Criminology (Applied

Syllabus

WJEC Applied Diploma in Criminology Website:https://www.wjec.co.uk/media/21xjkr24/wjecapplied-diploma-in-criminology-spec-e-03-06-2020.pdf

Minimum Overall Entry Requirements

For a Vocational pathway a minimum of 6 GCSE’s at Grade 4 or above (or Merits or above in vocational subjects) including English and Mathematics is required.

Minimum Subject Specific Entry Requirements

6 GCSE passes at Grade 4 or above (or Merits at Level 2 BTEC Equivalent)

Course Aims

The Applied Diploma in Criminology is a qualification with elements of psychology, law and sociology. It has been designed to offer exciting and interesting experiences that focus on applied learning, i.e. through the acquisition of knowledge and understanding in purposeful contexts linked to the criminal justice system. The course will facilitate the development of a range of transferable skills and requires learners to consider how the use and application of their learning impacts on themselves, other individuals, employers, society and the environment.

Course Content

The units that a student will study are:

Unit 1 Changing Awareness of Crime This unit will enable the learner to demonstrate understanding of different types of crime, influences on perceptions of crime and why some crimes are unreported.

Unit 2 Criminological Theories The second unit will allow learners to gain an understanding of why people commit crime, drawing on what they have learned in Unit 1. Unit 3 Crime Scene to Courtroom This will provide an understanding of the criminal justice system, from the moment a crime has been identified to the verdict. Learners will develop the understanding and skills needed to examine information in order to review the justice of verdicts in criminal cases.

Unit 8 Crime and Punishment In the final unit, learners will apply their understanding of the awareness of criminality, criminological theories and the process of bringing an accused to court in order to evaluate the effectiveness of social control to deliver criminal justice policy.

Examinations

Students study four units and there is a 50% split between external examination and controlled assessment.

Units 2 and 4 are both assessed with a 90-minute external examination worth 75 marks.

The exams include short and extended answer questions, based on stimulus material and applied contexts. Units 1 and 3 are internally assessed units, which will be completed under supervised conditions.