book into the exam.  This is not available on the book shelf yet.

Can I print the digital learning materials myself?

These products have been created for a digital format and we can only recommend that they are used digitally to get the best out of their functionality and enhance your learning experience

I am a resit student, do I need to buy the digital materials or can I use my 2020 materials?

For CR and SBM the 2020 materials will suffice for the exam and can be taken in digital form.  However, you will not have any materials on your bookshelf to access in the exam if you haven’t purchased any.

For AA and TC you will automatically be given access to a blank e-version of the Audit standards or Tax tables in the exam – no paper copies can be taken in with you.

How long will I have access to my digital materials?

The ICAEW do not plan on taking materials away from you once they are in your ICAEW Bookshelf. However please note that the content of the ICAEW digital learning materials are intended to prepare students for the ICAEW exams, it is not recommended using them for professional advice.

Can I use my Kindle to study with the digital learning materials?

No. The format and functionality and format of our digital learning materials are not compatible with the Kindle systems.

For more information please visit the ICAEW website.

You can find out more about our ICAEW programme here.