AQA FAQ and Help

Useful links

2008-08-07T14:59:00Z

We've got useful links to keep you up to speed.

Useful links

Are you facing the challenge of teaching Diplomas in a rural area? The government has recently announced a £23m funding package to help you with your extra costs. For more details see this press notice from the DCSF.

Thinking about Phase 2? You can find information leaflets for all the Phase 2 lines of learning on the DCSF website.

If you are involved in delivering the Society, Health and Development Diploma take a look at the case studies on involving employers in this sector which are available on the Skills for Health Website.

If you are delivering the Diploma in Information Technology you might be interested in The Practical guide to Employer Engagement that has been produced by e-skills UK. You'll need to register and log on to www.e-skills.com to access the guide.

The Diploma Delivery Guide for consortia offering diplomas in 2008 produced by the DCSF provides guidance on many issues, from funding to teaching the Higher Diploma in one year.

Click on the following links to be taken to the Diploma Development Partnership relevant to your line of learning:
Construction and the Built Environment
Creative and Media
Engineering
Information Technology
Society, Health and Development

Latest news

2008-08-07T14:57:00Z

This is the beta version of AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank. As this site is new, we want you to try it out and let us know what you think. We’d be really interested to hear your feedback on what you think and how we can improve the site for you. Please email diplomabankwebmaster@hodder.co.uk with your feedback on the site.

Try the free demo

2008-08-07T14:57:00Z

Get a quick overview of what AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank can do for you - take a look at our demo. You must have Adobe Flash Player installed to view this demo - This can be downloaded from: http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=shockwaveFlash

What are Diplomas?

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Diplomas are new national qualifications which are being introduced in four phases from September 2008 to September 2011. By 2011 there will be 17 Diplomas to choose from.

The first five are being taught in selected schools and colleges from September 2008. These are: Construction and the Built Environment; Creative and Media; Engineering; Information Technology; and Society, Health and Development.

Diplomas have an applied nature of learning and delivery - they will combine classroom learning with practical hands-on experience to give students everything they need to decide about their future, and provide them with the skills they need to follow that future - whether it be college, university or the workplace.

Diplomas are offered at three levels: Foundation (level 1), Higher (level 2) and Advanced (level 3). Successful Foundation and Higher Diploma students will be able to go on to study for the next level of Diploma, take a different type of qualification such as GCSEs, A-levels or an Apprenticeship, or they could go straight into a job with its relevant associated training. A successful Advanced Diploma student will be able to go on to study at university or go straight into a career.

Diploma FAQs

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What areas do Diplomas Cover?

From September 2008:

Construction and the built environment

Creative and media

Engineering

Information technology

Society, health and development

From September 2009:

Business administration and finance

Hair and beauty studies

Hospitality

Environmental and land-based studies

Manufacturing and product design

From September 2010:

Public services

Retail business

Sport & active leisure

Travel & tourism

From September 2011:

Science

Humanities

Languages

What is Principal Learning?

Principal learning is the learning that gives the Diploma its title. It is learning that is related to a sector of the economy, and has been designed and endorsed by the relevant industry. This is the guts of the Diploma - the core content that students will be following. At least 50% of Principal Learning is applied learning.

What is Generic Learning?

Generic learning involves developing broader skills for employability and learning. Within the Diploma it consists of the Functional Skills (English, maths and ICT), Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS), work experience, and a project.

What is Additional and Specialist Learning?

The Additional and Specialist Learning (ASL) component of a Diploma allows students to choose qualifications to either specialise in a particular area within their line of learning (e.g. a student could use GCSE Art and Design as part of a Foundation or Higher Diploma in Creative and Media), or to broaden their study according to their own interests (for instance by taking a GCSE in a Modern Foreign Language). ASL is a significant component of a Diploma - at Foundation it is has 120 minimum guided learning hours (GLH), at Higher it has 180 minimum GLH, and at Higher it has 360 minimum GLH.

What is a Diploma worth - how does it compare to other qualifications?

The Foundation Diploma is a level 1 qualification. It takes about the same amount of time to do and is equivalent in points to 5 GCSEs.

The Higher Diploma is a level 2 qualification. It takes about the same time and attracts the same points as 7 GCSEs.

The Advanced Diploma is aimed at those over 16, and is a level 3 qualification. It takes the same time to do as three A levels, and is worth 3 and a half A levels

Do I have to use the same exam board for all the Diploma components?

No. You can choose different exam boards for different components of a Diploma. All the results for the different components will be gathered together for aggregation by QCA.

Why do students have to do work experience?

The Diploma has been designed in close collaboration with employers, to provide students with the kind of employability skills that industry will recognise as valuable. As such, work experience is a key part of the Diploma.

How much work experience does a student have to undertake?

A student must undertake at least 10 days work experience. Ideally this work experience should be directly related to the Diploma that is being studied. However, the focus of work experience is on overall employability skills rather than sector-specific skills, so work experience can be achieved with any employer.

What is AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank?

2008-08-07T14:52:00Z

AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank is a new online community, created to help you learn and share. Register now to meet new colleagues, share knowledge and experience and to learn from the experts.

AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank enables you to network with colleagues around the country who are all teaching diplomas for the first time. Create a user profile to share your interests with others and use diplomatalk, our Diploma message board to share issues and to get help and support from your colleagues.

AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank also enables you to share resources with other users. It's easy to upload and share your resources with colleagues, who can comment and provide useful feedback. All kinds of resources can be simply added to AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank from worksheets and lesson plans to interactivities and video clips.

AQA and City & Guilds diplomabank is a growing community and will be regularly updated with unique resources written by examiners and subject matter experts to help you manage the delivery of Diplomas in your consortia. Check back regularly to see what the latest news and developments are for your subject area.