Top marks in the new Advanced diploma for 14 to 19-year-olds will be worth more than three A levels, the Government confirmed yesterday in a move plainly designed to boost acceptance of the new qualification among middle-class families and universities.
The diplomas, which will be introduced next year, are designed to end the divide between practical and academic learning. Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, hopes that they will become the ?jewel in the crown? of the education system, making the A level redundant.
