Introduction
Pre-populated spreadsheets were introduced for the first time in July 2025. And, while the business will change in future Case Study exam sittings, the method does not. Used well, pre-populated spreadsheets will help you write clearer, more persuasive reports and gain you more marks.
We introduced PPS to:
- Bring the exam environment closer to a normal work environment
- Reduce the volume of low-skill number-crunching, freeing up time for higher-value analysis
- Enable a wider range of numerical analysis.
You will be familiar with spreadsheet functionality from other ACA exams and from your work, so the use of pre-populated spreadsheets in this exam is not a test of your spreadsheet skills. It is a platform for you to undertake high-level evaluation. Data will be presented in pre-populated spreadsheets for Requirement 1 and one of either Requirement 2 or 3.
For Requirement 2/Requirement 3, engagement with pre-populated spreadsheets will account for 10-20% of the marks available for the Requirement. These marks cover the calculations, your commentary on the output and the resulting conclusions and recommendations in your report and executive summary.
Opportunities for practice
Numerous examples of pre-populated spreadsheet are available in the new (2025) edition of the Case Study Learning Materials and in the practice exams on our website. To develop the necessary skills, you should work through these examples in preparation for the exam.
The pre-populated spreadsheets in Requirement 2/Requirement 3 can be used in various ways. The examples in the official Learning Materials and practice exams are a guide to possible formats, not an exhaustive list.
Key lessons from the July 2025 exam
In the July 2025 exam, the second pre-populated spreadsheets exercise was in Requirement 3. Overall, students performed well on the pre-populated spreadsheets tasks for Requirement 1 but struggled with the pre-populated spreadsheets tasks in Requirement 3.
Requirement 1 (R1)
Most candidates used the pre-populated spreadsheets in Requirement 1 as intended, to reduce simple ‘number-crunching’ and produce higher-value analysis. It’s important to note that the marking key now rewards quoting the pre-populated spreadsheets headline numbers in your narrative (A&UI.2) and then adding targeted, relevant analysis of your own (A&UI.1). You need to apply judgement in deciding what is appropriate here.
You will not get credit for pasting all of the pre-populated spreadsheets into an appendix; you should build small, purposeful tables that extend it.
The examiners recommend four points to follow:
-
Put headlines in the report (A&UI.2)
Quote pre-populated spreadsheets headline changes for revenue/COS/GP and other key numbers. Provide one focused paragraph of discussion per topic.
-
Put two or three targeted pieces of additional analysis in the appendix (A&UI.1)
Pick extensions that reveal the drivers in this business. For example, this might be:
- Like-for-like after a closure/opening, launch/withdrawal or other structural event (as in July 2025)
- A simple volume/price breakdown
- A strategic perspective (segment, channel, region, product) on management priorities stated in the AI
-
Interpret with context
Tie your pre-populated spreadsheets add-ons to benchmarks provided elsewhere in the case material, whether in the AI or in the exam itself (industry norms, company KPIs, strategy exhibits). This will earn marks under A&UI.3. This contextualisation was where many July scripts missed opportunities for marks.
-
Include relevant output in your executive summary (ES)
The marking key rewards those who, in the Executive Summary, summarise the principal findings from their main work.
Requirement 3 (R3)
For the pre-populated spreadsheets Requirement in Requirement 2/Requirement 3, your job will usually be to complete the pre-populated spreadsheets-based calculations, then compare the outputs to sensible comparators and use them in advice.
In July 2025, the pre-populated spreadsheets Requirement 3 task was a sensitivity analysis showing how three separate variables for a new venture needed to change to alter its payback outcome. Students performed poorly at this, with many struggling to produce the analysis required. This was partly because the pre-populated spreadsheets in Requirement 3 (or Requirement 2, if applicable) is inherently harder to predict and also because some students are often under time pressure when they reach Requirement 3.
Many students did not even attempt the two easy sensitivities (outlay, cost of parts) and even fewer completed the harder one (average number of visits per week) or then made a good attempt at the discussion. Marks were lost as a result.
Five points to follow are:
-
Do the quick calculations first
Prioritise the most straightforward calculations to secure simple marks before moving on to complex ones. For example, simple marks were available in the July 2025 exam for sensitivities on outlay and cost of parts, but a surprising number of students ignored them.
-
Then attempt any more complex calculations
Attempt all calculations. Even partial, clearly-labelled workings earn credit, with sensible comments earning further credit, even if the calculation has not been completed correctly.
-
Exercise judgement on the numbers
Compare your thresholds to relevant comparators (for July 2025, this could have included typical asset prices or utilisation in the AI, or recent margins/parts % from the Requirement 1 pre-populated spreadsheets) and explain feasibility/mitigations. In July 2025, many did some of the maths but skipped the comparators – this meant students lost marks that were available for demonstrating key skills: Structuring Problems and Solutions as well as Applying Judgement.
-
Advise with reasons and reservations
The recommendation only scores well when you use the results of your analysis to justify a decision and flag risks.
-
Include relevant output in your Executive Summary (ES)
As with Requirement 1, the marking key rewards those students who, in the Executive Summary, summarise the principal findings from their main work.
Formulae
It is important to remember that some cells in the pre-populated spreadsheet will contain linked formulae. Deleting or moving cells, rows or columns of text could cause formulae to break. If this happens in the exam, there is a backup for each tab that you can use.
Conclusion
Pre-populated spreadsheets exist to free up time for analysis, judgement and advice.
For Requirement 1, lift the relevant figures straight into the report, add only short, targeted calculations in the appendix that illuminate key drivers and interpret everything against the case context.
For Requirement 2 or Requirement 3, earn the straightforward marks first, avoid getting stuck on complex mechanics and carry results through to your recommendations and summary. Keep it concise, numerical and commercial, and integrate ethical considerations where relevant.
And as we mentioned at the start of this article, the business will change in future sittings, but the method does not. Used well, pre-populated spreadsheets will help you write clearer, more persuasive reports that attract more marks.