CIMA Handbook

I. LONDON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & FINANCE

Introduction to the School

London School of Business & Finance (LSBF) is a specialist in quality professional and postgraduate
education. The school is an independent private establishment, with campuses in central London,
Birmingham and Manchester.

In addition to professional qualifications with ACCA, ICAEW, CIMA, CIM and CFA®, LSBF also offers a
range of postgraduate MBA and MSc programmes, as well as highly practical Certificate programmes and
prestigious Executive courses. Dynamic and goal oriented, the school uses every resource possible to
realise the potential of its students.

It is our mission to prepare students for leadership, excellence and success. We believe that the best
way to achieve this is to provide a personal experience for each student. We invest all our efforts in
transforming our students into dynamic professionals with a global perspective.

Our groundbreaking programmes bring together academic knowledge and highly valued practical
skills. They develop both professionalism and management competence, creating innovative leaders
with the ability to succeed in challenging situations. By combining professional qualifications with
academic degrees, LSBF gives students the strongest possible foundation for success in any business
environment.

We believe that accounting, marketing and human resource professionals are the backbone of
business, and should possess first-class management skills. Our vision is to drive change through
industry by addressing both professional and managerial training needs. The LSBF’s unique and
relevant programmes will bring great benefits to students, employers and the overall economy.

We are proud to provide a vibrant, creative and inspiring atmosphere to develop your
potential.

LSBF’s position as London’s most dynamic tuition provider and a prestigious name in the industry was
asserted by the School being voted the PQ Magazine College of the Year award for two years running.

LSBF has partnered with InterActive, an innovative study platform that enables students to study
professional qualifications 100% online. The InterActive platform uses cutting edge technology to
deliver entire syllabuses; enabling students to watch pre-recorded, studio quality lectures, with the same
tutors that teach on campus in London.

Size of School

6000 Students
230 Staff

Where we are:

Our London campus is situated in Holborn; very close to Chancery Lane Tube Station, Exit 3.

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II. ACADEMIC FACULTY

The ACCA academic faculty at LSBF is headed by two Directors:

Robert Sowerby ACMA, Director of Academics

rsowerby@lsbf.org.uk

Paul Merison ACA, Director of Academics

pmerison@lsbf.org.uk

Student and Academic Support Team

Alina Gog – Student & Academic Support Manager

agog@lsbf.org.uk

Monica Martins – Professional Programmes Co-ordinator

mmartins@lsbf.org.uk

Francis Siwale – Student & Academic Support Officer

fsiwale@lsbf.org.uk

Hanif Ali – Student & Academic Support Officer

hali@lsbf.org.uk

Magda Nagy – Student & Academic Support Officer

mnagy@lsbf.org.uk

Jason Defoe – Student & Academic Support Officer

jdefoe@lsbf.org.uk

Yvette Snowden – Student & Academic Support Officer

ysnowden@lsbf.org.uk

Shabbar Ahmed – Student & Academic Support Officer

shabbar.ahmed@lsbf.org.uk

If you have a question or issue which is not resolved through contacting any of the individuals
above, please contact Teresa Jacobs, Director of Excellence and Quality Assurance on
tjacobs@LSBF.org.uk

LSBF TEL: 020 3393 3823

Should you wish to come and meet us, you are welcome to do so between 9:00am and
6:00pm, Monday to Friday.

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 III. CIMA TUITION

Introduction to CIMA - What is CIMA?

CIMA is a UK professional accountancy body whose focus is on the training and qualifying of accountants
in business. It represents financial managers and accountants who work in industry, commerce, not-for-
profit and public sector organizations. Its key activities are related to strategies for use within business.
CIMA's aim is to provide a valuable qualification for students, to support members and employers, and
protect the public interest. CIMA has over 81,000 students and 62,000 members in 154 countries.
CIMA's focus on management functions makes it unique, and it is internationally recognised as offering
the financial qualification for business. CIMA works with leading employers in the UK and around the
world to train and qualify financial managers. CIMA pride themselves on the commercial relevance of
their syllabus, which is continually enhanced to reflect the latest business developments.

Remember: YOU MUST REGISTER AS A STUDENT WITH CIMA. Non-registration will mean that
you will be unable to sit any exams or progress on the course.

Before you register with CIMA

Your CIMA study centre is at London School of Business and Finance.

If you want to complete the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting, London School of Business and
Finance is also your computer based assessment centre.

