Syllabus for the AAT Level 2 course

The AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting (Foundation) will give you an understanding of basic accounting principles and skills. You’ll lay the groundwork for a career in accountancy, with an initial focus on finance administration. Topics covered include double entry bookkeeping and basic costing principles.

We translate the syllabus that the AAT sets into a combination of activities, classes, and other content to ensure you get the best learning experience possible.

The AAT Foundation Certificate consists of five units:

1. Bookkeeping Transactions
Review double-entry processes and business documentation, trial balances, the cashbook, reconciling a supplier’s statement, discounted transactions and payment records.

2. Bookkeeping Controls
Be able to prepare control accounts, use journals, understand the banking system, and manage cash books, petty cash and control accounts.

3. Elements of Costing 
Learn how to calculate product costs and budget effectively using spreadsheets including cost behaviour, manufacturing accounts, labour costing, product coding and costing for inventories.

4. Using Accounting Software
Develop the skills needed to professionally process transactions using computerised accounting software, learn how to effectively set up a company, create customer and supplier records, manage ledgers, enter sales and purchase transactions, and understanding banking receipts and payments.

AVADO students now have exclusive access to our free Xero Accelerate add-on to the Using Accounting Software unit. Revisit the case studies and apply your new skills within Xero's online accounting software and future-proof your knowledge.

5. Work Effectively in Finance
Discover how to work effectively within an accounting team, complete accounting and payroll functions, learn about professional ethics and understand key business skills such as managing workload, personal development and literacy and numeracy skills

Also included in your course is a free Xero Advisor Certification short course. You will learn the basics of using Xero's cloud-based accounting software, giving your CV another edge in a competitive job market.

During the course, you will take five exams: four computer-based assessments and one synoptic exam, which will all be held at an approved exam centre. The AAT introduced synoptic exams as part of their new AQ2016 syllabus, designed to test your knowledge across all the units in a qualification.

Our programme has been designed with these synoptic assessments in mind so you know you’ll be fully prepared before you sit them. Along with advice from your tutor, you can decide when you’re ready to take your exams. In fact we're so confident that we offer you a Pass Guarantee: follow the milestones on the campus and if you don't pass your synoptic exam first-time we'll give you free tutor support for a resit.*

Key course information:

• Accredited by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)
• Level 2 qualification - comparable to a GCSE or higher diploma level qualification
• Four computer-based exams and one synoptic assessment, all taken at an external test centre
• Typically complete within 9 months
• Free Xero Advisor certification and Xero Accelerate course add-on