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Arrangements for awarding and setting standards in the Diploma - Principal learning, project and Diploma - Final report of the Diploma Awarding and Standards Group

This report builds on the Regulatory arrangements for component and Diploma awarding bodies, recognition criteria and operating rules, and aspects of the GCSE, GCE and AEA Code of Practice and The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It sets out a number of principles and practices relating to the awarding of principal learning project and the Diploma. These rules were implemented in September 2008, with the exception of the five recommendations shown in italics in Chapter 3). These current status is shown below:

  • Recommendation 1: The same project must not be used for more than one Diploma at the same level.  Status: Not implemented and subject to further analysis by Ofqual and QCDA.
  • Recommendation 2: Learners cannot count the same work experience towards more than one Diploma at the same level. Status: Not implemented and subject to further analysis by Ofqual and QCDA.
  • Recommendation 3: Once a Diploma result has been issued, all the constituent qualifications that have been counted towards that Diploma, with the exception of the functional skills results, will be frozen and cannot be used in any further Diplomas at the same level. Status: Not implemented and subject to further analysis by Ofqual and QCDA.
  •  Recommendation 4: Where a learner has more ASL (in terms of GLH) than necessary for the award of a Diploma, the Diploma aggregation service will count the minimum combination of qualifications to qualify for the Diploma. Status: The recommendation to freeze ASL components has not been implemented, however, the Diploma aggregation service is able to calculate the most effective way of combining ASL qualifications for inclusion in a Diploma result.
  • Recommendation 5: Learners will have the opportunity to amend the choice of ASL qualifications being used for their Diploma. Status: The Diploma aggregation service enables learners who have excess ASL to amend which results contribute towards their Diploma and hence appear on the transcript.