DFS section 2 (June 09 exam)

Susie79
Susie79 Registered Posts: 7 New contributor 🐸
I was very dissapointed to hear I had failed section 2 of the DFS exam, along with so many of my colleagues! We all passed the PEV exam and section 1 of DFS but for some strange reason all failed section 2!

I have put my appeal forward and I hope that it will be looked into as we have all worked so hard for this and being the first fail I've had, it makes it very dis-heartening indeed.:crying:

Has anyone else had a similar result?
What can we do about it?
«13

Comments

  • di.w59
    di.w59 Registered Posts: 7 New contributor 🐸
    Dfs

    sorry to hear you failed, me too on section 2, have requested copy of answers, thought i had done ok with that, wander how many more have failed same part tho:crying:
  • mark130273
    mark130273 Registered Posts: 4,234 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
    it does seem very strange that you have all failed the exam.....have to ask weather you had all the pages in the exam because if you did have any pages missing then this would most probibly make every fail .but other than that maybe you should be looking at the teaching method on wether you got taught the subject correctly ??
  • Susie79
    Susie79 Registered Posts: 7 New contributor 🐸
    Its very odd indeed!! I have a copy of the question and answer paper from the website and the chief assessors report and he states that task 2.2 is a new question that has been added in this paper.

    This was the definitions of "current assets" and "current liabilities" which threw a lot of people as we listed the definitions of assets and liabilities that we had been taught, forgetting to add the "within 12 months" to the end which relates to the "current" bit. Other than that we cant see how the whole section was failed :(

    I have been through my notes again and again and do not have the exact definition of what they asked for so it seems unfair to lose marks for this, as sadly the assessor stated he would not give any marks for reciting the definition only of an asset and liability.


    The only other part to section 2 is the ratio/formulas and commenting on the performance of the company, which I thought I had done pretty ok on! I did state that investment in the company is not adviseable and this is what the AAT answers state also.

    Im so confused and annoyed!!! Surely something has to be done about this but sadly it seems that we cannot request a copy of our original worked paper so cannot see how our answers compared to the AAT's :001_unsure:
  • Flashb
    Flashb Registered Posts: 4 New contributor 🐸
    dead certain dfs was in the bag

    Hi, I took all 5 technician exams in june. Passed 3 but I was certain I had passed DFS.
    I worked so hard on that paper. Just like yourselves I failed section 2. I will definitely be appealing.
    I think there must be some kind of error.

    Anyone aware of the appeals procedure?
  • Susie79
    Susie79 Registered Posts: 7 New contributor 🐸
    You can send a blank email to appeals@aat.org.uk and they will send you a form to fill in and send back, I have also emailed examqueries@aat.org.uk informing them of the query and asking them what can be done about it.

    Hope this helps :thumbup:
  • Flashb
    Flashb Registered Posts: 4 New contributor 🐸
    much appreciated, I have a feeling there has been some kind of error.

    Hopefully the word spreads about this thread and our assumptions about section 2 are correct.

    Thanks again!!
  • Susie79
    Susie79 Registered Posts: 7 New contributor 🐸
    I hope so too, dont much like the idea of re-sitting the whole exam again if it is something stupid that can be rectified by the AAT.

    I have invited my colleagues to join this thread so spread the word and lets see who else has suffered the same :thumbup:
  • lynne03
    lynne03 Registered Posts: 10 New contributor 🐸
    failed dfs

    I too have failed DFS section 2, and my mistake was I left out the 12 month bit, absolutely gutted, not sure whether to appeal or just get on and resit, has anyone out their used the new computer based exams??? saves you having to wait until december
  • di.w59
    di.w59 Registered Posts: 7 New contributor 🐸
    computer based exams

    not sure how you do that if you find out would be interested although may appeal anyway:001_unsure:
  • lynne03
    lynne03 Registered Posts: 10 New contributor 🐸
    BPP offer them just book over the phone, u also get a provisional pass or fail on the day, think the cost is about £60-a tutor is ringing me later to explain everything:001_unsure:
  • Luflux
    Luflux Registered Posts: 52 Regular contributor ⭐
    I passed DFS and PCR but failed the 2nd section of PEV, Which i was really surprised about as it seemed to be quite an easy exam. Naturally I'm appealing but shocked to see it will cost only £5 less than actually retaking it. I need to know where i went wrong though so there goes my beer money!
  • Luflux
    Luflux Registered Posts: 52 Regular contributor ⭐
    lynne03 wrote: »
    BPP offer them just book over the phone, u also get a provisional pass or fail on the day, think the cost is about £60-a tutor is ringing me later to explain everything:001_unsure:

    Isnt that for Level 2 and 3 only?
  • di.w59
    di.w59 Registered Posts: 7 New contributor 🐸
    will you let me know what tutor says bout the computer based would be interested
  • katielou
    katielou Registered Posts: 28 Regular contributor ⭐
    Hi all,

    I also have failed DFS section 2, and i was 100% certain i'd passed it! Dont know what happened!!

    As for sitting the Computer based exams I enquired about it this morning and it is only for foundation and intermediate!
  • heartsandstars
    heartsandstars Registered Posts: 76 Regular contributor ⭐
    I'm another member of the "didn't pass section 2 of the DFS paper" Club.

    Sadly though, I can't remember what I put in the paper at all (i was in tears after I took it, so thats not really a good sign!) so I won't be appealing the decision. At least its the final bit I need for my AAT so I can focus completely on DFS for December.
  • lynne03
    lynne03 Registered Posts: 10 New contributor 🐸
    oh well, looks like i'll have to wait until december, still can't believe one wrong question can make you fail a paper:o
  • Steve Collings
    Steve Collings Registered Posts: 997 Epic contributor 🐘
    It seems DFS is the paper that students seemed to have failed on the most this sitting which admittedly I was certainly not expecting.

