Level 3 Applied Courses Explained
Level 3 Applied Qualifications are two-year courses which combine practical learning with the study of theory. Although each subject is related to a general area of employment, the skills you develop can be transferred to a wide range of careers.
Level 3 Applied courses can be taken as:
-
an Extended Certificate = 1 course
-
a Diploma = 2 courses
-
an Extended Diploma = 3 courses
To create a full-time study programme, you need to choose the equivalent of three A Level courses. You can do this by choosing one large Level 3 Applied Qualification or combining smaller Level 3 Applied Qualifications with A Levels.
Please click here to see a full list of Level 3 Applied courses currently on offer to our students.
Note: We regularly review our entry requirements. Please check our course pages for up-to-date course-specific entry requirements.
Combining A Levels & Level 3 Applied courses
At Long Road, we give you the freedom to create your own academic study programme with unique combinations of both A Levels and Level 3 Applied courses.
All Level 3 study programmes consist of a learning aim equalling 3 parts:
- A Levels equal 1 part.
- Level 3 Applied courses equal 1, 2 or 3 parts.
You can combine these different elements to create your individual programme:
Select just A Levels...
- A Levels x 3
... Or just Level 3 Applied courses...
- Extended Diploma
- Extended Certificate x 3
- Diploma + Extended Certificate
... Or a mixture of both
- A Level + Extended Certificate x 2
- A Level + Diploma
- Extended Certificate + A Level x 2
When you make your application, we’ll invite you to a meeting where we will give you advice and guidance on the best combination of subjects to meet your progression aims.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a mixture of both exams and coursework over the two years of study. See each course description for the breakdown.
Minimum Entry Requirements
- Five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above
- Grade 4 or above in relevant GCSE subjects
Courses will have specific entry requirements depending on the nature of the course. For example, courses with a lot of extended writing will need higher grades in English GCSE. Please see course pages for details.
Your Future
You can use your Level 3 Applied courses to progress to university, an apprenticeship or employment.
Qualification Reforms: V Levels
The Government is currently reforming the Applied Qualifications landscape. Eventually, a new qualification called V Levels will replace existing BTEC, OCR, Cambridge Technicals, UAL and WJEC applied courses. V Levels will be the size of one A level, and will be graded A*-E. They will have a modular structure and be assessed by both exams and non-exam assessments (NEA). Updates will be available on our website as information becomes available.
