How do I tell you if I am unhappy?

At ACCA we are committed to providing excellent customer service at every possible opportunity.

As with all organisations, there may be rare occasions when our service falls below an acceptable standard. If this happens, please send us full details of your complaint:

By email: complaints@accaglobal.com

Please provide your full name and ACCA registration number in your email.

If your enquiry relates to something other than a complaint, it will be re-routed to the appropriate department, which may lead to a delay in any response being provided.

If something happens at the exam centre that affects my performance, can I make a complaint?

ACCA makes every effort to ensure that you sit the exams in the best conditions possible. However, should you need to make a complaint, please contact the exam supervisor during the exam in order that everything possible can be done to rectify the situation.

If you feel that the situation has affected your exam performance, please inform ACCA directly by submitting details of your complaint via the Exams section of the myACCA portal

You must complete your complaint on your myACCA account with relevant details by the deadline date for the exam session, in order for the situation to be investigated and taken into account in the results process.

For more information on submitting a centre complaint, please watch our video below.

What happens if I have attended my examinations but it has been affected by illness or other factors, such as technical issues?

If you have experienced difficult circumstances that you feel have affected your exam performance, you can let us know by following the mitigating circumstances process

For more information on this, please visit our students FAQs on exams page.

Unhappy with your result?

ACCA undertakes many checks and controls during the marking process to ensure that all exam results are accurate.

A series of independent checks are carried out during the marking process to verify that data returned to ACCA by markers is correct.

Should I apply for an administrative review?

The quality controls applied at each stage of the marking process ensure the integrity of ACCA's results data. However, ACCA recognises that students may sometimes feel that their results do not reflect their perceived performance in the exam. In response to this, you can request an administrative review of your results if you:

  • receive an absent mark but you were present at the exam and submitted an exam paper
  • were not present at an exam but received a mark for your paper
  • feel that ACCA's quality controls have not been applied properly in arriving at your mark.

If you would like to request an administrative review you can submit your request and pay the relevant fee using our online service at myACCA.

See further information about the Administrative Review.

How long will it take to resolve my complaint?

ACCA aims to respond to all complaints within 10 working days. If your complaint is more complex, it may take more than 10 working days to resolve. If this happens, we will keep you informed throughout the entire process. Please note, these timescales do not apply to the Centre Complaints process. If submitting a Centre Complaint we will acknowledge your concerns via email advising of the next steps. 

If you have exhausted the ACCA complaints process and you are not satisfied with the outcome then you may escalate your complaint to the appropriate regulator. The role of our regulators is not to overturn decisions made by ACCA but to ensure that we have followed our policies and procedures when handling your complaint. 

ACCA is regulated by a number of regulatory authorities and the table below provides a summary of regulators and the ACCA qualifications they regulate.

Swipe to view table

Regulator Qualifications regulated Will consider complaints from
Financial Reporting Council ACCA Qualification – all levels All customers of the regulated qualifications
SQA Accreditation 

ACCA Qualification – all levels

Foundation-level qualifications

All UK customers of qualifications accredited by SQA Accreditation
Ofqual

ACCA Qualification – applied knowledge level

Foundation-level qualifications

All customers of the regulated qualifications (except those in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland)
Qualification Wales

ACCA Qualification – applied knowledge level

Foundation-level qualifications

All customers of the regulated qualifications in Wales 
CCEA Regulation

ACCA Qualification – applied knowledge level

Foundation-level qualifications

All customers of the regulated qualifications in Northern Ireland

If you have exhausted the ACCA Complaints process and want to escalate your complaint, please refer to the regulator details below for how and when it is appropriate to do so.

Financial Reporting Council

ACCA is regulated by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in the UK. Customers who wish to contact the FRC regarding a complaint relating to the ACCA Qualification can do so using the following details:

Email: Complaints@frc.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7492 2497

Or in writing to:

Financial Reporting Council
8th Floor
125 London Wall
London
EC2Y 5AS

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Accreditation

The ACCA Qualification and foundation-level qualifications are recognised on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) and are regulated by SQA Accreditation. To be eligible for an ACCA qualification accredited by SQA Accreditation, you must be resident in Scotland at any point prior to completion of the qualification. Customers who wish to contact SQA Accreditation regarding a complaint relating to the ACCA Qualification or foundation-level qualifications can do so using the following details:

Email: accreditation@sqa.org.uk
Telephone: 0345 213 5249
Fax: 0345 213 5011

Or in writing to:

SQA Accreditation
Scottish Qualifications Authority
The Optima Building
58 Robertson Street
Glasgow
G2 8DQ

Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual)

Our foundation-level qualifications are recognised on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and regulated by Ofqual. Customers who wish to contact Ofqual regarding a complaint relating to a foundation-level qualification can do so using the following details:

Email: public.enquiries@ofqual.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 303 3344 

Or in writing to:

Complaints
Ofqual
Earlsdon Park
53-55 Butts Lane
Coventry
CV1 3BH

The phone line is open on weekdays from 9am to 5pm.

Qualifications Wales

Our foundation-level qualifications are recognised on the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales and are regulated by Qualifications Wales. Customers who wish to contact Qualifications Wales regarding a complaint relating to a foundation-level qualification can do so using the following details:

Email the following address and title your email “Complaint”:

contact@qualificationswales.org

Or in writing to:

Qualifications Wales
Q2 Building
Pencarn Lane
Imperial Park
Coedkernew
Newport
NP10 8AR

Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) Regulation

Our foundation-level qualifications are recognised on the Regulated Qualifications Framework and regulated by CCEA Regulation. Customers who wish to contact CCEA Regulation regarding a complaint relating to a foundation-level qualification can do so using the following details:

Email: ccearegulation@ccea.org.uk
Telephone: 028 9026 1200

Or in writing to:

CCEA Regulation
29 Clarendon Road
Clarendon Dock
Belfast
BT1 3BG

Public Accountants and Auditors Board (PAAB)

In Zimbabwe, the Public Accountants and Auditors Act 1996 (as amended in 2015) authorises the Public Accountants and Auditors Board (PAAB) to be the regulatory and standard-setting body for all auditors and professional accountancy organisations (PAOs) that regulate auditors.

Any charges of improper conduct or complaints that relate to the regulation of the accountancy profession in Zimbabwe are dealt with by the PAAB.

Telephone: 00 263 4 301 063

Or in writing to:

Public Accountants and Auditors Board
72 Harare Drive
Northwood
Mt Pleasant
Harare
Zimbabwe
Website: www.paab.org.zw

Can I have guarantees this won’t happen again?

Your feedback helps us to identify opportunities to improve the service we provide. Steps will be put in place to ensure that you or any of our customers do not encounter a similar situation.