Routes into Higher Education:A Good Practice Guide to Admissions for Access to HigherEducation Diplomas, Advanced Apprenticeships, AdvancedDiplomas and BTEC Level 3 Extended Diplomas

LEVEL 3QUALIFICATION

ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION(HE) DIPLOMA

ADVANCED APPRENTICESHIP ADVANCED DIPLOMA BTEC LEVEL 3 EXTENDED DIPLOMA(before 2010 this qualification was called theBTEC Level 3 National Diploma)*

OVERVIEW Aimed at adults who may have few, or no,formal qualifications. Designed to providethe skills needed to progress to HE.

Work-based training programme. Combination of general and appliedlearning designed to support progression toHE or employment.

Work related qualification.Aims both to support progression to HEor employment.

LENGTH OF STUDY 1 year full time, 2 years part time. Between one and three years to completedepending on sector.

2 years full time. 2 years full time.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS No formal entry requirements.Learners must demonstrate motivation,commitment and the desire to study.In the absence of prior GCSE attainmentindividual providers often require prospec-tive students to undertake an entry test.

Level 2 qualifications such as 5 GCSEs atA*–C, or an Apprenticeship at L2.

Level 2 qualifications such as 5 GCSEs atA*–C, or a Higher Diploma at grades A*–C.For some Advanced Diplomas grade C orabove may be required in maths and/orEnglish.

Level 2 qualifications such as 5 GCSEs atA*–C, or a relevant Level 2 BTEC qualifica-tion. For some BTECs grade C or above maybe required in maths and/or English.

WHO OFFERS IT? FE Colleges, some adult education collegesand a limited number of community basedorganisations.

Apprentices learn primarily in the workplaceas paid employees, typically with dayrelease at FE Colleges or a private WBLtraining provider to underpin knowledge.

Offered in schools and colleges, some ofwhich share delivery of different compo-nents. Also involves work experience.

FE Colleges, schools, private trainingproviders.

HOW IS IT STUDIED? Flexible courses, enabling students to studyfull time or part time.

Most of the training is ‘on the job’. The restcan be provided by a local college or by aspecialist learning provider.

Full time study in college or school, thoughsome learning may take place through workexperience.

Normally studied full time although studentsmay, in some cases, have the option ofstudying part time.

HOW IS IT ASSESSED? Usually assessed on the basis of coursework.However, on most courses learners take anexamination skills unit or complete assign-ments under exam conditions.

Students work towards a National VocationalQualification (NVQ) at Level 3, along withthe Tech Cert (BTEC or City and Guilds) andKey Skills. They need to complete all 3elements to complete the framework.Assessment methods are determined by theappropriate Sector Skills Council.

Some parts are externally assessed.Most components are internally assessedand externally moderated by the relevantawarding bodies.

Assessed and graded through assignments.All assessments are quality assured throughinternal verification and Edexcel carry outexternal verification activities.

WHAT’S IT WORTH? Students must achieve 45 credits at Level 3and a further 15 credits must be achieved atlevel 2 or 3 (1 credit = 10 learning hours).From 2010, each level 3 unit that is success-fully completed for the Diploma is awarded apass, merit or distinction grade. Level 2 unitsare not graded nor are any additional Level 3units.

Advanced Apprenticeships do not currentlycarry a UCAS tariff although the qualificationis seen as a route to HE, particularly on toFoundation Degrees, flexible work-based HEor Higher Apprenticeships. Advanced Appren-tices will gain work-based learning qualifica-tions such as NVQ Level 3, Key Skills and, inmost cases, a relevant knowledge basedcertificate such as a BTEC.

Equivalent to 3.5 A levels.It attracts UCAS tariff points and the maxi-mum points that can be gained are 490.

Equivalent to 3 A Levels.Students get a combination of 3 grades -Pass (P), Merit (M), or Distinction (D).Each combination attracts a different UCAStariff (see below).

UCAS TARIFF N/A Although the Advanced Apprenticeship doesnot, itself, carry a UCAS tariff, some Ad-vanced Apprenticeship frameworks willinclude a component part, such as a BTECLevel 3 Diploma or a BTEC Level 3 ExtendedDiploma, which does carry a UCAS tariff.

A*= 350, A = 300, B = 250, C = 200D = 150, E = 100Students also undertake ‘Additional SpecialistLearning’, which could be an A-Level or BTECqualification, and will receive additional UCASpoints for this.

The UCAS tariff according to the 3 gradesobtained: DDD = 360, DDM = 320,DMM = 280, MMM = 240, MMP = 200MPP = 160, PPP = 120. NB: From 2010 therewill be a new overall Distinction* grade.UCAS are yet to confirm the points for this.

