How do i achieve a D*DD

im studying a course in psychology criminology and law to achieve a D*DD do i have to get a distinction in every all 3 subjects or only get all distinctions in one subjects

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post

by Jamieyyyy

im studying a course in psychology criminology and law to achieve a D*DD do i have to get a distinction in every all 3 subjects or only get all distinctions in one subjects

When you say "a course", does it result in a single qualification, or three separate qualifications?

What is that qualification / are those qualifications? This is important, as the way grades are calculated varies between the different qualifications.

Are they perhaps BTEC Extended Certificates, WJEC Applied Diplomas, or something else? Or perhaps each is a different type of qualification?

Reply 2

Jamieyyyy

they all separate and are btec extended certificates

Reply 3

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post

by Jamieyyyy

they all separate and are btec extended certificates

OK. I'm going to gloss over the Criminology for a moment, and focus on Psychology and Law.

Both the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Applied Psychology and the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Applied Law contain four units of different sizes. The sizes are important as it defines the degree to which the grade in that unit will impact your overall grade.

The unit sizes are measured in "guided learning hours", or GLH. You'll have units which are 90, 90, 120 and 60 GLH (in unit number order). Each unit earns you BTEC points based upon the size of the unit and the grade you achieve, as follows:

• For a 60 GLH unit: Pass = 6 points / Merit = 10 points / Distinction = 16 points
• For a 90 GLH unit: Pass = 9 points / Merit = 15 points / Distinction = 24 points
• For a 120 GLH unit: Pass = 12 points / Merit = 20 points / Distinction = 32 points

The points you earn for each module are totalled to get your overall grade. The thresholds are:
• P = 36 points
• M = 52 points
• D = 74 points
• D* = 90 points

So you don't need to get a D in each unit to get a D overall. A D in the 120 GLH and 60 GLH unit, and Ms in the two 90 GLH units will do the trick. Other combinations are obviously also possible.

Two things to note:
• If you're aiming for D*DD because that's what a particular uni course needs, double-check that they're happy with three separate Extended Certificates rather than one Extended Diploma. Not all universities are.
• You can see the list of available BTECs at https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals.html which you will note does not include Criminology. The closest match would be Forensics and Criminal Investigation, but that's not offered as an Extended Certificate. So if your college had told you that it's a BTEC Extended Certificate in Criminology, ask them for the Qualification Number (it'll be something like 603/0251/3), as they will tell us what it really is.

Reply 4

Jamieyyyy

Original post

by DataVenia

OK. I'm going to gloss over the Criminology for a moment, and focus on Psychology and Law.
Both the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Applied Psychology and the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Applied Law contain four units of different sizes. The sizes are important as it defines the degree to which the grade in that unit will impact your overall grade.
The unit sizes are measured in "guided learning hours", or GLH. You'll have units which are 90, 90, 120 and 60 GLH (in unit number order). Each unit earns you BTEC points based upon the size of the unit and the grade you achieve, as follows:
• For a 60 GLH unit: Pass = 6 points / Merit = 10 points / Distinction = 16 points
• For a 90 GLH unit: Pass = 9 points / Merit = 15 points / Distinction = 24 points
• For a 120 GLH unit: Pass = 12 points / Merit = 20 points / Distinction = 32 points
The points you earn for each module are totalled to get your overall grade. The thresholds are:
• P = 36 points
• M = 52 points
• D = 74 points
• D* = 90 points
So you don't need to get a D in each unit to get a D overall. A D in the 120 GLH and 60 GLH unit, and Ms in the two 90 GLH units will do the trick. Other combinations are obviously also possible.
Two things to note:
• If you're aiming for D*DD because that's what a particular uni course needs, double-check that they're happy with three separate Extended Certificates rather than one Extended Diploma. Not all universities are.
• You can see the list of available BTECs at https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals.html which you will note does not include Criminology. The closest match would be Forensics and Criminal Investigation, but that's not offered as an Extended Certificate. So if your college had told you that it's a BTEC Extended Certificate in Criminology, ask them for the Qualification Number (it'll be something like 603/0251/3), as they will tell us what it really is.

Thank you so much this was a massive help