Ready to take your exams but now sure how do the ICB exams work? The ICB exams work as follows. You have to complete your Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) before you write the ICB exams. The PoE should be passed with a minimum of 50%. Students prepare themselves for the final ICB exam by completing the PoE.
Here is what the PoE consists of:
- 3 x Assignments
- 2 x Open-book tests
After you have completed your third and final assignment, you can decide when you would like to write the exam. Keep in mind that this process is for every subject you complete in an ICB Course. Here is an example of the Bookkeeping: ICB National Certificate:
Subjects | Assessments |
Bookkeeping To Trial Balance |
|
Payroll and Monthly SARS Returns |
|
Computerised Bookkeeping |
|
Business Literacy |
|
How Is The Portfolio Of Evidence Submitted?
You can submit the Portfolio of Evidence online by using ICB’s digital platform, called ICB MACCI. Everything will be completed online and will be timed.
For example, assignment one and assignment two will be timed and auto marked. This means that you can get your marks immediately and see where you have gone wrong. The open-book tests will also be timed and auto marked.
Your final assignment is the only assignment that can be submitted offline, and it can take a while to be marked.
What Is MACCI?
It is an online digital platform designed by ICB for students to complete and submit their assignments, open-book tests as well as final exams.
How Do I Register With MACCI?
You can register with MACCI as soon as you register for the final exam. Once you have made the decision to write the final exam and have registered for the final exam, you will receive an email from ICB.
In this email, ICB will confirm your registration and automatically send you the ICB MACCI login details. You will use the “username” and “password” provided to gain access to the ICB MACCI platform.
How Can I Write The Final Exam?
You can write the final exam in these (2) two ways:
- Paper-based exams
- Online exams
Paper-Based
These exams are for students who wish to write the exam at a physical location. Keep in mind that you should book your exam before the time to avoid fully booked slots.
How Does The ICB Paper-Based Exam Work?
If you are a distance learning student, you need to book your exam through the ICB Student Portal, this process does not happen automatically. After you have booked the final exam, you will receive a time and a location.
If you are a contact student, your college will automatically book the exam for you.
These exams are generally between 09:00 and 12:30. This means that the exams are three hours long, and it takes (30 minutes) to set up.
Online Exam
These exams are for students who wish to write the exam at home. You can log in to ICB MACCI and write the final exams. They will also be timed, and have digital invigilators.
These exams are generally between 09:00 and 13:00. This means that you can start the exams during this time but must finish before 16:30 because all online exams automatically close at this time.
How Does The ICB Online Exam Work?
If you are a distance learning student, you need to book your exam through the ICB Student Portal, this process does not happen automatically, you have to register for the final exam.
You will receive the time for the final exam, and log in using your ICB MACCI login details. If you are a contact student, you need to put in a request for the online exam with your college, it will not be booked for you automatically.
How Can I Register For The ICB Exam?
You can register for the ICB exam through the:
- ICB Student Portal
- ICB MACCI
- With your college if you are a contact student
What Is The Pass Mark For The ICB exam?
The pass mark for the ICB exam is 50%, but your final mark should be 60%. Here is how it works:
Assessments | Pass Rate |
Assignments | 50% or more |
Open-book tests | 50% or more |
Final exam | 50 % or more |
Final mark | 60% or more |
The above-mentioned table explains the marks you should achieve for each assessment. Keep in mind that the final exam counts 70% toward your final mark, and your assignments and open-book tests count 30% toward your final mark.
How Can I Postpone The ICB Exam?
You can postpone the ICB exam once. This could be for the following reasons:
- Voluntary purposes
This is if you would like to enter for the sitting after your initial exam date. You will have to make a payment for the next exam sitting.
- Medical purposes
This is when a medical emergency arises. You must have proof that you needed to see a doctor etc.
Keep in mind that you are only allowed to postpone your exam once. This means you can use the voluntary purpose the first time and then a medical reason the next time you would like to postpone.
If you do not postpone the final exam or cannot write the final exam, you need to apply for your PoE again.
Where Can I Study ICB Courses?
