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News and information for members who are currently studying.

Click here for details on the impact on qualifications of the new Global Internal Audit Standards.

Join our Student Community

Did you know that we have a dedicated special interest group for students studying with us?

It is open to all student members and offers drop-in sessions for students to discuss their studies, ask questions and share insights.

Information of the group can be found at the bottom of the 'Special interest groups' page within our 'Community hub'.

Click here for details, and why not join our Student Community meeting on Tuesday 22nd October? You can register here.

Certifications and the new Standards 

On January 9th 2025, new Global Internal Audit Standards will take effect.

During the transition period your syllabus will continue to reference the 2017 IPPF/Standards and members currently registered on any of the programmes, or those looking to register, are urged to continue with their studies. 

Please note that we will be publishing additional information on this page as it becomes available. 

The information below gives guidance on the changes to each individual certification.  It is important to consider that rules and transition arrangements apply to specific programmes only. For example, an arrangement under the Certified Internal Auditor should not be assumed to also apply to Chartered programmes unless specifically stated.    

We are planning a series of webinars around the different certifications, and these will provide an update on the changes to the syllabi and the options open to you.  If you cannot attend a webinar, then you will be able to access a recording of the event here 

Certified Internal Auditor

All examinations conducted from 1 May 2025 will be against the new syllabus, and we are currently working to produce a new support programme launching in February 2025.   

Exams up to 30 April will be based on the existing syllabus and we will be offering CIA Masterclasses up to January 2025. 

Chartered Internal Auditor

The competencies for Chartered by Experience will be updated for 9 January. Chartered by Learning remains unchanged for the time being. 

Internal Audit Practitioner

IIA Global are still to confirm changes to the Internal Audit Practitioner, and these will be communicated to members.  

Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk 

IIA Certificate courses will be updated to align with the new Standards.  All workshops, PDLs and PERs after 9 January 2025 will be based on the new standards. 

Apprenticeships

Both the Internal Audit Practitioner (Level 4) and the Internal Audit Professional (Level 7) apprenticeships will require knowledge, skills and behaviours to be evidenced reflecting the new standards and further information will be available from your training provider. 

All End Point Assessments after 1st May 2025 will be assessed using the new standards where applicable;  

Certified Internal Auditor

The CIA exams will be changing to reflect the new standards on 1st May 2025.  

As with any education program, the CIA syllabus is regularly reviewed to ensure it remains current and relevant and, as you may have seen, the IIA’s Standards are being significantly updated and will become effective in January 2025. Because the CIA Syllabus is based heavily on the Standards, a new CIA syllabus has been developed in response.   

 As a result, significant changes have been made to:   

• Bring the exams up to date with the current global practice of internal auditing.  
• Create greater alignment between the CIA syllabi and The IIA’s new Global Internal Audit Standards.  
• Minimize duplication and overlap among the three exam parts.  
• Clarify the knowledge, skills, and abilities that exam candidates must possess to pass the exam.  

A full and detailed explanation of the changes and why they are being made can be downloaded here. You can download the revised CIA syllabus here. 

Our suggested approach 

We recommend, if possible, you sit the exams for Part 1 and Part 2 against the same syllabus – either the new or the old syllabus. As both these exams reference the standards, it means you only need to learn the standards once. 

The new Part 3 syllabus is likely to be more focussed and slightly smaller in scale. If you have not yet booked your Part 3 exam, then perhaps wait for the new syllabus.  

If you have already booked your exam, or need to sit the exams before your window expires, then go ahead and do so.  

If you will be sitting the exam against the existing syllabus, then we will continue to support you. 

Book a CIA Masterclass

If you are going to sit the exam based on the existing syllabus, try to give yourself enough time to resit before the new exams go live. 

The new Global Internal Audit Standards and the CIA Syllabus

Watch the recording below to better understand the CIA syllabus changes in light of the new Global Internal Audit Standards. 

Webinars 

We will be hosting a series of webinars for CIA student members and will be going through the new syllabi in detail, so you understand the extent of the changes.  We will also present the options you have and will leave lots of time for you to ask your questions. 

Click on the dates below to register for a webinar. All webinars will have the same format and agenda, so you only need to register for one. 

Support for the new syllabus 

We are currently working on a new learning programme for the CIA to go live in February 2025 allowing you to sit the new exam as soon as it is available. More information will be shared soon 

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact student.support@iia.org.uk 

FAQ for CIA 

Below are some scenarios that explain the most typical situations and our suggested responses. 

I am looking to register on the CIA but have not yet. Should I wait?   

We suggest that you sit Parts 1 and 2 under the same syllabus.  So, if you register now, then you should be prepared to sit CIA Parts 1 and 2 before 1 May 2025. Although not impossible, it may be a challenge to achieve this. If this is your preferred approach, then you can also book any of the Masterclasses in January and February.   

Alternatively, you could wait a few months and register in the autumn when we will be taking enrolments on our new tuition program, and then sit the exams under the new syllabus next year.  

I’ve enrolled on the CIA but have not sat any exams yet 

Your best course of action will depend on how long you have been enrolled and how far away your deadline is.  

If you have only recently enrolled then you can consider the advice above. 

You may want to bear in mind your deadline will not be extended, and you need to complete the CIA within three years.  So, the longer you wait, the less time you will have.  

