It seems that this is a requirement from some Universities which I have been looking at for the Access Course. For example, For Applied Biology the requirements from an Access Course is; "One Distinction and five Merits including Human Biology, plus Toolbox. " What is the Toolbox? Do you get these in every Access Course, or?
That isn't a standard access course as you would normally study 60 credits so asking for 1D 5M is a bit odd.
See if there's a section for QAA Access Course or similar or email the admissions tutor with details of your course and ask if it is accepted.
Yeah, it's a bit strange - that's the actual requirements as to what it said. It was Newcastle University, if that helps.
I suppose I'll have to get in contact - I never knew there were different types of Access Courses (Like QAA and more, obviously there's different types as in subjects )
Is the course(s) you have been looking at that specifies 'Toolbox' at Northumbria University by any chance?
edit - Ah, it was Newcastle University you looked at. 'Toolbox' is the North East equivilent of the study skills part of your Access course. I have just finished an Access course at a college in Newcastle and Toolbox is the study skills section worth 6 credits of the overall 60.
Newcastle/Northumbria university generally ask for Toolbox from Access students as, in my experience, the vast majority of students that complete Access courses in the North East go onto one of these two universities. If you are applying from somewhere other than the North East to go to Northumbria/Newcastle, they should take your study skills module in place of 'Toolbox'. They are one in the same.
To summarise, it is just Northumbria University's own terminology for 'Study Skills' as they validate nearly every Access course ran by colleges in the North East of England.
Is the course(s) you have been looking at that specifies 'Toolbox' at Northumbria University by any chance?
edit - Ah, it was Newcastle University you looked at. 'Toolbox' is the North East equivilent of the study skills part of your Access course. I have just finished an Access course at a college in Newcastle and Toolbox is the study skills section worth 6 credits of the overall 60.
Newcastle/Northumbria university generally ask for Toolbox from Access students as, in my experience, the vast majority of students that complete Access courses in the North East go onto one of these two universities. If you are applying from somewhere other than the North East to go to Northumbria/Newcastle, they should take your study skills module in place of 'Toolbox'. They are one in the same.
To summarise, it is just Northumbria University's own terminology for 'Study Skills' as they validate nearly every Access course ran by colleges in the North East of England.
As has been said, Toolbox is just the study skills unit worth 6 credits (it was also called Toolbox at my college in the north west). The reason they have asked for "one distinction and 5 merits, plus toolbox" is that you have 6 units overall, plus toolbox. So you may take 3 subjects and will do 2 units in each (basically the year split in 2), which gives you 2 marks overall for each unit (the mark is worked out when they take all the marks you gained for all your summative work - e.g. assignments or exams - then they line up the marks in order for that unit - e.g. PPPMMMMD - and they choose the median mark - in that example it would be merit - and this is your mark for that unit), which totals 6 marks overall, plus toolbox.
To summarise, it is just Northumbria University's own terminology for 'Study Skills' as they validate nearly every Access course ran by colleges in the North East of England.