Accounting & Finance
Why study Accounting & Finance?
We are provisionally offering the new V level in Accounting and Finance as an option for September 2027. Full course details are yet to be released. When they are, we will update this page.
- Qualification
- V-level · provisional
- Course length
- Two years
- Exam board
- To be confirmed
- Assessment
- Exams + non-exam tasksProvisional course
Course introduction
What is a V Level?
V Levels are new vocational qualifications introduced by the Department for Education (DfE). They sit alongside A-levels and T-levels and are designed to be studied together with A-levels or other V-levels.
- Size: 360 guided learning hours, about the same as one A-level.
Style: applied learning. Students use real-style business scenarios and financial information, rather than only studying theory.
Grades: A* to E, plus a Pass grade (P) below E, and U for unclassified.
The content below is set nationally by the DfE. Exam boards are now writing their detailed courses, so some details may still change before September 2027.
Who the course suits
The course suits students who like working with numbers, enjoy solving real problems and want to understand how organisations make financial decisions. No previous study of business or accounting is needed.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements: TBC
Course content
What you will study?
The course teaches students to read, analyse and explain financial information so they can help organisations make good decisions. The focus is on understanding and using financial information, not on bookkeeping.
It is built around five practical goals, called work-related purposes:
Work-related purpose | What students learn to do |
|---|---|
1. Interpret financial information | Understand profit, costs and cash flow, read financial statements and budgets, and explain what the figures mean for decisions |
2. Analyse performance and position | Calculate and compare financial ratios (such as profit margin, return on capital, current ratio and gearing) and spot trends over time |
3. Evaluate financial decisions | Use budgets, break-even and cost information, and simple investment appraisal (payback period, rate of return), weighing up risk and sustainability |
4. Ethics and regulation | Apply professional ethical principles such as integrity and objectivity, and understand why honest, accurate reporting matters |
5. Communicate financial information | Present findings clearly in tables, charts and writing, adapted for managers, investors, funders or the public |
Alongside these, students build core knowledge of:
key accounting ideas such as accruals, prudence and going concern
how transactions affect a business (the "dual effect" behind double-entry bookkeeping)
different organisations: sole traders, partnerships, companies, public sector bodies and charities
how accounting software, spreadsheets and artificial intelligence are changing finance, and the importance of cyber security
environmental, social and governance issues
Calculations are part of the course, so students should be comfortable working with numbers and percentages.
What this means for students
Steady work counts. More than half the grade comes from work done during the course, not just final exams.
Applying, not just remembering. At most 10% of marks can reward recalling facts on their own. Most marks go to applying knowledge (40–45%) and to analysing information and making justified recommendations (25–30%).
Pulling it together. Some tasks will ask students to combine learning from across the course and build a sustained argument.
The exact number and type of papers and tasks will depend on the exam board we choose. We will share full details once they are confirmed.
Assessment
How you will be assessed?
Students are assessed through a mix of exams (40%) and coursework-style tasks (60%), according to rules Ofqual confirmed in September 2026.
Part | Weighting | What it involves | When |
|---|---|---|---|
Timetabled assessment | 40% | Set and marked by the exam board, taken by all students at the same time. It may be a written paper or an applied task, and Ofqual allows it to be taken on screen | May/June at the end of the course |
Non-exam assessment | 60% | Extended tasks based on organisational scenarios, set by the exam board. It may be marked by teachers and checked by the exam board, or marked by the exam board | During the course, within windows set by the exam board |
Future pathways
Where it leads
The qualification is designed to lead to further study or training, without tying students to one career early.
University: degrees in accounting, finance, business, economics and related subjects.
Higher and degree apprenticeships: in accounting and finance roles.
Careers it links to: accounting technician, assistant accountant, finance analyst, finance business partner and business administration.
Along the way students develop skills employers value: problem solving, numerical reasoning, ethical judgement, digital literacy and clear communication.
Contact the subject team
Ask questions about the course and discuss your choices with us.
Mrs G. Buckley