Auditing and Assurance Standards and Guidance

Auditing Standards (Ireland)

FRC ISAs (UK and Ireland) applicable for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2010 but before 17 June 2016

ISA (UK and Ireland) 530 Audit sampling

Application and Other Explanatory Material

Sample Design, Size and Selection of Items for Testing

Selection of Items for Testing (Ref: Para. 8 )

With statistical sampling, sample items are selected in a way that each sampling unit has a known probability of being selected. With non-statistical sampling, judgment is used to select sample items. Because the purpose of sampling is to provide a reasonable basis for the auditor to draw conclusions about the population from which the sample is selected, it is important that the auditor selects a representative sample, so that bias is avoided, by choosing sample items which have characteristics typical of the population.

A13.	The principal methods of selecting samples are the use of random selection, systematic selection and haphazard selection. Each of these methods is discussed in Appendix 4.