For written exams please check your nearest exam centre. You must ensure that you can attend one of
the exam centres before registering for CIMA. If you have any further questions then look at CIMA Global
website: www.cimaglobal.com

CIMA online registration:

Please visit CIMA’s website at www.cimaglobal.com

Procedure:

1. Enter your personal details online.

2. Pay your fees online or (non UK/Irish applicants only) select the post payment option if you cannot pay
by accepted card.
3. Print off your student registration confirmation or part-registration statement, as appropriate, at the
end of the online process.
4. Send this registration confirmation to CIMA, together with certified paper copies of certificates and
transcripts confirming your educational or professional qualifications.
5. If you have not paid online, to complete the registration process, send CIMA your payment together
with your part-registration statement and certified copies of your educational documents immediately.
6. If you are eligible for exemptions CIMA will write to you within 28 days. If you have any further
questions regarding registering with CIMA please contact at cima.contact@cimaglobal.com

Deadlines

CIMA registration deadlines of 31 January and 31 July (for the May and November exam sittings
respectively) apply to the online registration process.
It is important that you ensure certified paper copies of your educational documents reach CIMA by these
deadlines if you plan to sit Professional level papers at the next sitting.

Do not part-register unless you can send your payment immediately. Until you have paid you are not a
CIMA student and remain ineligible to sit CIMA assessments or exams.

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CIMA CONTACT INFORMATION GUIDE

CIMA
26 Chapter Street
London
SW1P 4NP
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8849 2251
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8849 2450
Email: cima.contact@cimaglobal.com
Web: www.cimaglobal.com

IV. LSBF and CIMA

How to register as a student at LSBF: Application process:

If applying for a CIMA programme and you hold a Finance/Accounting related degree and/or
professional qualification, you could be eligible for exemptions. Please inquire with CIMA using
this link: www.cimaglobal.com/exemptions

How to apply for exemptions (if appropriate) emphasising the need to ensure that students
undertake a gap analysis where appropriate

You may have previously passed exams which entitle you to exemption from some of the CIMA exams.

You can expect to receive exemptions if: You hold a relevant degree or a relevant professional
qualification. For example, AAT membership offers exemptions from the whole Certificate level. LSBF
advise you to check your starting point with CIMA www.cimaglobal.com/exemptions and obtain written
conformation of your exemptions status before embarking on any course of study.

Being awarded exemptions assumes you upon have the knowledge required to progress your chosen
course. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are completely up date with prior knowledge
requirements.

How to register for exams: for procedure please check the following link on CIMA website:
http://213.86.59.169/cps/rde/xbcr/live/cimaglobaluserguide.pdf

For Computer Based Exams (Certificate Level): You may book with us at the reception desk on the
3rd Floor. Bookings should be made, and paid for, at least 1 week prior to the examination date.

Modes of study for CIMA at LSBF:

Full time
Modular basis (by selected papers – suitable for part-time students)

Revision sessions:
Revision is built into the course

What is expected of the student attending the course? Out of college self-study hours (e.g.
expected study time per week): Minimum time should be equal to the tuition time in the college.

Importance of the Past Papers: To emphasise the importance and value of practising past paper type
questions under exam conditions LSBF provides a mock exam for all students at the end of the course.

Students are also encouraged to use the CIMA website as a resource of past papers to practice question
and read the examiners comments in the post exam guides (PEGS).

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Details of mock exams: Mock exams are built in into the body of the course. They are scheduled at the
end of every course during the two weeks reserved for revisions and mock exam. They are held on
Saturday’s and Sunday’s.

Being awarded exemptions assumes you have the knowledge required to progress on your chosen
course. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are completely up to date with prior knowledge
requirements.

College quality procedures:

- Bi-annual questionnaires for student feedback – 1 per semester

- Employer liaison –.
- Regular CIMA teaching staff meetings – one every semester
- External review of CIMA course (e.g. faculty review)
- CIMA Learning involvement

CIMA tuition calendar and timetables including revision details

Please see attached timetable

Student services
1. Library facilities – Library open from 9.00am – 9.00pm Monday to Friday and at weekends from
9.00am – 6.00pm – You can only borrow books with your student card.
2. Counselling services
3. Careers guidance – LSBF Jobwire (e-mail with job openings sent to students every week)

WHO TO CONTACT

Payment related queries - email payment.centre@lsbf.org.uk or call extension 717 or 718. You can
make payments, request receipts and other related payment queries. Please note that the Finance
Department does not deal with refunds (for the full procedures, please refer to our Terms and Conditions
and Refunds Policy, which can be found on our website www.lsbf.org.uk).

Student Support and Administration – you must send your query or request via the myLSBF portal.
However, if your account is blocked or encountering problems while submitting a request please email
professional.admin@lsbf.org.uk or call 020 3393 3823. Contact this department if you have any problems
with your account, require any letters including visa / CAS and Council Tax letters or need any other
information.

Complaints procedure
If you have any problems with your tuition you should:
1. In the first instance approach your tutor
2. Approach the Student and Academic Support Office (details above)
3. If you have a question or issue which is not resolved through contacting any of the individuals
above, please contact Teresa Jacobs, Director of Excellence and Quality Assurance on
tjacobs@LSBF.org.uk