“Being able to look at exam breakdowns and pass rates gives us really good insight into where students perform well and where they don’t. We use that information to make the resources better — to plug those gaps and bring up the knowledge.”

That analytical background still shapes the way Ben works. He uses AAT exam data to identify where students consistently struggle and adapts the course material accordingly — a feedback loop that most tutors simply do not have.

The results speak for themselves. Training Link’s AAT pass rates — consistently rank among the best in the sector.

His view on how accounting should be taught is straightforward. Manual foundations before software, every time.

“You are still going to be expected to complete tasks manually. And if there are errors in the accounts that need fixing, you need to know what’s already happened to be able to correct it.”

He is equally clear on what happens without that grounding.

“If you don’t have the underpinning knowledge, sometimes you might not even pick up on an error. You haven’t covered it — so when you see something that isn’t quite right, you don’t recognise it.”

The hardest concept to teach, in Ben’s experience, is the one students meet first. Statistically, the toughest unit at Level 2 is Principles of Bookkeeping Controls. But Ben’s view is that the real challenge comes earlier, in Introduction to Bookkeeping, because double-entry is the foundation for everything that follows. Get it wrong there, and nothing built on top of it is secure.

His solution is to work through as many examples as possible, covering as many different transaction types as he can, and to stay available when the reasoning does not click first time.

“Maybe it takes two or three or four attempts. But the goal is always to reach that point of understanding and move on.”

That commitment extends well beyond his own students. Ben runs free revision sessions open to all AAT students — regardless of which provider they study with. These sessions have helped hundreds of learners build confidence ahead of their assessments. It was partly this work that led to his recognition at the PQ Awards. In 2026 he was also invited to present at the AAT Student Conference, and joined AAT for a study session on their own social channels in May 2026.

The students who stay with Ben longest in his memory are those who have achieved their qualifications while navigating genuinely difficult personal circumstances — working multiple jobs, managing serious challenges alongside their studies, and getting there anyway. He has also worked with students who move at remarkable speed. One current student started Level 2 three months ago and is already into the second unit of Level 3, having passed every exam so far with a lowest score of 95%.

On the value of the AAT qualification in the real world, Ben lets a recent example make the point. A Level 3 student highlighted topics she had covered to her employer and, in doing so, identified errors the business had not noticed.

“That was a massive benefit to the employer. And a proud moment for the student.”

But it is the students who have had to fight hardest to get there that mean the most to him.

“You can’t help but feel proud for them. You know what it means to them. And it means a lot to you as well.”

One of those students is Michaela Howes, who went on to win AAT Student of the Year.

“Hearing about what she’d been through personally while she was studying, and knowing I’d been able to support her along the way — it was genuinely inspiring.”

Credentials

• • 17 years of experience in accounting education
  • PQ Magazine Tutor of the Year 2026
  • Teaches Levels 1, 2 and 3 on both the bookkeeping and accounting pathways at Training Link
  • One of the authors of the additional AAT course materials at Training Link
  • Runs Ben’s Revision Sessions, open and free to all AAT students
  • Contributor, AAT Student Conference 2026
  • Featured in AAT study support session on AAT social channels, May 2026
  • Tutor to Michaela Howes, AAT Student of the Year