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What is a Diploma?

The facts

It's a new qualification for 14 – 19 year olds
You can pick from up to 10 Diploma subjects in September 2009
They teach you about an area of work you're interested in
It's different to GCSEs and A levels
You get a mix of class work and hands on experience
And choose subject options that you want to do

At the end, you'll have a better idea of what you want to do next. It could be more study at school or college, a job, university, college or an Apprenticeship. And a list of all the individual qualifications that make up your Diploma. These have been designed to prepare you for work or further study – and we've worked with employers and universities to make sure of this.

Why would you do one

A Diploma is different to what you're used to. You get more choice about what you learn. And you can keep your options open for the future by exploring subject areas without committing to a career in them.

It's usually a 2 year course, whatever level you study at
You'll learn in the classroom
And you might also spend time at another school or college in your area
You'll do practical stuff like projects and work experience
And learn life skills that are important for work, study and the future
You can use what you learn to tackle real life situations
Like you'd find at work, study or in research

What levels are there?

You can study a Diploma at three levels: Foundation, Higher and Advanced.

The Foundation Diploma is the same as 5 GCSEs at grades D to G
The Higher Diploma is the same as 7 GCSEs at grades A* to C
The Advanced Diploma is the same as 3.5 A levels

A Progression Diploma is also available, which is the same as 2.5 A levels. And from 2011 there will be an Extended Diploma on offer too.

It contains extra maths and English plus extra Additional and Specialist Learning. If you do the Extended Diploma at Foundation level, it's the same as 7 GCSEs at grades D to G; at Higher level it's worth 9 GCSEs at grades A* to C, and at Advanced it's the same as 4.5 A levels.