Diplomas Vs GCSEs

[Kushanku]

My DS is very academic and is capable of passing proper GCSEs with a/b's. However one of the Gcse options is to drop some of the more traditional subjects and instead do an ICT diploma. He's very much into his computers and has his heart set on this diploma but I've been told that diplomas are worthless and he'd be better off going for the traditions GCSEs and then onto a-levels?

What would he have to drop to do the diploma?

It depends how many options would be used by the diploma. DDs friend did an ICT diploma but still did GCSEs in English language, English lit, maths, physics, chemistry, biology, French, art, RE and citizenship. DD did the same GCSEs plus history so it only used one option at their school. I don't think the ICT diploma is very useful tbh but provided he is still taking a wide selection of GCSEs then I don't think it's a problem.

Everything other than English, Maths and Science apparantly.
They say the diploma is worth 4 GCSEs but I've been in colleges where people have been told entry requirements require grades in various different subjects and just because one thing is "worth" 4 GCSEs doesn't mean it will be counted as 4 qualifications, its still only grade.

So he would drop, geography, history and French? I have to say I wouldn't be keen. I would have thought it would be better to have 4 GCSE's than 1 equivalent.

So he would end up with 7 GCSEs (or equivalent with the diploma). Most unis expect about 9 or ten (or more) these days, so if he is really academic he might be better following the traditional route and doint IT at A level/degree. I

My ds has just started Year 10, and I discouraged him from taking ICT at IGCSE after reading the syllabus and seeing the exam papers. Get hold of what they are studying and then make an informed decision - will he be bored and tune out? How valuable will an ICT diploma be, or how relevant by the time he has finished education and and got a job in say 7 years time if he does a degree as well?

Computers were in their infancy when I was at school (I left in 1984), but I have picked up enough skills from reading around and playing on the computer to get by as a teacher. I'm sure your ds will too.

Stick to traditional subjects every time

If he thinks he wants to work with computers, then what he needs is physics and maths. ICT would date rapidly, I'd have thought

PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR SON DO THE DIPLOMA!
and yes, I am shouting My son has just completed the level 3 diploma ( supposedly equivalent to 2.5 A levels and it is a joke! Apart from the course being a total nightmare and very little computing in it-it is really IT and business-he has struggled to find decent universities that really accept it ( they all say they do but the points requested has ben higher than if seperate A levels) and you just get one grade overall, so one poor unit can drag ALL your "score" down ( if you do badly in one A level at least the others aren't affected!) I appreciate GCSE is slightly different but after the two years we have had, I wouldn't go anywhere near a diploma ever again!

he needs to have a bunch or ordinary GCSEs (English, mathss and a science among them; a foreign language is useful too)

If he does the ICT as well that's an extra. It's not a subsititute.

btw computer certificates are pretty worthless in the workplace. They are soon out of date and the job market is overstocked with IT graduates.

IN DCs school the ICT btec is compulsary. Ds is still doing Maths, english, triple science, history, german, half RE gcses as well as btec Electronics (the course work is the same as gsce) and a twilight photography btec I think he also has already done a half gcse in citizenship.
How many options does your DS actually have?

DD£ is Dyspraxic. She is 18 nw didn't do very well in her GCSE's. But after 2 yearsa doing at college doing a couple of level one courses. During which she gained some qualifivations and a lot of confidence. Anyway she has Now satarted ICT First Diploma which is good for her because she can do all the assignments on the computer. She is also doing Welsh Bac. She has been told it is equivalent to 4 GCSE's.
Diplomas aren't worthless employers will still look at them and there is a lot of work in them,

I agree with Spainel eyes; don't touch them. My son has just done a level 3 BTEC in engineering, the academic standard was abysmal. He would have been better off doing three standard A levels.

Where we were told Uni's will accept BTEC in reality they don't. Although in engineering, some unis have started foundation courses, but talking to his current tutors this is a significantly dumbed down route from the more traditional HNC/HND route. Foundation degrees also need an extra year at uni in order to convert them to a Hons degree. More time and expense.

It is better to do GCSEs.

Do the GCSEs, if you look at University courses, they are not looking for ICT at A'level but Maths and Physics. (A at A'level Maths for good IT courses.)

My niece is doing computer science at East Anglia without A levels. She did a DIDA at a 6th form college.
She was originally turned down, but her tutor wrote to the university and they gave reconsidered and she was given a place.

DH teaches engineering diploma and says it is very accademic and challenging and that universities love it etc. But I think it really depends on the schools and the teachers though.

Personally I'd be tempted to stick to GCSEs because I don't know how long diplomas are going to be around for - the Tories hate them apparently. I wouldn't want to end up with a qualification that is viewd in the future as a short-tlived mistake

The only diploma I have heard of as being seen as of value to Universities is the Engineering one. But it is hard, and a lot of kids are struggling with the functional skills component. The ICT one is not as highly thought of.

Also Computing O'levels and A'levels used to be very different from ICT exams now. My DC1 would like to learn about programming, a skill still needed but probably taught less at school than when I was young.

Is than engineering at "a" level stage or gcse stage

Would he be able to do an ICT or better still a Computing GCSE and some others (including a humanity and hopefully a modern language) instead of the diploma? I think that would be a safer option if he's academic and also give him a broader range in case he changes his mind on future careers.

With the diploma option would he be able to go on to do A levels? If he would still be able to do say maths, physics and computing A levels afterwards then he would probably be OK to go on to do a computer science type degree whichever route he'd gone at GCSE, but you are probably best advised to check with some university admissions people and see what they say (I'd still be a little worried they might say they will consider the diplomas, but in reality give most places to people with the qualifications they are more used to).

If he is the slightest bit academic -don't touch diplomas with a barge pole.Stick to solid academic GCSE