The third GAAS of fieldwork requires that the auditor obtain sufficient competent audit evidence to afford a reasonable basis for an opinion regarding the financial statements under audit. In considering what constitutes sufficient competent evidential matter, a distinction should be made between underlying accounting records and other information available to the auditor.
Required
(a) Discuss the nature of audit evidence to be considered by the auditor in terms of the underlying accounting record, other corroborating information available to the auditor, and the methods by which the auditor tests or gathers competent evidence.
(b) State the presumptions that can be made about the validity of audit evidence with respect to (1) other information and (2) underlying accounting records.