ABE Student Handbook

All you need to know

about ABE
ABE Student Handbook

Topic Reference Page Topic Reference Page

The Members Area 1 4 Finance 18 13

Updating your details 1.1 5
Resources 1.2 5
Benefits 1.3 5
Your Welcome Pack 2 6
Welcome Letter 2.1 6
ABE ID Card 2.1.1 6
Replacement ID cards 2.1.2 6
ABE Student Handbook 2.2 6
Examination Entry Form 2.3 6
ABE Examination Regulations 2.4 6
Your College 3 7
Changing programme of study 4 7
Certificate change 4.1 7
Diploma change 4.2 7
Advanced Diploma change 4.3 7
Making payments to ABE 18.1 13
Renewal of Membership (Annual Subscription Fee) 18.2 13
When is my renewal fee due? 18.2.1 13
How do I make payment for my renewal fee? 18.2.2 13
Lapsed Membership 19 13
ABE Publications 20 14
E-Newsletter 20.1 14
How do I sign up? 20.1.1 14
What does it contain? 20.1.2 14
Student Focus Magazine 20.2 14
Business Executive Magazine 20.3 14
After ABE 21 14
Contacting ABE 22 15

Exemptions 5 8
What are exemptions? 5.1 8
When and how to apply for exemptions? 5.2 8
What happens after I receive the offer letter? 5.3 8

Study Material 6 9
What material is available? 6.1 9
How can I order? 6.2 9

Examinations with ABE 7 10

Entering for exams 7.1 10
Examination centres 7.1.1 10
What happens if I can’t meet the entry date? 7.2 10
Confirming receipt of Examination Forms 8 10
Exam Notification Slips 9 10
Postal Exam Notification Slip 9.1 10
Online Exam Notification Slips 9.2 10

Case Study 10 11
At the examination venue 11 11
Examination transfers 12 11
Transfer of examinations 12.1 11
Medical transfer of examinations 12.2 11
Non Attendance 12.3 11
Results 13 11

Re-marks and appeals 14 12

Clerical check 14.1 12
Re-mark (Standard & Priority) 14.2 12
Appeal 14.3 12
Duplicate Result Slip 15 12
Transcripts 16 12
Award Certificates 17 12

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ABE Student Handbook

A Brief Summary of ABE

ABE Student Handbook

Welcome to the Association of Business Executives (ABE).

This Handbook should be used as your aid to all aspects of membership with ABE; it should also give you
a good idea of how ABE works and how we work for you.

ABE was established in 1973 and has expanded greatly since. We now have colleges and students in
over 100 countries! Although we have grown considerably, we have not lost touch with our original aims
of bringing high quality and affordable qualifications to students around the world.

We offer programmes that will give our students a strong understanding of modern management and
business in today’s market. Our courses can also lead on to university degrees and MBAs. We have
agreements in place with universities around the world, from the United Kingdom to Australia and the
United States to Malaysia.

With our recognition from Ofqual (the office of Qualifications and Examinations), our courses have even
more appeal to students and universities. Ofqual constantly monitors the performance of Awarding Bodies
such as ABE to ensure they continually meet high standards of service and ABE is confident that the
criteria, as laid down by Ofqual, will be met at all times.

We aim to provide the best service possible to our students; our website is updated continuously to keep
you informed of any changes that may be happening and provides information on all aspects of ABE, from
registering as a member to possible routes of progression after you finish your studies.

You can find our customer service statement in the About ABE section of the ABE website.

We hope that you will have every success in your studies with us.

Thank you for choosing ABE!

The Membership Team

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ABE Student Handbook

1. 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 1
Click here on the
ABE home page
to enter

You 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 2
Enter your membership number here
Your date of birth is set as your default
password and must be entered in the
format DD/MM/YYYY; please note that
the forward slashes must be included
to gain access

Note: 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.

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ABE Student Handbook

1.1 Updating your details

You can use the Members Area of the ABE website to change your details such as address, contact
details and your college of study. Your address and contact details can be updated in the Profile section
of the Members Area.

The country of
residence is to be
selected in the drop
down menu on the
right hand side of
the screen

You can also change your

college by choosing this
link at the bottom of the
Note: If you update your address, please Profile page
ensure you enter it in format as shown:
-Flat Number/PO Box
-Street & House Number
-Town/City
-Province/Region/Post Code

1.2 Resources
The Resources section is a newly added feature to the Members Area; it provides students with access to
a number of important materials, all free of charge to download.

