Assessment

Grading

To be awarded a Diploma, a learner needs to complete all components. Some of them i.e. Principal Learning, Functional Skills and the Project will also be awarded as individual qualifications.

The Diploma is graded at all levels. To achieve the overall Diploma qualification, learners will need to pass all components within the Diploma, including Functional Skills and Additional and Specialist Learning.

The Diploma grade is derived from the aggregate score of Principal Learning and the Project.

The grading of the Diploma will be reported in the following way:

Foundation Diploma: A*, A, B or ungraded (U)
Higher Diploma: A*, A, B, C or ungraded (U)
Advanced Diploma: A*, A, B, C, D, E or ungraded (U)

A Diploma transcript will record and report a learner's achievements in units and qualifications within the Diploma programme. It will contain grades at unit level and record the achievement of Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills, as well as the completion of work experience.

Principal Learning

Each unit of Principal Learning will be separately assessed and graded. Assessment of Principal Learning will be a combination of internal and external assessment. The form of the assessment for each unit is designed specifically to suit its aims and content and will be described in the Diploma qualification specification.

For internal assessment, the Principal Learning specifications require a range of techniques, which are designed to preserve the experiential and applied nature of the Diploma. Centres have the freedom to relate some internal assessment to local opportunities and resources whilst maintaining robust, reliable and valid assessment. It is recommended that assessment for some units in some lines of learning can be usefully linked together to create a unified, focused and economical approach across a level. The assessment activities should draw their content from real industry settings.

AQA–City & Guilds will support internal assessment through moderation, and there are rules and checks in place to ensure that learners' work is their own. Training will be provided for assessors and moderators to apply and standardise local assessment arrangements.

An important aspect of the Diploma is the development and assessment of elements of Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) in Principal Learning. The framework defines skills of:

independent enquiry
creative thinking
reflective learning
team working
self-management and
effective participation.

Outcome statements have been published and their assessment has been integrated into the requirements for each unit.

All Diplomas have external assessment and a variety of approaches will be used. External assessments will be timetabled and available in February and May. In some instances, there will be a requirement for learners to carry out preliminary work in advance of the test and then to use this data or experience to inform answers in the external assessments.

Examination 2009 timetable for Principal Learning units

Generic Learning

Functional Skills

Functional Skills (English, Mathematics and ICT) are components of Generic Learning within the Diploma that need to be assessed. At present Functional Skills are assessed in different ways by different awarding bodies for the purposes of piloting a range of assessment approaches. Final decisions on the assessment of Functional Skills are expected to be made in 2010.

Project

Learners will have to choose a topic to study; complete a log to document the progress of their project; plan, research and carry out their project and prepare a presentation on the outcome. Learners’ performance in each of these stages will be marked by centre staff to produce a project grade which will be moderated by AQA-City & Guilds.

Personal Learning and Thinking Skills

Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) will need to be recorded and there will be opportunities for recognising them within both Principal Learning and the Project.

Work Experience

Work experience may provide a vehicle for some assessment. However, work experience itself is not assessed or graded but its completion will need to be recorded.

Additional Specialist Learning (ASL)

Additional and Specialist Learning will be chosen from a broad range of approved qualifications and units. The assessment arrangements attached to these qualifications and units will be established separately and will apply unchanged in the context of the Diploma.

Find out more: AQA Exam timetables