You can study ICB Courses at Bellview Institute of Distance learning. We are a distance learning institution that provides textbooks and support to all of our students. Here is a list of ICB Courses that we offer:
Business Management: ICB NQF 4-NQF 6
You can apply for our ICB Business Management Programme with a Grade 11 Certificate or our Bookkeeping: ICB National Certificate course.
- Small Business Financial Management: ICB National Certificate
- Office Administration – Business Management: ICB Higher Certificate
- Financial Accounting – Business Management: ICB National Diploma
Bookkeeping and Accounting: ICB NQF 3-NQF 6
You can apply for our ICB Bookkeeping and Accounting Programme with a Grade 10 Certificate or a Grade 10 equivalent certificate.
- Bookkeeping: ICB National Certificate
- Bookkeeping: ICB FET Certificate
- Certified Financial Accounting: ICB National Diploma
- Technical Financial Accounting: ICB National Diploma
Office Administration: ICB NQF 4-NQF 6
You can apply for our ICB Office Administration Programme with a Matric Certificate or a Matric Equivalent Certificate.
- Office Administration: ICB National Certificate
- Office Administration: ICB Higher Certificate
- Office Administration: ICB National Diploma
Can I Study Directly Through ICB?
No, you cannot study directly through ICB. You have to apply at:
- Distance learning college
- Contact learning college
ICB only administers the exams and does not offer any support or study material. This is why they have over 500 training providers that offer their courses.
What Can I Do With An ICB Qualification?
You can do the following with an ICB Qualification:
- Gain access to entry-level employment opportunities. These employment opportunities may include:
- No experience required employment opportunities
- Internships
- Learnerships
- Further your studies within ICB. This means that you can complete one course and then continue with the next course. For example:
- Office Administration: ICB National Certificate – Complete this course first
- Office Administration: ICB Higher Certificate – Continue with the second course
- Office Administration: ICB National Diploma – Finish off with the final course
Remember that each ICB Qualification allows you to gain entry to a different position. The higher your ICB qualification, the wider your range of opportunities is. For example, a Small Business Financial Management: ICB National Certificate allows you to start your own business, or you can work in sales or customer service.
Whereas a Financial Accounting – Business Management: ICB National Diploma allows you to become a Business Manager at a company or a Business Advisor.
What Should I Study After ICB?
After you have completed an ICB Course, you should:
Further your studies with another course. This is the natural step students take, they will start with one course and end off with an ICB National Diploma.
If you have completed an entire ICB Programme, you should:
Further your studies with another ICB Programme. After completing all the courses in an ICB Programme, you can complete another ICB Programme. This means that you can go from Bookkeeping and Accounting: ICB NQF 3-NQF 6 to Business Management: ICB NQF 4-NQF 6 or even Office Administrations: ICB NQF 4-NQF 6.
If you do not want to complete another ICB Course and would like to get your Degree, you should:
Apply to a university with a good APS Score, a Bachelor’s Degree Pass and the subjects required by that particular faculty. If you do not have a Matric Certificate or need to improve your Matric, you can complete the following courses:
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the basic qualifications you need to be a Bookkeeper:
- Bookkeeping: ICB National Certificate
- Bookkeeping: ICB FET Certificate
This depends on the services that you can provide. The more services you can provide, the more you are able to charge your clients.
A bookkeeper can earn up to R 14 500 per month. This depends on the following factors:
- Your qualifications
- Your experience
- The company that is hiring and how much they are willing to pay
Yes, this depends on the size of the company and how the company chooses to refer to you as.
Yes, Bookkeepers are in high demand in South Africa. This is because it is a scarce skill, and each company requires a Bookkeeper.
No, Unisa does not recognise ICB Qualifications, however, all of our ICB Qualifications are recognised in the UK.
Yes, ICB is recognised in the UK.
A self-employed Bookkeeper can earn between R300 to R500 per month.
No, ICB is not closed. They do close in the week of Christmas every year.
No, NSFAS does not fund ICB courses.
Author: Jesmé Africa
Editor: Connor Bergsma
Date Published: May 27, 2022