How can I make offers which are appropriate for Access to HE students?

Offers are commonly made on the basis of successful achievement of the Access to HE qualification. The criteria for the award of the qualification require that successful students have been adequately prepared for a course of higher education.

You can supplement the requirement for the achievement of the Access to HE qualification by asking for successful achievement of particular elements of the Access to HE course. Details should be provided by applicants, which can be verified with the course provider. Most Access to HE courses are credit-based, so it is possible to specify the precise number of credits to be achieved at particular levels in an identified subject area. If you wish to make this kind of more detailed offer, it is important that credit requirements do not exceed the number which are available in the programme. Currently, credit requirements on Access to HE courses vary, although this will change with the implementation of the new Access to HE Diploma (see below).

Grades are not currently used on Access to HE courses, and achievement is described solely in terms of the award of the certificate and the credits which, in most instances, are awarded for the achievement of specified learning outcomes for particular units of study. However, this position is under review, and QAA is in the process of developing a grading system for Access to HE. This will probably be implemented from 2010.

Please note that any grades that appear on students' work or which are supplied by course providers are, currently, entirely derived from local standards, and do not have national recognition.

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