Assessment of Professional Values, Ethics, and Attitudes (Ref: Para 14)
A39. IES 6: Initial Professional Development – Assessment of Professional Competence provides the
principles that apply to the design of assessment activities used to measure the achievement of
professional values, ethics, and attitudes and other elements of professional competence.
A40. Various assessment activities can be used to measure the achievement of professional values,
ethics, and attitudes of aspiring professional accountants. Appropriate assessment activities may
include (a) written examinations consisting of questions requiring short answers, (b) case studies,
(c) written essays, (d) objective testing, (e) workplace assessments, and (f) the recognition of prior
learning.
A41. In addition to written examinations, there are a number of other means by which assessment within
a formal education environment may be carried out, including:
(a) Creating databanks of case studies and requiring aspiring professional accountants to
complete tests based on these case studies;
(b) Using a case analysis system that requires aspiring professional accountants to maintain
journals and notes on particular public domain cases;
(c) Using objective testing of ethical aspects of professional accounting education programs; and
(d) Using case study group assignments and workshops to assess ethical analysis and decisionmaking.
A42. Workplace assessment differs from, and in many respects is more difficult than, assessment within
a formal education environment. The means for assessing the development of professional values,
ethics, and attitudes in the workplace may include:
(a) Discussion and facilitated resolution of ethical dilemmas as they arise in the workplace; and
(b) Reviews of ethical decision-making combined with performance reviews and appraisals.