CA Foundation · September 2026 · Paper 1
CA Foundation Accounting September 2026: paper analysis
Our own analysis of the official paper, as of 12 October 2026. The questions and answers belong to ICAI; read them on ICAI's website.
Chapter-wise marks
Where the marks were in this paper (out of 100; internal-choice alternatives not double counted).
| Chapter | Questions | Marks | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Accounts | 8 | 58 | 24% |
| Accounting Process | 10 | 46 | 19% |
| Partnership and LLP Accounts | 4 | 40 | 17% |
| Depreciation and Amortisation | 2 | 20 | 8% |
| Accounts from Incomplete Records | 2 | 20 | 8% |
| Final Accounts of Sole Proprietors | 2 | 20 | 8% |
| Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organisations | 4 | 14 | 6% |
| Theoretical Framework | 4 | 12 | 5% |
| Bank Reconciliation Statement | 2 | 10 | 4% |
What each question tested
In our words, by question number. Open the official paper for the full question.
| Q | Marks | Tests | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(a)(i) | 2 | True or false with reasons: whether choosing an inventory cost formula counts as selecting an accounting policy | Theoretical Framework |
| 1(a)(ii) | 2 | True or false with reasons: classifying posting, totalling and balancing mistakes among types of accounting errors | Accounting Process |
| 1(a)(iii) | 2 | True or false with reasons: whether the cash book discount column captures trade discount | Accounting Process |
| 1(a)(iv) | 2 | True or false with reasons: adequacy of Debenture Redemption Reserve for debentures of unlisted companies | Company Accounts |
| 1(a)(v) | 2 | True or false with reasons: accounting treatment of life membership fees received by a not-for-profit body | Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organisations |
| 1(a)(vi) | 2 | True or false with reasons: which reserves may be used to issue fully paid bonus shares | Company Accounts |
| 1(b) | 4 | Fundamental accounting assumptions presumed to be followed unless disclosure states otherwise | Theoretical Framework |
| 1(c) | 4 | Journal entries for sales attracting CGST, SGST and IGST, part credit receipt and a sales rebate with GST reversal | Accounting Process |
| 2(a) | 10 | Machinery account under straight line method with government grant, upward revaluation, revised useful life and loss by fire with insurance claim | Depreciation and Amortisation |
| 2(b) | 10 | Rectification of posting, casting and omission errors with journal entries and preparation of suspense account | Accounting Process |
| 3(a) | 10 | Preparing trading, profit and loss account and balance sheet from incomplete records using opening and closing balances and cash and bank data | Accounts from Incomplete Records |
| 3(b) | 10 | Change in profit-sharing ratio through a single adjusting entry, memorandum revaluation account and profit and loss appropriation account | Partnership and LLP Accounts |
| 4(a) | 10 | Dissolution of a partnership firm: realisation account, partners capital accounts and bank account including assets taken over | Partnership and LLP Accounts |
| 4(b) | 10 | Final accounts of a sole trader from a trial balance with adjustments for stock, fire loss, goods on approval, goods in transit and commission | Final Accounts of Sole Proprietors |
| 5(a)(i) | 5 | Bank reconciliation statement covering unpresented cheques, uncleared deposits, card commission, fake digital payments and bank interest | Bank Reconciliation Statement |
| 5(a)(ii) OR | 5 | Ascertaining year-end inventory from a later stock count, adjusting for intervening sales, purchases, returns, approval and consignment goods | Inventories |
| 5(b) | 5 | Subscription income for the year with arrears and advances, and presentation in opening and closing balance sheets | Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organisations |
| 5(c) | 10 | Issue of equity shares at premium with rejected applications, calls in advance and arrears with interest, and forfeiture of shares | Company Accounts |
| 6(a) | 15 | Redemption of preference shares at premium financed by a fresh issue and sale of investments, with notes on share capital and reserves | Company Accounts |
| 6(b) | 5 | Advantages of the double entry system of book-keeping | Accounting Process |
What stood out
- Structure: Question 1 compulsory plus any four of the remaining five, so 120 marks were on offer for a 100-mark paper.
- Company Accounts led with about 29 marks across share issue and forfeiture, preference share redemption and two true-or-false items; the 15-mark redemption question was the single largest.
- Accounting Process carried about 23 marks spread over GST journal entries, rectification with suspense account, error types and double entry theory.
- Partnership contributed two full 10-mark questions (change in profit-sharing ratio and dissolution), while Bills of Exchange did not appear at all.
- Inventories surfaced only as an internal choice in 5(a), and short theory (true or false, accounting assumptions, double entry) was worth about 21 marks in total.
Practise the chapters that carried the marks
Company Accounts, Accounting Process, Partnership and LLP Accounts: study guides and practice questions in the CA Foundation format.