    I think the parts that confused students the most (certainly from correspondence with students since the exam) was the impairment question and the current assets/liabilities question. Lots of students who I have had dealings with both on here and on the AccountancyStudents forum did cite the definition of an asset/liability defined in the Framework Document. However, this was in fact tested in December 2008 so I think what has thrown candidates is the fact that current assets and liabilities are indeed defined in IAS 1 as opposed to the Framework.

    Section 2 only accounts for 30% of the entire paper and it is this section which students often fail on simply because of the imbalance of section 2 with section 1.

    December's not too far away, so try not to let the disappointment get you down too much. At least you're more prepared for DFS in December as you have already attempted it, so know the style of the paper.

    Best wishes

    Steve
  • Mr Bollas
    Mr Bollas Registered Posts: 4 New contributor 🐸
    Passed

    Passed DFS & MAC first time :001_tt2:

    Personally thought DFS was the harder paper time wise as didnt have enough time left to check it thoroughly. And also because I focused more on MAC in the week before and neglected poor old DFS (was still cramming it in, in the lobby)

    But who cares, roll on the Tax papers in December and i'm done :thumbup1:
  • heartsandstars
    heartsandstars Registered Posts: 76 Regular contributor ⭐
    ^^^rub it in why don't you! :P hehe

    I completely forgot the DFS weighting was different than the othe exams - strangely this has made me feel better about the December sitting.
  • Jenb2k2
    Jenb2k2 Registered Posts: 5 New contributor 🐸
    failed

    :confused1:

    I am yet another who failed section 2 of the DFS exam. How can AAT justify the failing of a paper when it is only 30% of the whole exam? unless the whole section was incorrect?
  • Mr Bollas
    Mr Bollas Registered Posts: 4 New contributor 🐸
    Cash Flow Stmnt DFS

    I know for sure i messed this bit up, I think the layout was right but the figures were wrong and didnt have chance to go back and check it.

    But as I still passed the advice I would give is just get as much down as possible and worry about the figures being 100% afterwards
  • Londina
    Londina Registered Posts: 814 Epic contributor 🐘
    Mr Bollas wrote: »
    Passed DFS & MAC first time :001_tt2:
    Personally thought DFS was the harder paper time wise

    no way!! MAC is the hardest, DFS for me was the easiest. Still surprised that I passed both, however in DFS section 2 I did correctly the majority of ratios but totally a mess on the current assets/liabilities question, I think I managed to pass just because I said they were assets/liabilities of the period only?

    Good luck anyone with the next sitting, just concentrate to memorise the key ratios and even you do wrong the rest, you would be able to pass Section 2!
  • katielou
    katielou Registered Posts: 28 Regular contributor ⭐
    I have just been looking through the answers to DFS section 2 and I am really confused as to why i have failed!! I beleive I answered most of the questions in very similar ways to what are givin in the answer booklet.

    I am now torn between gettin my paper reveiwed or just admitting defeat and re-sitting in Dec 09?
  • cs_1988
    cs_1988 Registered Posts: 231 Dedicated contributor 🦉
    Hi Guys,

    You wouldnt lose enough marks in the current question to warrent a fail. Exam papers are marked twice, to ensure no errors. But good luck in your appeals. If successful, let others know so they too may do it!!

    Chris
  • spurschic1@yahoo.com
    spurschic1@yahoo.com Registered Posts: 94 Regular contributor ⭐
    I too failed on section 2 which I'm gutted about. I didn't feel that confident when I came out of the exam but did hope I'd done enough for it. I too will probably appeal although not sure if there's any point?!

    My sympathies are with everyone that failed this section

    Just hard to keep motivated now though isn't it!
  • numberz
    numberz Registered Posts: 44 Regular contributor ⭐
    i failed section 2 dfs too, very very surprised
    very confused??????

    I'm not going to appeal, i'm gonna do the resit in december, can't afford to pay for both, saying that got to pay for student membership too arghhhhhhh
  • Luflux
    Luflux Registered Posts: 52 Regular contributor ⭐
    Im starting to think the same way Numberz but wish they told the unsuccesful what to focus on in the retakes. Especially as we dont know exactly why we failed.
  • katielou
    katielou Registered Posts: 28 Regular contributor ⭐
    Luflux wrote: »
    Im starting to think the same way Numberz but wish they told the unsuccesful what to focus on in the retakes. Especially as we dont know exactly why we failed.

    I agree, i would like to know what it was where i went wrong but dont want to pay for a reveiw and also the rest of the fee to re-sit!
  • MattW
    MattW Registered Posts: 40 Regular contributor ⭐
    I also failed section 2, was suprised as the only real issue (so i thought) was my consolidated balance sheet didn't balance.

    I put the 12 month bit on the current assets/liabilites and I'm sure my IAS36 definition was up to scratch.

    Ratio wise I did get one wrong, but not horribly - just remember checking my passcards when I left the exam thinking I'd got the wrong base to the formula.

    Might appeal after reading this!

    Matt
  • Ampsie
    Ampsie Registered Posts: 145 Dedicated contributor 🦉
    Hi All,

    Just to give an idea to people doing resits...

    I passed DFs and i KNOW i got no marks on the very last question as i just gave the definitions on assets and liabilities and didn't even mention anything about current ones.
    I know i made a slight mistake on the gearing ratio but i practised writing reports so much and i think that is where i gained enough marks to pass.

    So maybe that is the thing to focus on for section 2. Make sure your report contains the phrases that the examiner is looking for.

    Good luck and don't lose heart!

    Ampsie
    :001_smile:
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