The DipFA© is a fabulous ifs School of Finance exam primarily because it doesn’t just require regurgitation of knowledge. It requires careful assimilation of knowledge from a variety of online and offline resources and one application of this is the real world IFAs are found in.

Let me share with you in 950 words the top four metrics you need to remember, how to warm up, plan, do, and review your coursework…to achieve success.

Metrics

• 30. The Coursework section is a good part of the final grade. 30% total. The final exam is worth 70%, but it is necessary to pass both sections to obtain the grade.
• 150. There are 150 points for course work. 100 is for the answer, but 50 is for the structure, presentation, and evidence of the use of appropriate resources for your research. This last bit is known as the bibliography.
• 2,500. The examiner wants you to produce around 2,500 words, which does not include the bibliography. This is not a long time and the evidence shows that most students in recent years have struggled to stay within this number. Please note that the coursework question will be quite ‘meaty’ and you will have difficulty passing submitting less than 2500 words. The key is, have you answered the question sufficiently, in depth?
• 4. You have just under 4 months to complete your research and coursework submission, so this gives you an idea of ​​the amount of study that is expected.

Heating

If you were to run for 2 hours, maybe a half marathon, there is no way you would start without warming up. In the same way, many students tackle coursework right away without properly warming up. Ifs expect you to analyze your strengths and weaknesses and study your weak areas before you start the course.

They provide some interesting tools to do this. You have the Gap Analysis Tool, which is an online test of your knowledge and can produce interesting results to show your weak areas. Your next step is to research and study these areas.

They also provide Subject Gateways, which are mini coursework questions designed for you to research and study specific areas. Discussions based on these can take up most of your initial time and these dialogues can take place online in the forum or face to face with other students. After 4 months is a long time just to write a 2500 article so expect it to warm up first.

Plan

Make sure you know exactly what the course question asks. You will obviously read the question several times, but have someone else read it too and tell you what is needed. Sometimes an alternative opinion can open up the true meaning of the question. Note the specific words used. Calculate, compare, describe, evaluate, explain, identify, illustrate, outline, enunciate are practically the key words to take into account. Know what each of these words requires of you first. If you have doubts, look for them by putting in Google “definition=calculate”, for example.

One of the best ways to plan is to use Mindmaps©. Google “mindmap:filetype pptPT” and you’ll get some interesting PowerPoint presentations showing examples and instructions on how to create them. The benefits of mind maps are numerous: they allow for creativity, sporadic thinking, they don’t funnel it down an alley, they allow you to add to your thoughts later and change the order of information. Ideal tools for test planning.

The ifs provide a lot of material on which to do your research, but go further and make sure you stay up to date. For example, your most recent coursework requires you to write an article for an accounting magazine. Do you know what keeps accountants awake right now? If not search on Google.

Make

Build traditionally and you can’t go wrong. Remember the News at Ten technique also known as:

• Tell them what you are going to tell them
• tell them
• tell them what you told them

Have a clear beginning that describes your purpose, perhaps starting with something to grab the reader’s attention, a fact, a quote, something initial or different.

Then go through the bulk of the essay outlining your key points as you go and then finish with a clear summary and call to action. Most of the essay should have headings like this article, after all many people read quickly these days and headings help them to do so effectively.

All things classic. Some other reminders for you:

• Don’t be angry when you start writing. A clear mind map will prevent this, but be aware that many students repeat your messages without gaining additional points.
• Be totally clear who your audience is and write as if you’re talking to them. I would write differently for accountants than for beekeepers.
• Break up your essay with bullet points, graphs, tables… methods for displaying information in bite-sized chunks. Your challenge is not to write up to 2500 words, but not to write too much, so these methods will reduce your word count.

A bibliography is an essential element of the coursework as it should show where you have researched and should reference these publications, blogs, podcasts, videos, ezines, websites, magazines, or books in a standard format. Find out how to display your bibliography, the ifs show you how to do it correctly.

Check

Carefully review your own work. Has it been repeated, has it stammered, has it included everything from your mind map, has it directed the writing to its correct audience, has it been clear and precise, does it have headings, bullet points and tables if applicable?

Finally, don’t trust your own ability to proofread, give it to a colleague to proofread, a second eye always sees things differently.

Enjoy the process, do your research well and produce a document worthy of top marks and you will not only have improved your knowledge, but you will also demonstrate that you can apply it to the real world and benefit your clients with your expert financial advice. Isn’t that what we do well?