These materials include:

• Programme Syllabus for all 6 programmes (these can be found on the main website)
• Lecture Guides
• Past Question & Answers
• Specimen Materials (SQAMS)
• Exam Reports
• Study Tips
• Reading Lists

You will also find a list of ABE forms that can be used for buying Study Manuals, making payments,
requesting transfer of exams, re-marks etc.

1.3 Benefits
In this section of the Members Area you will find additional benefits available to you such as the NUS card,
discounts and more. The area will be updated as and when new information becomes available.

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ABE Student Handbook

2. Your Welcome Pack If you are reading this, you must have just received your welcome pack confirming that you are now a
member of the Association of Business Executives (ABE).

In your welcome pack you will find:

• The ABE welcome letter with the ID card incorporated
• The ABE Student Handbook
• The Examination Entry Form (only if you have been registered before the Examination closing date)
• ABE Examination Regulations

2.1 Welcome Letter

This letter serves as confirmation of your newly acquired ABE membership. You may be required to show
this to your college for verification of your level of entry.
Please check it to ensure your details and programme are correct. If any of your details are incorrect
please let us know.

2.1.1 ABE ID Card

Once you receive your welcome letter, your ID card (on the top right of the letter) should be peeled off,
signed and returned (along with a passport size photo) to ABE for lamination. You can also laminate
it yourself.

The ID card is to be used as proof of membership at the exam centre. The ID card will provide you with
your membership number and the date when you registered; this date will be important for the renewal of
your membership.

2.1.2 Replacement ID cards

If you should ever lose your ABE ID card, a new one should be requested immediately. To obtain a new
card you will need to complete the Replacement ID Card form. This form can be obtained by e-mailing the
Membership Department at registration@abeuk.com or online. A replacement fee of GBP5 is applicable.

2.2 ABE Student Handbook

The Handbook should answer all of your general queries relating to ABE, but in the event that you are not
able to find the section you are looking for or you require further information, you can contact your college
or ABE directly; please refer to the Contact Us section in this handbook.

2.3 Examination Entry Form

This will be included in your welcome pack if your registration was processed before the exam entry
deadline. If you have already submitted your exam entry with your registration application, please ignore
this form and obtain confirmation from the Members Area of our website that your entry has been received.

2.4 ABE Examination Regulations

The ABE Examination Regulations is a comprehensive guide to the ABE examinations, and it is important
that you read this prior to attending any ABE exam. The regulations should provide you with sound
knowledge of what to expect at the ABE exams and what is expected of you.

The ABE Examination Regulations can also be downloaded from the Members Area of the ABE website.

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ABE Student Handbook

3. Your College You will have a close relationship with your college throughout your studies, so it is very important that you
first ensure that it is an accredited tuition provider for ABE. To do this you can check the colleges section
of 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 immediately
for advice.

If you change your college, you will need to let ABE know. To do this, please update your profile on the
Members Area.

4. Changing programme You may change your programme of study with ABE at anytime; no formal notification is required, you
of study simply select the exams under a different programme when entering for the examinations and the change
over will be made.

Any passes you previously achieved will still count, and if they are shared with your new programme, they
will be automatically brought over to your new course of study.

4.1 Certificate change

If 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 Diploma
level of your new programme.

4.2 Diploma change

As a Diploma student you may only transfer to the Diploma level of another course, even if you have
completed the Diploma level in your original programme you will still be required to complete the specialist
subjects (units) at the Diploma level of the new programme before proceeding to the Advanced Diploma.

4.3 Advanced Diploma change

If you registered directly at the Advanced Diploma when you joined, you may start directly at the
Advanced Diploma of your new programme.

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ABE Student Handbook

5. Exemptions 5.1 What are exemptions?

Exemptions are available for students studying at Diploma level. If you have completed one or more of the
subjects (units) on the ABE syllabus at a recognised University or Professional body, you may be entitled
to claim subject (unit) exemption(s).

This means that you will not be required to sit the same subject (unit) again. Exemptions cannot be given
in any subject where a student has previously sat an ABE exam.

5.2 When and how to apply for exemptions

Exemptions should be applied for before entering for the ABE examinations. The ideal time would be
together 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 your
results. All transcripts and awards must be translated into English by a certified translator before being
submitted to ABE for assessment.

The qualifications must be of equal or of a higher standing than the ABE Diploma for exemptions to
be considered.

Once the exemption application has been assessed, an offer letter will be sent to you confirming the
exemption(s) that are available, if any.

