Student Handbook - ISBAUK Thinking Skill College

STOCKSYMBOL ACTION PCTENTRYPRICE09/23/11PRICESell/CoverINDUSTRYYouKu.com YOKU STOP 10% $23.73 $17.40 $15.25 InternetGreenhill and Co. GHL STOP 10% $33.40 $29.17 $28.75 FinancialMoney Market 100%

ABE Student Handbook1. Members Area Now that you are a member of ABE, you can gain access to the Members Area of our website.The Members Area provides you with up to date information on your account such as your exams,your finances etc.You are also able to update your address and contact details via the Members Area.To access the Members Area you will need to follow these two simple steps:Step 1Click here on theABE home pageto enterYou will then be through to the Members Area login page, as displayed below.Here you will enter your membership number and date of birth as a password in the areas provided.Step 2Enter your membership number hereYour date of birth is set as your defaultpassword and must be entered in theformat DD/MM/YYYY; please note thatthe forward slashes must be includedto gain accessNote: If you registered online, your password is the one you chose as part of the registration process.You should now have access to the Members Area where you can view your notification of the exams,past results, your current financial balance and update your contact details.If you experience any problems with your log in, please contact ABE immediately.4

ABE Student Handbook3. Your CollegeYou will have a close relationship with your college throughout your studies, so it is very important that youfirst ensure that it is an accredited tuition provider for ABE. To do this you can check the colleges sectionof the ABE website, http://www.abeuk.com/colleges/. This list is updated continuously.If you find that your college is not accredited to run the ABE programmes, please contact us immediatelyfor advice.If you change your college, you will need to let ABE know. To do this, please update your profile on theMembers Area.4. Changing programmeof studyYou may change your programme of study with ABE at anytime; no formal notification is required, yousimply select the exams under a different programme when entering for the examinations and the changeover will be made.Any passes you previously achieved will still count, and if they are shared with your new programme, theywill be automatically brought over to your new course of study.4.1 Certificate changeIf you registered at the Certificate level, you may transfer to the Certificate level of the new programme.If you have completed the Certificate level in your original programme, then you may start at the Diplomalevel of your new programme.4.2 Diploma changeAs a Diploma student you may only transfer to the Diploma level of another course, even if you havecompleted the Diploma level in your original programme you will still be required to complete the specialistsubjects (units) at the Diploma level of the new programme before proceeding to the Advanced Diploma.4.3 Advanced Diploma changeIf you registered directly at the Advanced Diploma when you joined, you may start directly at theAdvanced Diploma of your new programme.7

ABE Student Handbook5. Exemptions 5.1 What are exemptions?Exemptions are available for students studying at Diploma level. If you have completed one or more of thesubjects (units) on the ABE syllabus at a recognised University or Professional body, you may be entitledto claim subject (unit) exemption(s).This means that you will not be required to sit the same subject (unit) again. Exemptions cannot be givenin any subject where a student has previously sat an ABE exam.5.2 When and how to apply for exemptionsExemptions should be applied for before entering for the ABE examinations. The ideal time would betogether with your registration form or before you join ABE.To apply you will need to complete an Exemption Application form available on our website,http://www.abeuk.com/registration/exemptions/.The exemption form must be sent to us together with copies of your qualifications and transcripts of yourresults. All transcripts and awards must be translated into English by a certified translator before beingsubmitted to ABE for assessment.The qualifications must be of equal or of a higher standing than the ABE Diploma for exemptions tobe considered.Once the exemption application has been assessed, an offer letter will be sent to you confirming theexemption(s) that are available, if any.5.3 How to claim exemptions offered to meYou must be registered with ABE before you claim for exemptions.Once an offer letter is received, it must be accepted within three months from the date of the offer. If thisis not done, the exemption(s) will have to be re-applied for.To accept the offer; a letter of acceptance must be returned along with the exemption fee, which iscurrently GBP35 per subject, and a copy of the offer letter.Once this is received, the exemptions will be added to your membership account and a confirmation letterwill be posted to you.Once an exemption is granted and accepted, you will not have to sit an exam for this subject (unit).8