If your deadline is approaching, then you may wish to get started as soon as possible. We will be running additional Masterclasses in January and February to help students enrolled on the current syllabus, and any exams you pass prior to the syllabus change will not need to be resat so long as you complete the program before your deadline.  

I have only completed CIA Part 1  

As CIA Parts 1 and CIA Part 2 are both very closely aligned with the Standards, ideally you should try to sit both exams under the same syllabus if possible as this would prevent you having to study the old standards and the new standards.   

However, if it is not possible to complete Part 2 before the change, don’t worry, you will keep your Part 1 credit and be fully supported in completing Parts 2 & 3.  

I have completed CIA Parts 1 & 2, but not CIA Part 3  

CIA Part 3 includes areas outside internal audit and so has limited references to the Standards.  You may wish to consider sitting CIA Part 3 under the new syllabus if possible as it is slightly smaller and more focused.  

Will we get an extension?  

Free extensions will not be offered solely based on the syllabus. However, candidates will be able to apply for a free hardship extension in cases where there are exceptional circumstances or pay for a single 12-month extension at $275. For more information on extensions, please see the Certification Candidate Handbook, available via the Resources section of your CCMS account.  

What is happening with tuition?  

We are currently developing a new tuition programme that is aligned to the new syllabus. This programme will provide you with all the support you need to complete the CIA.  Registration on the new program will open later in the year, and further details will be announced shortly.  

I am booked on a Masterclass, but I now want to wait for the new syllabus.  

Please email our Learning team at learning@iia.org.uk who will arrange the cancellation with you.  

Can I opt out of the new syllabus?  

No. The old syllabus and exams will be retired for all students on 1 May 2025.  

Can I start sitting my exams under the new syllabus now?  

No. You will need to wait until May 2025 to sit exams under the new syllabus.  

I have passed the CIA under the current syllabus. Is it worth less than CIAs awarded after May 2025? 

Absolutely not. The syllabus changes from time to time but the CIA award remains the same. No distinction is made between CIAs awarded under different syllabi.  

I have failed an exam and want to retake it after 1st May 2025. Will my resit be under the current syllabus?  

No. All exams, including resits, will be under the new syllabus from 1st May onwards. If you want to resit your exam under the current syllabus, you will need to schedule it no later than 30th April 2025.   

Because students must wait 30 days between resits, please be aware that if you fail an exam in April 2025, you will not have the option of taking your resit under the current syllabus.   

You can find further FAQs at https://www.theiia.org/cia2025 and if you have any further questions, please contact the Student Support team at student.support@iia.org.uk   

Chartered Internal Auditor

Chartered by Experience 

The Chartered by Experience assessment is currently going through a review and will be updated to reflect the new Global Internal Audit standards. All assessments taking place after 10th January 2025, the day after the standards become effective, will be based on the new Standards.  Until then, candidates will be assessed against the existing standards. 

All guidance and documentation will be updated accordingly and will be made available in due course. 

Chartered by Learning 

The syllabus will be updated to reflect the new Standards. 

The intake for September 2024 and March 2025 will be assessed on the existing standards and syllabus.  Cohorts commencing their studies in September 2025 will be examined against the new Standards and syllabus. As this will be the first review of the Chartered by Learning syllabus, we expect that there will be further changes to the pedagogy and the assessment methodology.  These will be communicated in due course, and we will support students who are currently on programme to transition to the revised syllabus and program. 

The publication date of the new syllabus has not been agreed yet and will be communicated as soon as this has been confirmed. 

Webinars 

If you are currently registered on either of the Chartered programmes, then we invite you to join us for the following webinar where we can explain what the likely changes will be and provide you with an opportunity to clarify on any questions you may have. 

Click on the dates below to register.  

If you have any questions, please contact us at student.support@iia.org.uk 

Internal Audit Practitioner 

We have not received confirmation from IIA Global on any changes to the Internal Audit Practitioner. 

We know that the syllabus will be updated at some point as it is fully underpinned by the new Global Internal Audit Standards. 

Once a decision has been taken this will be communicated to our members.  

We expect a final decision on or around than the 30 August 2024.  As with the other certifications we will provide you with details of the changes and will schedule webinars to support you.  

Please direct any questions to student.support@iia.org.uk

Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk

The syllabus, workshop materials and assessments for the IIA Certificate will be updated to reflect the new Global Internal Audit Standards.  

All IIA Certificate workshops taking place after 9th January 2025 will be aligned the net global standards. 

Members who have already attended workshops do not need to attend again, and you can complete the IIA Certificate through a combination of the two syllabi.  

Members can complete the Professional Experience Report based on either the old standards or the new standards. Please clearly indicate which standards you are referring to and choose one set of standards to complete the whole of the PER rather than jump around between the two sets. 

Please direct any questions to student.support@iia.org.uk  

Apprenticeships 

If you are currently registered on an apprenticeship, then the Chartered IIA will engage with you via your tuition provider around any changes in evidence requirements in the transition onto the new global standards, so any queries or questions please contact your training provider in the first instance. 

If you are registered on a mandatory qualification within your apprenticeship for example the CIA, IIA Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk or the Internal Audit Practitioner then there will be webinars available for you to explain the changes to the syllabus along with support from your training provider. 

If you are currently undertaking the Internal Audit Practitioner (Level 4) apprenticeship, you can join the following webinar 

Alternatively, you can also join the webinar for any of the mandated qualifications. 

Please direct any questions to student.support@iia.org.uk 

Questions? Please email studentsupport@iia.org.uk