5.3 How to claim exemptions offered to me

You 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 this
is 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 is
currently 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 letter
will be posted to you.

Once an exemption is granted and accepted, you will not have to sit an exam for this subject (unit).

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ABE Student Handbook

6 Study Materials ABE provides a range of study materials to assist you with your course. Some material is available for
purchase through mail order and there is also a lot of material on the ABE website that you can download
free 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 website

6.1 What material is available?

ABE provides a full set of Study Manuals for the Business Management programme from Certificate to
Advanced 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 the
Study Manuals for the corresponding level, for example if you purchase the Diploma CD Rom in Business
Management, 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, it
does have:
• The Syllabuses
• Lecture Guides
• Specimen Materials (SQAMS)
• Reading Lists

The Members Area of the ABE website is another great source of resources which will assist you with
your studies. Lecture Guides, Reading Lists, Past Questions and Answers, Study Tips, Examination
Reports 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 available
on our website in the Qualifications section and on the Members Area. This form can be submitted to us
by post or by fax (only if paying by Credit/Debit Card). Once received, despatch is usually within one
week of receipt.

To avoid delays please read the order form carefully and take note of any charges that may be applicable
for postage.

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ABE Student Handbook

7. Examinations with ABE The ABE exams are conducted twice a year, in June and December. The dates are published on the ABE
website, www.abeuk.com, six months prior to the exam dates. Each exam is a three hour written exam
and is set and marked externally in accordance with Ofqual guidelines.

7.1 Entering for exams

A valid exam entry consists of a fully completed Examination Form accompanied by a full and valid
payment. The exam entry must be received in the ABE office no later than the exam entry closing date
which generally falls on the first Friday in April for the June exams and the first Friday in October for the
December 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 Examinations
section of the ABE website.

7.1.1 Examination centres

You 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 exam
unit will be charged for entries received within this week. No further entries will be accepted after the late
entry period.

8. Confirming receipt of Due to the volume of examination entry forms received, ABE cannot confirm receipt of students’
Examination Forms examination entry forms. If you wish to know if your form has been received, please send it to us at least
three 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 how
many pages were sent.
By Post: You can send your entry form via recorded delivery or courier; the form can be tracked until it is
delivered at our office.

If by the end of April/October, depending which exam session you are entering for, you still do not see
your confirmation in the Members Area, then please e-mail the examinations department immediately.

9. Exam Notification Slips The notification slip lists each unit you have been entered for, the date and time of each exam and the
name and address of the exam centre. The exam notification slip must be checked carefully and in the
event 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 Slips

Three weeks prior to the examination start date, the notification slip is posted to all students that have
been entered for the exams. It is important to ensure that your postal address is up-to-date before the
notification slip is released.

9.2 Online Exam Notification Slips

The online notification slip is available on the Members Area of the website, two weeks after the exam
entry closing date. However, the examination centre may not be finalised at this point. The notification slip
can be printed from the Members Area and used instead of the postal notification slip for entry to the
exam centre.

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ABE Student Handbook

10. Case Study The case study is posted approximately one month prior to the exams to all students that have entered
for the International Business Case Study in the Advanced Diploma of the Business Management
programme. The case study can also be downloaded from the ABE website about one month prior to the
examinations.

11 At the examination venue All students attending the exams must bring with them the ABE ID card and the notification slip, which
can be either the one received by post or printed from the Members Area. Without these items you may
not 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 as
pens, pencils, calculators, rulers etc. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they have the correct
items to sit the exams. Dictionaries are not allowed in any examinations

12. Examination transfers 12.1 Transfer of examinations

You may transfer your exams from one session to the next by completing a transfer form available from
the 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 on
the ABE website. The transfer form must also be accompanied by the transfer fee of GBP15.

12.1.2 Medical transfer of examinations

If you were unable to attend the examinations due to medical reasons, you may transfer your exams by an
extended transfer date which is usually three weeks after the exams. The specific date will be listed on the
ABE website.

The transfer format is as above but in addition to a fully completed form and fee, a medical certificate
must be attached.

Exam fees and units may only be transferred once. If the units are not sat in the next available exam
session, all fees will be forfeit.

12.1.3 Non Attendance

Examination fees are non refundable. If you fail to turn up for an exam and are not eligible to transfer, you
will forfeit the examination fee for that subject. You will not be marked or graded for the subjects that you
do not attend and they will not appear on your result slip.

