List of all ACCA FM Technical articles. F9 paper

by Eduyush Team

ACCA FM (F9) technical articles — complete index by syllabus area, with exam tips

This is a complete, organised index of every official ACCA Financial Management (FM/F9) technical article and tutor video — grouped by ACCA's own syllabus areas (A–G), linked to the current source pages, and annotated with an Eduyush insight on how each topic is examined.

FM blends number-crunching with judgement: investment appraisal, working capital, cost of capital and risk management all reward a clear method and a clear explanation. The Section C techniques below — appraisal, working capital and business finance — are where the biggest marks sit.

100marks total
50%pass mark
40Section C marks
~48–52%recent pass rate
How FM is examined: a 3-hour computer-based exam. Section A is 15 objective-test questions (30 marks); Section B is three OT case questions (30 marks); Section C is two constructed-response questions worth 20 marks each (40 marks) — usually drawn from working capital management, investment appraisal, business finance / cost of capital, or business valuations. Pass mark 50%. See how FM's pass rate compares across all papers →
One thing to keep in perspective: ACCA's own note on this resource is that the number of technical articles in an area does not reflect how heavily it's examined. Area E (sources of finance) has the most articles, but that doesn't make it the biggest exam topic — weight your revision by the syllabus and past papers, not by article count.

Syllabus area A (the role and purpose of the financial management function) is examined mainly through objective-test questions and has no dedicated technical article — so the index below starts at area B.

Syllabus area BThe economic environment & financial management

A small area, but the interest-rate mechanics underpin calculations right across the paper.

Interest rates

Insight: Annualising vs short-term pro-rating of percentage figures, and ACCA's preferred approach. A small distinction that ripples into working capital, appraisal and hedging calculations — get it right once and you stop losing easy marks everywhere.

Syllabus area C · big Section C sourceWorking capital management

A core area that can form the whole of a 20-mark question — and a reliable source of OT marks too.

Working capital managementFoundation

Insight: The foundations — analysing current assets and liabilities and the cash operating cycle. ACCA flags that this can be a whole 20-mark question, so make the working capital cycle second nature.

Accounts receivable management

Insight: Discuss, apply and evaluate receivables techniques — settlement discounts and factoring in particular. Know how to compare the cost of a discount against the financing saving.

Receivables collection

Insight: Two methods for speeding up cash collection (factoring vs invoice discounting). A focused calculation-and-evaluation that pairs naturally with the receivables management article.

Management of foreign accounts receivable

Insight: The extra challenges of overseas customers — currency exposure and slower collection. Links forward to the foreign-currency risk material in area G.

Syllabus area D · big Section C sourceInvestment appraisal

One of FM's most heavily represented areas — NPV is the engine of a typical Section C question.

Inflation & investment appraisalCommon error zone

Insight: Nominal vs real NPV and the tax interaction — where unprepared candidates routinely slip. Keep money cash flows with a money discount rate (and real with real); mixing them is the classic trap.

Advanced investment appraisal

Insight: The broader NPV applications that recur in the exam — the backbone of a Section C appraisal question. Build a reliable, tabulated NPV layout you can reuse under time pressure.

Equivalent annual costs & benefits

Insight: The technique for asset-replacement decisions where projects have unequal lives. A neat, self-contained method — easy marks once you've seen the pattern.

Syllabus area E · the most-written-about areaSources of business finance & cost of capital

Financing, dividends, capital structure and the cost of capital. Lots of articles — but revise by exam weight, not by volume.

Business financeStart here

Insight: The area-E overview — types, sources and mix of finance. Read this first to frame everything else in the section.

Business finance for SMEs

Insight: The SME financing gap plus modern sources — crowdfunding and supply chain finance. A discussion favourite; have two or three SME-specific points ready.

Analysing the suitability of financing alternatives

Insight: A structured approach (with a worked example) for choosing between debt and equity for a given company. Directly exam-applicable — learn the framework, not just the conclusion.

Introduction to Islamic finance

Insight: The main instruments — murabaha, ijara, mudaraba, musharaka and sukuk. A discrete, learnable topic that's almost always worth a few OT or discussion marks.