WHERE CAN I FIND MOREINFORMATION?

www.accesstohe.ac.uk and www.ocnlr.org.uk www.apprenticeships.org.uk www.direct.gov.uk www.edexcel.com

ROUTES INTO HIGHER EDUCATION : A GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE TO ADMISSIONS

*As a result of the introduction of the Qualifications andCurriculum Framework (QCF), Edexcel have beenrequired to change the names of their BTECqualifications. For more information go to:www.edexcel.comThe BTEC Nationals name changes are as follows:• The BTEC Level 3 National Diploma will become theBTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma, equivalent to 3 GCE A Levels

• The BTEC Level 3 National Certificate will become theBTEC Level 3 Diploma, equivalent to 2 GCE A Levels

• The BTEC Level 3 National Award will become theBTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma, equivalent to 1 GCE ALevel

• There is also the addition of the BTEC Level 3Certificate, equivalent to 1 GCE AS Level

BTEC EXTENDED DIPLOMABTEC Extended Diploma qualifications are UCAStariffed (see above). Entry criteria can beexpressed either as a UCAS tariff or as 3 overallgrades.

For entry onto courses in some specificsubject areas, eg Science, you might want tospecify if there are some subjects you will notaccept, or if there are preferred subjects.

Some vocational/non A Level students may nothave had the opportunity to study GCSE Englishand Maths, so consider accepting equivalence.

ADULT/MATURE LEARNERSApplicants to undergraduate courses who arecurrently working or have gained substantialwork related experience and/or have completedlearning that has not been formally recognisedwill need to be able to access information onHEIs position regarding credit recognition andtransfer.

Each institution will make individual decisionsabout how much credit (if any) can be approvedonto a course of study based on the prior learn-ing of the applicant. It is important that HEIspublish their APEL (Accreditation of PriorExperiential Learning) and APCL (Accreditationof Prior Certified Learning) processes clearly toapplicants and where possible who theapplicants can contact for further information.Information should include:

• Does the HEI accredit prior experientiallearning and certified learning?

• How is it assessed?• How does the applicant proceed with anapplication?

• How much does it cost?• What support, if any, will the applicant receiveto complete an application?

ADVANCED DIPLOMAThe Advanced Diploma carries a UCAS tariffoffer. This consists of an amalgamation of thegrade for Principal Learning A*-E, which isawarded for achievement across the PrincipalLearning units and the generic componentconsisting of the Extended Project, PersonalLearning &Thinking Skills (PLTS), FunctionalSkills and work experience, and the grade forthe Additional & Specialist Learning (ASL)undertaken. The maximum UCAS tariff pointsan Advanced Diploma student can obtain is 490points:

• Principal learning, plus the additionalaspects noted above: A* 350 / A 300 /B 250 / C 200 / D 150 / E 100

• Additional Specialist Learning: studentswill usually have studied either a BTEC Level 3Subsidiary Diploma, an A level or AS level(s):A level A* 140 / A 120 / B 100 / C 80 /D 60 / E 40AS Level A 60 / B 50 / C 40 / D 30 / E 20BTEC National Award: Distinction 120 /Merit 80 / Pass 40

In some cases applicants will have studied otherqualifications as part of their ASL which maynot attract a UCAS tariff. For example City &Guilds awards.

The student transcript will indicate the overallgrade for the award achieved and will then listeach graded component across the six aspectsseparately i.e. Principal Learning; Extended Proj-ect; Functional Skills; PLTS; work experience andASL. It is worth noting that in some instancesAdvanced Diploma applicants at some institu-tions may not be offered A/AS levels as part oftheir ASL, as this may not be part of the curricu-lum at the College.

The extended project is an important part of theAdvanced Diploma. Students are tested on theirability to design, plan and research the project,developing skills that are highly relevant for HEstudy and it will be useful for HE admissionsstaff to take note of this.

Students who do not obtain the full award mayget a number of stand alone qualifications whichcan carry UCAS tariff points. For example, a stu-dent could fail to achieve the Advanced Diplomabut could still obtain UCAS tariff points fromthe:

• ASL qualification• Extended Project (equivalent to an AS level)• Functional Skills (10 tariff points perfunctional skill)

ADVANCED APPRENTICESHIPAdvanced Apprenticeships do not carry a UCAStariff* but you could consider what work-basedor part time courses you have that could be ap-propriate for Advanced Apprentices. They will belearning in the workplace primarily, so the mostlikely courses that they would want to progressonto will be part time, distance or blendedlearning, and it is most likely that they will be in-terested in vocationally related courses. Forexample, a learner that passes an AdvancedApprenticeship in Engineering may be an appro-priate candidate for progression onto a Founda-tion Degree in Engineering Technology. If youruniversity identifies appropriate courses forprogression then this can be expressed in thestandard UCAS terminology, eg ‘Acceptable onits own.’ Your university may also run shorter‘bite-sized’ courses that may be of interest toAdvanced Apprentices.

Please note that asking for A Levels as addi-tional qualifications will effectively debar themajority of Advanced Apprentices as it is un-likely that they will have previously studied ALevels.