ABE Student Handbook6 Study Materials ABE provides a range of study materials to assist you with your course. Some material is available forpurchase through mail order and there is also a lot of material on the ABE website that you can downloadfree of charge.If we do not provide material for your course, please refer to the Reading Lists for each subject (unit)which can be found on the ABE website6.1 What material is available?ABE provides a full set of Study Manuals for the Business Management programme from Certificate toAdvanced Diploma, and there are also plans to provide study support for some of the other programmes.CD Roms for the Business Management programme are also available for each level and contain theStudy Manuals for the corresponding level, for example if you purchase the Diploma CD Rom in BusinessManagement, all subjects for the Diploma Part 1 and Part 2 will be available on the one CD Rom.A CD Rom is also available for the HRM programme but this does not contain Study Manuals. However, itdoes have:• The Syllabuses• Lecture Guides• Specimen Materials (SQAMS)• Reading ListsThe Members Area of the ABE website is another great source of resources which will assist you withyour studies. Lecture Guides, Reading Lists, Past Questions and Answers, Study Tips, ExaminationReports and Specimen Materials (SQAMS) are all available to download free of charge.6.2 How can I order?If you wish to order material from ABE, you will need to complete the Study Materials Order Form availableon our website in the Qualifications section and on the Members Area. This form can be submitted to usby post or by fax (only if paying by Credit/Debit Card). Once received, despatch is usually within oneweek of receipt.To avoid delays please read the order form carefully and take note of any charges that may be applicablefor postage.9

ABE Student Handbook7. Examinations with ABEThe ABE exams are conducted twice a year, in June and December. The dates are published on the ABEwebsite, www.abeuk.com, six months prior to the exam dates. Each exam is a three hour written examand is set and marked externally in accordance with Ofqual guidelines.7.1 Entering for examsA valid exam entry consists of a fully completed Examination Form accompanied by a full and validpayment. The exam entry must be received in the ABE office no later than the exam entry closing datewhich generally falls on the first Friday in April for the June exams and the first Friday in October for theDecember exams. The exam entry form is available from the ABE website or from your college.For information about ‘Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations’ visit the Examinationssection of the ABE website.7.1.1 Examination centresYou should enter the name of the Town/City where you can sit the examination.London students should write ‘London’ and an examination centre will be allocated.7.2 What happens if I can’t meet the entry date?ABE does allow a further one week after the closing date for late entries but a penalty of GBP10 per examunit will be charged for entries received within this week. No further entries will be accepted after the lateentry period.8. Confirming receipt ofExamination FormsDue to the volume of examination entry forms received, ABE cannot confirm receipt of students’examination entry forms. If you wish to know if your form has been received, please send it to us at leastthree weeks before the closing date and confirmation will appear in the Members Area much sooner.Other ways to confirm receipt of the Examinations Entry form are:By Fax: Keep the transmission report as evidence of the date your entry form was faxed to us and howmany pages were sent.By Post: You can send your entry form via recorded delivery or courier; the form can be tracked until it isdelivered at our office.If by the end of April/October, depending which exam session you are entering for, you still do not seeyour confirmation in the Members Area, then please e-mail the examinations department immediately.9. Exam Notification SlipsThe notification slip lists each unit you have been entered for, the date and time of each exam and thename and address of the exam centre. The exam notification slip must be checked carefully and in theevent any information is incorrect, ABE must be notified immediately.The notification slip must be taken to the exam centre along with your ABE ID card to gain entry.9.1 Postal Exam Notification SlipsThree weeks prior to the examination start date, the notification slip is posted to all students that havebeen entered for the exams. It is important to ensure that your postal address is up-to-date before thenotification slip is released.9.2 Online Exam Notification SlipsThe online notification slip is available on the Members Area of the website, two weeks after the examentry closing date. However, the examination centre may not be finalised at this point. The notification slipcan be printed from the Members Area and used instead of the postal notification slip for entry to theexam centre.10

