Moderation is the process whereby your portfolio of evidence is presented to the external moderator in order to achieve your Access to HE Diploma.
There are two opportunities to have your portfolio moderated: June and November.
It normally takes a year to complete the full diploma, although some students complete more quickly that this, although there is an expected minimum study time of 6 months. With this in mind, it's important to think carefully about which moderation you will aim for and coordinate any applications to HE education accordingly.
DEADLINES
The Access to HE Diploma is designed to be studied over a period of 12 consecutive months which gives a student approximately 2/3 weeks to spend for every 3 credits.
However, due to our rolling start times, the deadlines below apply to ensure portfolios are completed in time for the external moderation. Depending on when you start the course, you may find you have less than 12 months, in which case, assignments will need to be completed in less time than the stated deadline period. To help you plan your studies, the following deadlines are in place to ensure portfolios can be completed in time for the next moderation. Please note, however, that these deadlines are based on completing in the MINIMUM guideline time of 6 months and will drastically reduce the time available for each 3 credits.
In order to maximise your available time, it is best to work out at the start of your studies how many weeks there are until the final 60 credit deadline, and then divide this by 20 (this is how many sets of 3 credits the diploma consists of) - this will allow you an equal amount of time for each unit and prevent rushing at the end which can have a negative impact on achievement.
If you need any help in creating a study plan to meet moderation deadlines, AOLL will be more than happy to help.