Criteria

Existing awarding bodies can be recognised as Diploma awarding bodies and/or component awarding bodies. Diploma awarding bodies award full Diplomas and the constituent units and qualifications that contribute to the Diploma are awarded by the component awarding bodies.

An awarding body will need to complete a recognition process to become a component and/or Diploma awarding body. This process will supplement not duplicate the existing awarding body recognition process. Where a new partnership or consortia is proposed to award the Diploma, there will be additional requirements.

The second round of recognition activity was completed in October 2007. 

Awarding bodies that are interested in becoming component and/or Diploma awarding bodies will need to meet the appropriate criteria. The criteria are outlined in the Interim regulatory criteria for the supplementary recognition of component awarding bodies and Diploma awarding bodies, which can be downloaded from this page. 

Awarding bodies will use criteria to create the detail of the principal learning specifications and the requirements for how their qualification will operate. 

The criteria are set out in Criteria for accreditation of Diploma qualifications at levels 1, 2 and 3, which can be downloaded from this page. This document, published in December 2007, includes updates to take account of Diploma policy changes in the following areas since April 2007:

• qualification title
• qualification structure
• grading, determination and reporting of results
• additional and specialist learning.

The Lines of Learning criteria will enable an awarding body to develop the detail of the constituent units and qualifications for each Line of Learning. 

They should be read in conjunction with the Criteria for accreditation of Diploma qualifications at levels 1, 2 and 3 and the Line of Learning statements produced by the Diploma development partnerships (DDPs).

For the first phase of Diplomas, available for first teaching in 2008, please see the criteria for: construction and the built environment; creative and media; engineering; information technology; and society, health and development. These can be downloaded from this page.

For the second phase of Diplomas, available for first teaching in 2009, please see criteria for: business, administration and finance; environmental and land-based studies; hair and beauty studies; hospitality; and manufacturing and product design. These can also be downloaded from this page.

For the third phase of Diplomas, available for first teaching in 2010, please see the newly completed criteria for: Public Services, Retail Business, Sport and Active Leisure, and Travel and Tourism . These can also be downloaded from this page.