Level 4 CIMA Apprenticeship
Developing the next generation of accountants
If you’re looking for a route into a rewarding accountancy career with one of the most prestigious global accountancy qualifications, or want to develop your employees with some essential foundational accountancy skills, then look no further than the level 4 CIMA ‘Accounting Technician’ apprenticeship!
We’ve been a trusted CIMA tuition provider for more than 20 years, during which time we’ve helped over 130,000 people get qualified. And now, we’re helping even more people by offering CIMA apprenticeships.
Our comprehensive online apprenticeship programme complements the valuable hands-on experience offered by your apprenticeship role by providing:
- Learning materials designed to simplify even the most complex topics
- Regular testing to reinforce understanding and track progress
- Personalised support from expert tutors and dedicated course mentors
Our studyHUB ensures a structured learning journey, with progress trackers, recommended schedules, and 24/7 support from our new AI virtual tutors.
Our unparalleled tutor and mentor support sets us apart for both apprentices and employers. Experienced CIMA tutors and mentors guide apprentices every step of the way and provide expert feedback and motivation. Employers can trust that their apprentices will receive the highest level of support to ensure success.
And, as this is an apprenticeship programme, apprentices have access to all of these benefits without paying a penny!
Read on to learn how our level 4 CIMA apprenticeship programme can benefit both apprentices and employers, and how to get started today!
“Astranti was very useful for me, particularly the strategic analysis and industry analysis. The exam’s quite difficult in all honestly but Peter and his team ensured that we understand how to get the easy marks and get organised with the right approach, answer templates and tips which were massively helpful for me.“
“Just passed my SCS case study! I used Kaplan as my main provider however, I used a few materials from Astranti and I believe their case study materials are far superior to that of Kaplan. Far more tailored to each case study, lots more practice available!“
Training tailored to your needs
Cost-effective upskilling
Full support from start to finish
Practical, real-world based learning
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What the level 4 CIMA apprenticeship involves
So, you’re looking for an apprenticeship programme. But what’s actually involved in the level 4 CIMA apprenticeship?
Well, to qualify as a CIMA member through the CIMA Accounting Technician Apprenticeship, candidates need to complete the following three steps:
- Pass the four objective test exams
- Pass end-point assessment 1 – the role simulation exam
- Complete end-point assessment 2 – reflective statement and portfolio
We’ve provided a summary of each step here for your convenience…
The exams
4x objective test exams:
Designed to test the apprentice’s knowledge of the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting syllabus content. They have a range of question types, from multiple choice to number entry, but the crucial thing to remember is that these are not essay-based, and each question will have an objectively correct answer!
Explore all the exams with our CIMA syllabus guide.
End-point assessment 1 - Role simulation exam
Once the objective test exams have been completed, apprentices need to undertake the first part of their end-point assessments (EPAs).
End-point assessment 1 for a CIMA level 4 apprenticeship marks the culmination of the apprenticeship programme, ensuring apprentices have met the required standards for achieving the Certificate in Business Accounting.
The EPA is designed to assess the knowledge, skills, and behaviours developed throughout the apprenticeship!
The exam:
The role simulation assessment consists of a case study-based exam focusing on a pre-seen company. The exam will also introduce a selection of unseen materials, based on the same pre-seen company.
There are four main tasks included in the exam, with several sub-tasks, and a mixture of objective test questions and constructed response questions.
CIMA assesses answers based on their seven ‘core activities’:
- Preparing and using costing information
- Preparing budgets and assessing approaches to budgeting
- Providing and interpreting information to support short-term decision-making
- Evaluating performance using management information and financial statements
- Recording financial transactions and adjustments
- Providing information to assist the preparation of financial statements
- Contribute to organisation’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives and activities
Candidates are given 3 hours to complete the exam, typically allocating 45 minutes to each section.
End-point assessment 2 - Reflective statement and portfolio
Apprentices are required to demonstrate, through a reflective statement and portfolio, that they have acquired the appropriate knowledge, skills, and behaviours through their practical work experience.
For a more in-depth analysis of the Level 4 CIMA Apprenticeship, why not take a look through our comprehensive CIMA apprenticeship guide?
What’s included on our level 4 CIMA apprenticeship programme?
In choosing Astranti as your CIMA apprenticeship provider, you’ll unlock a huge range of study materials and support.
LEARNING
Our high-quality CIMA objective test content is designed to build the knowledge needed to succeed.
Study texts
At Astranti, our mission is to create engaging and interesting content, breaking down difficult concepts to make them easy to learn.
Our study texts help you with even the trickiest topics by:
- Covering the theory in an engaging manner to bring it to life
- Giving examples throughout to ‘tell a story’, helping you get to grips with tough topics
- Breaking difficult calculations down into steps explaining each step
- Providing diagrams to give you a visual representation of content as you learn
Tuition videos
Sometimes you need a break from your study text, and that’s why we created our tuition videos.