* Although the Advanced Apprenticeship does not,itself, carry a UCAS tariff, some AdvancedApprenticeship frameworks will include acomponent part, such as a BTEC Level 3 Diplomaor a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma, which doescarry a UCAS tariff. In your admissions informa-tion, you could consider highlighting this. Forexample by stating that you welcome applicationsfrom Advanced Apprenticeships and that, if theyhave done a BTEC qualification as part of theirAdvanced Apprenticeship they may have enoughUCAS points to meet the minimum requirements.It should be noted, however, that not all AvancedApprenticeship frameworks contain BTEC qualifi-cations, and some will include equivalent qualifi-cations such as City & Guilds, so you could invitethose learners with non UCAS tariff-bearing quali-fications to contact your admissions department todiscuss the specific content of their qualification.

HOW DO WE MAKE A MEANINGFUL OFFER?

ACCESS TO HE DIPLOMAThe Access to HE diploma does not carry a UCAStariff but it is a well established route to HE.However, the qualification has recently beenthrough some changes, including the introduc-tion of grades, which it is useful to know about:

• When specifying entry criteria avoid asking formore than 60 credits (any additional achieve-ment beyond the 60 credits is separatelycertificated and does not form part of theAccess to HE Diploma)

• You can ask for 45 credits at Level 3 and 15 atLevel 2 (students can sometimes get morecredits at L3 but this depends on the way thecourse is structured, 45 credits at L3 issufficient for successful completion)

Using grades to make a meaningful offer:

• You can ask for a proportion of L3 units at acertain grade (eg ‘a minimum of 10 L3 units atmerit or distinction’). OCN have indicated thatit will more than likely be very difficult for astudent to achieve a very high number ofdistinctions. This is due to the developmentalnature of the course. Access learners areusually on a steep learning curve from thestart of their course because they are eitherundertaking academic studies for the firsttime or returning to learning after a prolongedabsence of time. It is therefore unlikely thatmany students will achieve distinctions in theirearly assignments.

• You can specify the names of the L3 units tobe achieved at a certain grade, or ask for anoverall volume of credits within a specificsubject area.

• It is highly recommended that HEIs ask for asecond academic reference at the mid-yearpoint.

• Only L3 units are graded and it is not possibleto give one overall merit or distinction grade.

For entry onto a course in some specific subjectareas, eg Science, you might want to specify ifthere are some subjects you will not accept, or ifthere are preferred subjects. Some vocational/non A Level students may not have had theopportunity to study GCSE English and Maths,so consider accepting equivalence. This is partic-ularly important for the Access course as,although numeracy and literacy are covered inthe L2 units, they are not graded, so asking forequivalent grading can be problematic. HEIscould consider whether they can accept anAccess course as offering an equivalence to theirnormal GCSE Maths and English entry criteria.

POINTS TO NOTE:The same clarity of information in the aboveexample UCAS Entry Profiles can be dis-played on your website and/or prospectus.Many learners on these qualifications will belooking to progress on to part time provi-sion. Where courses are offered on an parttime/flexible basis it would be useful tolearners to make it clear how they can getfurther information.

In the interests of fairness to non-A Levellearners it is advisable not to specifyrequired subjects if you do not also do thesame for A Level students.

If you welcome enquires from candidateswho do not have traditional qualifications,but who have gained sufficient relevant workexperience and skills, be clear about this. Ifyou use APL/APEL (Accreditation of PriorLearning) make it clear how learners can getfurther information.

Some vocational/non A level students maynot have had the opportunity to study GCSEEnglish and Maths, so consider acceptingequivalence such as Functional Skills level 2in English and Maths.

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (18 units)(not including Early Years)For entry onto an engineeringprogramme

Access & Supporting QualificationsAccess to HEFor entry onto a science programme

Other Tariff QualificationsWork-based Learning: AdvancedApprenticeshipsFor entry onto an accounting work basedqualification or Foundation degree

Advanced DiplomaFor entry onto an art and designprogramme

Acceptability Acceptable on its ownor in combination

Required grades Distinction, Merit, Merit

Subjects and gradesrequired

Engineering, Science

AdditionalInformation

Acceptability Acceptable

Additional Information Advanced Apprenticeshipin Accounting

Subjects and gradesrequired

Mature applicantstaking an Access coursein Sciences preferred.

10 level 3 units at meritor distinction

If it is necessary to identify specific ASL, name thespecific subjects and grades. Don’t just rely on ALevel subjects, include other Level 3 qualificationslike BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diplomas as not allyour prospective students may have access to Alevels at their school or college. If there is nospecific ASL required say so using the words ‘nospecification’.

It is important to make a note of otherrequirements that are specific to your institutionor dictated by a professional body.

Acceptability Acceptable on its ownor in combination

Which Lines Of Learn-ing/Points/Grades areaccepted for entry

Any Advanced Diploma atGrade B

Which ASLSubjects/Points/Gradesare required for entry

No specification

Additional requirementsfor enty

Applicants will besubject to portfolioand/or interviewassessment

14-19 Diploma OverallTariff Score

250

HOW TO DISPLAY THIS INFORMATION

EXAMPLES OF UCAS ENTRY PROFILES