13. Results Results are released two months after the final examination. They are issued to all students by post and
are also available in the Members Area of the website. Any award that is due to the student will be sent
separately from the Result Slip.

If you owe the Association any fees, the results will not be released until the outstanding amount has
been cleared.

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ABE Student Handbook

14. Re-marks and appeals ABE has an Enquiries about Results (EAR) Procedure in place for students who feel there may have been
an error in their results. Requests for re-checks or re-marks have to be made by second Friday of
September each year for the June examinations and second Friday of March each year for the December
examinations. 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 check

The clerical check of a paper is to check the student’s script to ensure that all answers have been marked
and that the total marks are correct and the data entry on the student’s account is correct. This will take
20 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 35
working days or less and costs GBP40. The priority service takes up to 20 working days and costs GBP55.

14.3 Appeal
Appeals are only considered on the grounds of an administrative error which may have a detrimental
effect on the candidate’s capacity to best demonstrate his/her abilities. Appeals are not considered on the
grounds of a disagreement with marking. The appeal fee is GBP100.

15. Duplicate Result Slip If after a reasonable amount of time allowed for postage, your result slip has not been received for the
most recent exam session, please get in contact with ABE to arrange for a duplicate slip to be posted to
you. Please ensure that you check that your ABE fees are up to date and your contact details are correct
before request a duplicate slip.

16. Transcripts The 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 a
transcript because each student is entitled to receive one free transcript. Thereafter each transcript
requested will be charged at GBP10.

To request a transcript you will need to complete the relevant form, which you can get from the ABE
Members Area, and send it to us with the correct payment, if applicable.

17. Award Certificates Award Certificates are awarded at the completion of each level of the ABE programmes, so you will be
issued 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 subjects

Please see the programme structure for the completion requirements.

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ABE Student Handbook

18. Finance 18.1 Making payments to ABE

ABE accepts a range of payments, the most common are cheque and credit/debit card, but we also
accept bank drafts and postal orders.

We do not accept payments to our bank account, money transfers or payments over the phone or
by 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 is
available 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 your
membership ID card which accompanied your welcome letter. The renewal fee will be due on the
registration date each year and all the time you are sitting ABE exams, your membership must be kept in
force. 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 Membership
of 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 to
indicate this just below the payment section.

19. Lapsed Membership To find out the current renewal fee (annual subscription fee) please view the fees list on the ABE website
or you can contact our Finance Department.

Your ABE membership may lapse for two reasons; firstly if you fail to renew your membership on time and
secondly; if you request to terminate your membership.

If your membership has lapsed and you wish to reactivate it, you may do so by completing a
re-registration form. The completed form and payment must be submitted to our Finance Department
who will then re-activate your membership.

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20. ABE Publications 20.1 E-Newsletter

The e-newsletter is circulated quarterly in February, May, August and November. You may receive
e-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 the
following 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 recent
issues of ‘Business Executive’ magazine. With every issue there is the chance to interact and share your
views on ABE related topics and the opportunity to win prizes.

20.2 Student Focus Magazine

This is the magazine distributed to all current ABE members. It is a quarterly magazine full of useful tips
for the examinations, ABE country visits and general information on what’s new within ABE.

20.3 Business Executive Magazine

Business Executive is also a quarterly magazine distributed to Associate Members, Full Members and
Fellows of ABE. This magazine is more focused towards the world of business and the latest trends in
business thinking. If you do not receive Business Executive magazine, but would like to, it is available on
subscription by emailing: publications@abeuk.com.

21. After ABE What 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 may
apply directly to the university of your choice, once you ensure that you meet the university’s entry
requirements as listed in the agreements in the ‘After ABE’ section of the ABE website.

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22. Contacting ABE If the information you are looking for is not listed in this guide, please feel free to contact ABE via e-mail or
phone. 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 correct
e-mail address with your name and membership number quoted in all correspondence.

The e-mail addresses are:

For general queries:

info@abeuk.com

For Membership enquiries:

registration@abeuk.com

For Exemption queries:

exemption@abeuk.com

For Examinations:
examinations@abeuk.com

For all financial queries:

finance@abeuk.com

For all academic questions:

education@abeuk.com

To 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 examination
deadlines, the response time may be longer.

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Want to know more?

The Association of Business Executives

5th Floor CI Tower
St. Georges Square

B-A4-SH09
High Street New Malden
Surrey KT3 4TE UK

t +44 (0)20 8329 2930

f +44 (0)20 8329 2945
e info@abeuk.com
www.abeuk.com