The videos cover the same content as the study texts, so you don’t miss anything important, and we’ve tried to break them down into manageable segments as much as possible, to make the theory easier to digest.
Revision notes
You need to make sure that you are spending your time wisely, and you certainly don’t want to be reading through the whole syllabus study text to refresh your memory of the content!
Our revision notes can help you by:
- Giving you all of the key topics to focus on to be successful in the exam
- Providing easy-to-follow examples and definitions
- Aligning to the study text and videos, so you can easily review any topics on which you want more detail
Exam practice kits
Our exam practice kits help you stay on track by allowing you to test yourself after each video or study text chapter. Here’s how they support your study process:
- Reinforce your learning as you go
- Test your understanding of specific topics
- Present exam-style questions early on
- Link directly to videos and chapters for integrated practice
- Highlight weaknesses to focus your efforts
- Provide detailed solutions for learning from mistakes
Question debrief videos
Practising questions is valuable, but at home, you miss out on expert guidance for tackling them.
Our question debrief series addresses this by offering:
- Over 100 exam-style questions for each objective test exam, covering the entire syllabus
- Video analyses by CIMA tutors that break down each question and demonstrate the best approach
- This helps you refine your understanding and exam technique effectively
Mock exams
Knowing the theory is important, but applying it in an exam is crucial. To help you pass on your first try, we provide 5 mock exams for each objective test module.
Our mocks:
- Test on the entire syllabus
- Provide detailed solutions to learn from mistakes
- Highlight areas for further revision
- Improve time management under exam conditions
- Replicate the exam environment for effective practice
ROLE SIMULATION/CASE STUDY
Our case study exam content provide all the study materials, live sessions and support needed to pass.
Pre-seen analysis videos
It’s vital that you fully analyse your pre-seen. This requires a detailed examination of the case study ensuring that every section is fully understood.
Our pre-seen analysis videos provide a page-by-page analysis of every section of the pre-seen. It ensures you don’t miss anything important and helps to build a comprehensive understanding of the material. This is vital if you are to gain high marks in the exam.
Strategic analysis
It’s extremely important that you have the ability to identify how the pre-seen relates to key models and theories from the syllabus. The examiners expect students to demonstrate a good understanding of the models and theories and make the appropriate links to the case study during the exam.
It can be hard to fully analyse a company using only recently learned models and be confident you’ve got it right. Our strategic analysis has done the hard work for you!
Industry analysis
It’s critical to demonstrate to the examiner that you have fully understood the pre-seen industry, as a key element to gaining extra high marks in your case study exam.
Researching the industry can be a laborious process, so our team has spent hours doing this research for you!
Top 10 most likely issues analysis
The top 10 issues identify the 10 most likely issues to appear in the exam. Our case study experts give guidance on how to deal with the issues in your answers and advise which models to use and key points you should raise.
Based on our experience of analysing CIMA case studies for over 10 years, our predictions have been extremely accurate in previous exams, with around 70-80% of topics in the real exams being covered in our top 10 lists.
Mock exams and debrief videos
Five unique mock exams based on the current pre-seen written by our case study experts, as well as corresponding videos recorded by our tutors to analyse the mock exams and how best to approach them. (Seven mock exams are included if you complete the exam on the August or February exam sittings).
Expert marking and feedback
Complete three marked mocks by the course deadlines and receive your grade along with tailored exam feedback from your assigned mock marker. Learn specifically what you need to do to pass the real thing. Our markers are then available to answer your questions on how to improve.
Live online masterclasses
At three points on the course, our experienced case study tutors will guide you through the pre-seen, key theory and top exam tips to get you ready for your final exam, as well as being on hand to answer your questions.
Exam technique video course
Arguably the most important aspect of our case study course. This study text and video series show you the secrets of passing the case study exams – and they’re not about learning theory – it’s all about understanding what you need to do to get the markers to give you marks!
Dedicated ethics pack
Ethics is the most commonly examined topic in all three case study exams, so mastering it is cruical, and yet surprisingly difficult. Our ethics pack contains a text book, video and set of practice questions that will ensure you excel in the ethics questions in your exam.
SUPPORT
Experienced tutor guidance and dedicated mentor support from day one until the day of qualification.
Tutor assistance
Whenever there’s a tricky bit of theory that you just can’t seem to get your head around, our expert CIMA tutors will be there to help you out. Just use our course discussion hub to get in touch, which may be familiar to some as it is hosted on Google Classrooms.
Mentor support
From when you join to the day you pass, your course mentor will be on hand to help you create and stick to your study plan, and will be available to contact throughout your studies to help with anything you might need.
