How LSPM teaches and assesses at Level 7

Who decides what

Two layers

Everything about how one of these diplomas is taught sits in one of two layers. The awarding body's specification fixes the units, the learning outcomes, the assessment criteria, the total qualification time and the rule that work is externally verified before a certificate is claimed. Inside that frame, the approved centre, London School of Planning and Management (LSPM), decides the timetable, the tutors, the platform, the deadlines and the support. We are an independent consultancy, not members of LSPM's staff, so this page describes the first layer with confidence and the second as LSPM has described it to us, with the questions you should ask LSPM yourself marked as such.

Pattern

The shape of a unit

LSPM delivers each diploma one unit at a time, in a sequence it sets. A 20-credit unit occupies roughly six to eight weeks: it opens with the unit's learning outcomes and the assignment brief, continues with taught sessions and directed reading, and closes with the assignment submission, after which the next unit begins. That steady rhythm, rather than a front- or back-loaded year, is what makes the diploma workable alongside a job.

LSPM runs its live sessions online and records them; the days and times, and whether a blended option with in-person sessions is available for your intake, are for LSPM to confirm. Attendance at live sessions is not assessed on any of these diplomas, but the learners we have placed consistently report that the session where the brief is unpicked is the one not to miss.

Contact

Tutors and support

Each unit at LSPM has a named tutor who teaches it, answers questions during it and marks the work. Awarding body centre conditions require tutors to be qualified at or above the level they teach and to have relevant subject expertise; LSPM can tell you who teaches a given unit and their background, and you are entitled to ask before you enrol. LSPM also has administrative staff who handle registration, timetables and extensions; ask who your named contact would be.

Our role stops at the door. Once you are enrolled, questions about teaching go to LSPM, though we are glad to hear how it is going and we take what we hear into account when advising the next person.

Assessment

Assignments, marking and verification

There are no examinations on any of these diplomas: the specifications assess every unit by written assignment against published learning outcomes and assessment criteria. Briefs typically ask for an extended report, a proposal or a case analysis on a real organisation, which for working learners is usually their own. The stages below are what the awarding body's quality assurance requires of any approved centre.

1. You submitThrough LSPM's learning platform by its published deadline. Extension policy is LSPM's; ask for it in writing.
2. LSPM's tutor marksAgainst every criterion in the brief, with written feedback saying what was met, what was not and why. Marking turnaround is LSPM's commitment; ask what it is.
3. LSPM moderatesA second marker samples work in each unit so that the standard is applied consistently across the cohort, as centre approval requires.
4. The awarding body verifiesOTHM or Qualifi externally verifies a sample of LSPM's marked work before results are confirmed and certificates are claimed.

A unit is passed when every criterion is met. There is no grading above a pass on these diplomas, so the incentive is to do the work thoroughly rather than to compete for marks.

Falling short

Referrals and resubmission

If a submission does not meet every criterion it is referred, not failed: you receive feedback identifying the gaps and an opportunity to resubmit. How many resubmissions are included in the fee, how long the window is and whether a later attempt carries a charge are set out in LSPM's assessment policy, which it issues at induction and should give you on request beforehand. Appeals against an assessment decision follow LSPM's procedure and then the awarding body's, as summarised on the complaints and appeals page.

Time

How many hours it really takes

The awarding body states a total qualification time for each diploma; for the Strategic Management and Leadership diploma it is 1,200 hours, of which 600 are guided learning. Over LSPM's typical 9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track) that is between roughly 31 and 46 hours a week. Guided hours are taught sessions, recordings and tutorials; the remainder is your own reading, research and writing. Among the learners we have advised, those who protect a fixed slot each week finish, and those who plan to catch up in bursts find the bursts get harder.

Integrity

Your own work

Approved centres are required to check assignments for originality, and LSPM's academic misconduct procedure applies to work that is not the learner's own, including undeclared use of generative tools. We say this plainly because the qualification is only worth what the assessment behind it is worth, and because an applicant who wants a shortcut should not be introduced to LSPM by us.