ABE Student Handbook10. Case StudyThe case study is posted approximately one month prior to the exams to all students that have enteredfor the International Business Case Study in the Advanced Diploma of the Business Managementprogramme. The case study can also be downloaded from the ABE website about one month prior to theexaminations.11 At the examination venueAll students attending the exams must bring with them the ABE ID card and the notification slip, whichcan be either the one received by post or printed from the Members Area. Without these items you maynot be permitted to sit the examinations.You must also ensure that you have brought with you all the items required to write the exams, such aspens, pencils, calculators, rulers etc. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they have the correctitems to sit the exams. Dictionaries are not allowed in any examinations12. Examination transfers12.1 Transfer of examinationsYou may transfer your exams from one session to the next by completing a transfer form available fromthe ABE website, http://www.abeuk.com/examinations/regulations/nonattendance/.The transfer form must be submitted to ABE by the transfer closing date as stated on the notice board onthe ABE website. The transfer form must also be accompanied by the transfer fee of GBP15.12.1.2 Medical transfer of examinationsIf you were unable to attend the examinations due to medical reasons, you may transfer your exams by anextended transfer date which is usually three weeks after the exams. The specific date will be listed on theABE website.The transfer format is as above but in addition to a fully completed form and fee, a medical certificatemust be attached.Exam fees and units may only be transferred once. If the units are not sat in the next available examsession, all fees will be forfeit.12.1.3 Non AttendanceExamination fees are non refundable. If you fail to turn up for an exam and are not eligible to transfer, youwill forfeit the examination fee for that subject. You will not be marked or graded for the subjects that youdo not attend and they will not appear on your result slip.13. ResultsResults are released two months after the final examination. They are issued to all students by post andare also available in the Members Area of the website. Any award that is due to the student will be sentseparately from the Result Slip.If you owe the Association any fees, the results will not be released until the outstanding amount hasbeen cleared.11

ABE Student Handbook14. Re-marks and appealsABE has an Enquiries about Results (EAR) Procedure in place for students who feel there may have beenan error in their results. Requests for re-checks or re-marks have to be made by second Friday ofSeptember each year for the June examinations and second Friday of March each year for the Decemberexaminations. All requests must be supported by an Enquiries about Results form (EAR) and full payment.The payment is refunded to you if the EAR results in a better grade.14.1 Clerical checkThe clerical check of a paper is to check the student’s script to ensure that all answers have been markedand that the total marks are correct and the data entry on the student’s account is correct. This will take20 working days from receipt of the EAR form and the cost of this is GBP25.14.2 Re-Mark (Standard & Priority)A re-mark is when the student’s script is sent to an examiner to be fully re-marked, this process will take 35working days or less and costs GBP40. The priority service takes up to 20 working days and costs GBP55.14.3 AppealAppeals are only considered on the grounds of an administrative error which may have a detrimentaleffect on the candidate’s capacity to best demonstrate his/her abilities. Appeals are not considered on thegrounds of a disagreement with marking. The appeal fee is GBP100.15. Duplicate Result SlipIf after a reasonable amount of time allowed for postage, your result slip has not been received for themost recent exam session, please get in contact with ABE to arrange for a duplicate slip to be posted toyou. Please ensure that you check that your ABE fees are up to date and your contact details are correctbefore request a duplicate slip.16. TranscriptsThe Transcript is a full list of every unit you have sat with ABE and your most recent result in each units.It also gives the date at which each stage of the course has been completed.We recommend that students wait until they have finished their studies with ABE before requesting atranscript because each student is entitled to receive one free transcript. Thereafter each transcriptrequested will be charged at GBP10.To request a transcript you will need to complete the relevant form, which you can get from the ABEMembers Area, and send it to us with the correct payment, if applicable.17. Award CertificatesAward Certificates are awarded at the completion of each level of the ABE programmes, so you will beissued with an award after you complete the following:• Certificate Level – 4 subjects• Diploma Part 1 – 4 subjects• Diploma Part 2 (Overall Diploma Award) – 5 subjects• Advanced Diploma – 5 subjectsPlease see the programme structure for the completion requirements.12

