Why, why, why diplomas?

GCSEs and A-Levels could become a thing of the past within ten years. Diplomas are already here – up to 40,000 students will start studying them this year instead of traditional exams – and if they’re accepted, they’ll be here to stay.

But there’s no guarantee this will happen. Questions have been raised as to how diplomas will affect university applicants and whether or not universities will accept them as valid qualifications.

The diploma originated in 2004 with the idea of reducing exams to ease the pressure on teenagers taking GCSEs and A-levels. The idea was rejected at the time by the then education secretary, Ruth Kelly. However, the government had a change of heart, and the first five diplomas (in construction and the built environment, IT, engineering, society health and development, and creative and media) will be introduced into the schooling system in September this year.

What are diplomas and why are they being introduced?

The government believes diplomas will help set students up for the future more thoroughly, whether they decide to go into higher education or full-time employment.

This is because they are being developed with employers in order to incorporate into the school curriculum the skills and knowledge needed for any type of job. The diplomas will give the student more chances to work outside school on work placements or in college, so more options are opened and an insight into life after school is given.

Universities and employers will also be able to look at scores the student achieved in individual modules of their diploma, whereas now they are only able to know the overall grade of a subject. This could work in favour of students if they excel in a particular module relevant to the course or job they are looking into.

The changes will also give the student the chance to score higher in the UCAS points system. Top universities often have to choose between many candidates, all with three As, but a high scoring advanced diploma will be worth more than three As at A-level.

Schools and colleges will also benefit from the changes. An extra £1000 per student aged 14 to 16 will be given out to schools that introduce the diploma. This money could be used to buy better resources for the student, which will categorically improve grades, and give schools more credibility.

What changes are being made?

The biggest change to A-level students wishing to get into university is the UCAS marking system. Top students will be given the opportunity to take a higher scoring exam enabling the student to achieve grades such as an A plus, or an A double plus. An A at A-level is currently worth 120 points on the UCAS system. When the diploma comes into force, a high scoring one could achieve up to 420 UCAS points, which is 60 more points more than three As at A-level.

A-level students are also given the opportunity to do an extended project, which will run alongside their other classes and be worth extra marks. However, some universities are wary of this as they believe it will be hard to tell if the extended project is the candidate’s own work. Also some fear it may wipe out benefits for the student as many will feel pressurised into doing it to gain extra points, rather than as an opportunity for independent learning. The extended project could be a performance, a dissertation or a presentation which would show the student’s wider skills.

The diploma aims to slash the number of exams students are made to sit and will also give students more choice over what they study as they can chose their own modules. Universities are also able to look into individual module grades so they can assess how well they did in particular areas.

What's wrong with diplomas?

As with most things, diplomas are not without their flaws. The biggest problem with diplomas so far seems to be the reaction to them by higher education institutes. A significant 38% of entrance tutors claim that wouldn’t even consider a candidate with a diploma instead of A-Levels, according to the 1994 group of research-intensive universities. They feel a diploma would be inadequate to prepare a student for the academic rigours of an undergraduate degree, and the student would struggle to cope. Universities don’t want to put themselves in a position where large numbers of students are struggling or dropping out of their courses.

It’s difficult to gauge whether universities’ concerns are legitimate ones. NUS said that there is a lot of “academic snobbery” associated with vocational diplomas, and that work needs to be done to reduce this.

However, the universities in the 1994 group also said there is promise in the scheme. Professor Steve Smith, chair of the 1994 group said: “We recognise the strong potential the diplomas offer, coupled with A-level reform and the Extended Project, to provide the stretch that is needed to demonstrate the quality of school-leavers at the highest level of achievement.”

But the fact that the diplomas are set to run alongside A-levels may make it inevitable that to some degree, the diploma will seem like a second class qualification.

Diplomas could be the future of the schools across the whole of Britain. The government says that by 2013, every 14-19 year old will be able to take a diploma if they wish. But at the moment, it seems that universities need more proof that they really do stretch pupils academically, as well as prepare them for the world of work. It’s a hard balance to achieve. The government still has a lot of work to do.