AI virtual tutor support
Having access to an AI tutor on our course offers several key benefits. It provides personalised learning support, available 24/7, ensuring that help is always at hand, even outside traditional study hours. As it’s been trained on our learning materials, the AI tutor can tailor feedback to your individual needs, helping to address specific weaknesses and reinforce strengths. Our AI tutor supports independent learning by guiding students through complex topics at their own pace.
Unrivalled Tutor & Mentor support
There are numerous benefits to online study, such as flexibility and the ability to work at your own pace, making it ideal for apprentices balancing study and work commitments.
However, challenges like managing workload, staying focused, and feeling isolated can sometimes arise, which may impact motivation and progress.
That’s why Astranti provides exclusive support through apprentice tutors and course mentors, ensuring both apprentices and employers get the most from the programme.
Apprentices can use our course discussion hubs to reach out to expert CIMA tutors whenever they need assistance with complex topics, while employers can rest assured that their apprentices have access to the help they need.
Regular check-ins with a personal course mentor are available via email or video call. These sessions help apprentices stay on track with deadlines and progression, while employers gain the confidence that their apprentices are receiving the guidance needed to succeed.
Additionally, we’ve introduced AI virtual tutors, trained on our study texts, available 24/7. Whether it’s answering a specific question, offering a new explanation of a tricky topic, or providing a quick knowledge check, our AI tutors ensure support is always accessible for both apprentices and employers overseeing their development.
How does our apprenticeship programme compare?
Giving apprentices the best possible chance to succeed is important to us!
Why not check out the table below to see how our course compares to the most popular tuition provider?
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- Flexible learning at your convenience
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“I really would not have passed my CIMA OCS without Astranti. I had used a competitor initially but after four weeks I was getting nowhere. So I purchased Astranti’s theory revision, the mock papers, and the pre-seen and industry analysis. The mock papers are excellent!”
Getting started: Learners
To apply for the level 4 CIMA apprenticeship, you must:
+ Be employed in a financial or accounting role
+ Be living and working in England
+ Have been based in the UK, EU or EEA for at least 3 years prior to starting your apprenticeship role
+ Have your employer’s permission to undertake this apprenticeship
Provided you meet the criteria above, you should be eligible for the government’s apprenticeship funding for your course!
Starting your apprenticeship journey…
If you’ve already secured an apprenticeship role, then skip to our application form below.
However, if you are not yet in an eligible role, then the process for applying to the level 4 CIMA Accounting Apprenticeship is as follows:
Step 1 - Find an apprenticeship
If you’re eager to start an apprenticeship in finance or accounting or any other field, your top priority is finding one. Unlike traditional qualifications, apprenticeships involve on-the-job training, so you’ll need to search for the ideal opportunity, much like you would when looking for a job.
Step 2 - Submit your application
You’ll find that the application process closely resembles applying for a job. Here are a few of the key considerations when completing this step:
- Make your CV and cover letter stand out and tailor them for each application
- Research the company’s history, values and recent events/performance
- Be professional throughout the process, just as you would on the job
- Don’t give up! The apprenticeship market is competitive, so don’t expect to be accepted at the first attempt. Keep trying!
Step 3 - Complete our application form
Once your apprenticeship has been accepted, your employer will need to know who your chosen tuition provider will be. This is where we come in!
Simply complete the application form on this page to get started.
Apply for the Astranti Level 4 CIMA Accounting Technician Apprenticeship
Please make sure your circumstances match the eligibility requirements on this page before applying.
Getting started: Employers
If our level 4 CIMA apprenticeship seems like a good fit for your team, we can help!
Our team is on hand to help with any existing learners you may have, but we also have a team who can help find appropriate apprentices if you are looking to fill a role in your organisation.
Whatever you are looking for, complete our contact form below and a member of the team will be in touch!
Employer contact form
Complete the contact form below, outlining your specific training needs with as much detail as possible. One of our advisors will then be in touch to discuss your options and let you know if and how we can help.
Reach out
Use the contact form on this page to get in touch with our team of advisors with details of your training needs. They’ll respond within 24 hours or on the next working day.
Discuss your options
One of our advisors will assess your training needs, and see how we can help. Usually, this will involve scheduling a call at a time that suits you to discuss things in greater detail.
Take your next step
By this point, you should have a clear idea of how we can meet your specific training needs. Our team will help guide you through the process of getting started.
More ways to get in touch!
Sometimes it can help to discuss your options with someone before you commit.
Our team is on hand to answer any nagging questions or concerns that you might have, and there are a few ways you can contact them…
- Call our customer support team on 0800 048 7804
- Send us an email to enquiries@astranti.com
- Speak with someone via our live chat box (found at the bottom of your screen)
- Book a 1-2-1 call with our law course advisors: View our 1-2-1 booking schedule