ABE Student Handbook18. Finance18.1 Making payments to ABEABE accepts a range of payments, the most common are cheque and credit/debit card, but we alsoaccept bank drafts and postal orders.We do not accept payments to our bank account, money transfers or payments over the phone orby e-mail.Each payment must be attached to the relevant form with the student’s membership details stated clearly.For example, the exam fee must be submitted together with the exam entry form.For payments of outstanding balances or other miscellaneous payments, a general payments form isavailable from the Members Area to assist in making the payment.18.2Renewal of Membership (Annual Subscription Fee)18.2.1 When is my renewal fee due?The renewal fee is due one year after your date of registration. This can be found on the front of yourmembership ID card which accompanied your welcome letter. The renewal fee will be due on theregistration date each year and all the time you are sitting ABE exams, your membership must be kept inforce. You can cancel your subscription by submitting a request in writing to the Finance Department.After you have completed your ABE exams, you can apply for Associate Membership or Full Membershipof ABE which entitle you to use the letters AMABE or MABE after your name.18.2.3 How do I make payment of my renewal fee?Payments are to be made in conjunction with the Annual Subscription Form by either filling in the credit/debit card section on the form or attaching a cheque, bank draft or postal order.The Annual Subscription Form is available on the Members Area of the ABE website.You can also include the annual subscription fee with your examination entry form; there is a section toindicate this just below the payment section.19. Lapsed MembershipTo find out the current renewal fee (annual subscription fee) please view the fees list on the ABE websiteor you can contact our Finance Department.Your ABE membership may lapse for two reasons; firstly if you fail to renew your membership on time andsecondly; if you request to terminate your membership.If your membership has lapsed and you wish to reactivate it, you may do so by completing are-registration form. The completed form and payment must be submitted to our Finance Departmentwho will then re-activate your membership.13

ABE Student Handbook20. ABE Publications20.1 E-NewsletterThe e-newsletter is circulated quarterly in February, May, August and November. You may receivee-bulletins with local or regional news items in between.20.1.1 How do I sign up?To sign up for the free e-newsletter simply log on to the ABE website and input your details on thefollowing link: http://www.abeuk.com/news/newsletter/20.1.2 What does it contain?The e-newsletter contains the latest news relating to ABE. It also contains business articles from recentissues of ‘Business Executive’ magazine. With every issue there is the chance to interact and share yourviews on ABE related topics and the opportunity to win prizes.20.2 Student Focus MagazineThis is the magazine distributed to all current ABE members. It is a quarterly magazine full of useful tipsfor the examinations, ABE country visits and general information on what’s new within ABE.20.3 Business Executive MagazineBusiness Executive is also a quarterly magazine distributed to Associate Members, Full Members andFellows of ABE. This magazine is more focused towards the world of business and the latest trends inbusiness thinking. If you do not receive Business Executive magazine, but would like to, it is available onsubscription by emailing: publications@abeuk.com.21. After ABEWhat direction do I take after finishing my studies with ABE?Students leaving ABE either seek employment or go into higher education to pursue a degree or an MBA.A list of employers’ case studies is available on the ABE website in the ‘After ABE’ section.Currently ABE has over 70 university agreements in place and this is increasing all the time. You mayapply directly to the university of your choice, once you ensure that you meet the university’s entryrequirements as listed in the agreements in the ‘After ABE’ section of the ABE website.14

ABE Student Handbook22. Contacting ABE If the information you are looking for is not listed in this guide, please feel free to contact ABE via e-mail orphone. The ABE team is always on hand to assist you with your queries.To aid the speed and accuracy of the reply we ask you to ensure that your query is directed to the correcte-mail address with your name and membership number quoted in all correspondence.The e-mail addresses are:For general queries:info@abeuk.comFor Membership enquiries:registration@abeuk.comFor Exemption queries:exemption@abeuk.comFor Examinations:examinations@abeuk.comFor all financial queries:finance@abeuk.comFor all academic questions:education@abeuk.comTo reach ABE by phone please call +44 (0)20 8329 2930 and have your membership details to hand.Please remember that if you are contacting ABE close to any of our registration or examinationdeadlines, the response time may be longer.15

Want to know more?The Association of Business Executives5th Floor CI TowerSt. Georges SquareHigh Street New MaldenSurrey KT3 4TE UKt +44 (0)20 8329 2930f +44 (0)20 8329 2945e info@abeuk.comwww.abeuk.comB-A4-SH09