Information for Students

ICFE Candidature

Cambridge ICFE is suitable for students of finance and accounting and practising accountants and finance professionals.

This includes students who are:

  • actively seeking employment in a finance context, e.g. accounting firms, company departments, and government agencies
  • intending to study finance or accounting where the course includes significant English Language content, either in their own country or abroad
  • seeking certification to demonstrate their English-language proficiency.

In addition, it also includes practising accountants and finance professionals who are:

  • seeking new employment in an international context
  • seeking promotion within their own organisations
  • learning English as part of a training programme
  • seeking certification to demonstrate their English-language proficiency in a finance or accounting context

The content of Cambridge ICFE

The Cambridge ICFE exam is comprised of four papers: the Test of Reading; the Test of Writing; the Test of Listening and the Test of Speaking.

Each test is based on realistic texts, tasks and topics similar to those finance professionals would expect to encounter in their daily working lives.

The following list illustrates some of the topic areas covered with Cambridge ICFE:

  • Financial Reporting
  • Company Financial Strategy
  • Risk Assessment and Analysis
  • Banking
  • Insurance
  • Investment Banking
  • Ethics and Professionalism
  • Debt-Recovery and Credit Policy
  • Accounting Software Packages
  • Auditing
  • Forensic Accounting
  • Assets and Company Valuations
  • Budgetary Processes
  • Corporate Governance
  • Cost and Management Accounting
  • Bankruptcy
  • Acquisitions and Mergers
  • Environmental and Sustainability Issues

Passing Cambridge ICFE

To pass Cambridge ICFE, candidates need a level of English of at least B2 on the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Students electing to take this course are expected to be familiar with some finance and accountancy concepts and terminology.

Further relevant information for students may be accessed in the ICFE FAQ section.