Dividend theory

Insight: The dividend-policy theories (irrelevancy, signalling, clientele effect) plus practical considerations. A narrative staple — apply the theory to the scenario rather than reciting it.

The capital asset pricing model – part 1CAPM series

Insight: CAPM components and the asset/equity beta formula — estimating the cost of equity. The foundation for the project-discount-rate calculation in part 2.

The capital asset pricing model – part 2High value

Insight: Applying CAPM to a project-specific discount rate — de-gearing and re-gearing betas. A high-value Section C calculation; practise the beta adjustments until they're automatic.

The capital asset pricing model – part 3

Insight: The theory, advantages and limitations of CAPM — the discussion marks that accompany the calculation. Know the assumptions you'd be asked to critique.

Dividend growth model vs CAPM

Insight: Two routes to a discount rate / cost of equity. Know when each applies and the limitations of both — a common "compare and recommend" requirement.

Optimum capital structure

Insight: The traditional view vs Modigliani & Miller (with and without tax) — does gearing change shareholder value? Discussion-heavy; be able to explain each position clearly.

Syllabus area F · big Section C sourceBusiness & asset valuations

Valuation questions reward a clear method and a sensible commentary on which approach fits the scenario.

Business valuationsPDF

Insight: The three approaches — asset-based, income-based and cash-flow-based. The core of any valuation question; know the strengths and weaknesses of each method for the scenario you're given.

Behavioural finance

Insight: The key biases and concepts that challenge market efficiency. A short, learnable narrative topic — a few well-chosen terms earn the marks.

Syllabus area G · big Section C sourceRisk management

Interest-rate and currency risk and how to hedge them — a recurring Section C topic. (The "Interest rates" article in area B is also relevant here.)

Foreign currency risk & its management

Insight: The three exposures (economic, translation, transaction) and the hedges — forwards, money-market, futures and options. A regular Section C question; be ready to compare two hedges numerically.

Hedging techniques for interest rate risk

Insight: FRAs, futures, options and swaps for interest-rate risk — the methods and when each suits. Pair it with the currency-risk article as your risk-management toolkit.

Learn FM on video — BPP online course

Official BPP Enhanced Classroom (ECR) recorded lectures for FM, with CBE practice and auto-marked tests. Authorised reseller pricing.

View BPP FM course →

Study from the books — BPP FM

Official BPP study text and exam kit for the Applied Skills papers, including FM — the question bank that builds appraisal and cost-of-capital fluency.

Shop BPP FM books →

Watch, don't just readACCA topic-explainer video library

Short tutor-led videos from ACCA on the trickier FM topics — ideal for a first pass or a quick revision refresh.

From EduyushFM study companions

Quick answersFM technical articles — FAQ

Start with the big Section C earners: working capital management, investment appraisal (including inflation and tax), and the cost-of-capital cluster (CAPM parts 1–2 and WACC). Then add business valuations and foreign-currency risk. Use the syllabus and past papers to weight your time — not the number of articles in each area.
FM is a 3-hour computer-based exam. Section A is 15 objective-test questions (30 marks); Section B is three OT case questions (30 marks); Section C is two constructed-response questions worth 20 marks each (40 marks), usually drawn from working capital management, investment appraisal, business finance or business valuations. The pass mark is 50%.
Area E (sources of finance and cost of capital) covers a lot of distinct sub-topics — dividends, CAPM, capital structure, Islamic finance and SME finance — so it has accumulated the most technical articles. ACCA notes that article volume does not reflect exam weighting, so don't assume area E is the largest part of the paper.
Yes — they're short, tutor-led, and a good first pass on a tricky calculation (WACC, betas, valuations, hedging) or a quick revision refresh. Use them alongside the written articles, then apply the topic in past-paper questions.

All in one placeACCA Applied Skills technical articles

Jump to another Applied Skills paper

Every Applied Skills technical-article hub, organised the same way — pick the paper you're studying next.

Ready to turn the techniques into marks?

FM rewards practice on full questions. Study with official BPP FM lectures, or pair the BPP books with these technical articles and work Section C appraisals and valuations to time.

BPP FM online course   BPP FM books

 

 


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