If your dc did BTECs, do you say they have A levels?

They have become a way into university, but that was not their intention. There is a whole separate BTEC tree to climb, all the way up to a degree level diploma if you want.

The idea was (and is) to progress from ND to HND, which is in of itself a final qualification giving you access to work.

I did GCSE, back in the 90's, then ND and HND before starting work as a junior lecturer on the 1st Diploma (GCSE level) courses and studying for a Cert Ed, gaining QTS, becoming a lecturer, then course leader of HND before moving over to be a head of department in a secondary school.

I still have no degree to my name, nor would I want one, nothing wrong with them, but I'm a passionate believer in the BTEC route, and that it is complete in of itself.

We have twins doing a levels. They are the equivalent of A levels for entry - so no it wouldn’t bother me. It’s more he prob doesn’t understand the system. To be fair the papers all say ‘A level results out today’ they don’t say ‘BTEC results are out today’.

I think what is annoying you is you like to think a levels are harder / more academic than Btecs so you feel he is saying his child is more successful than your child especially since they have completed ‘four’.

personally if he feels he needs this validation to make his life happier than I would just let it go - does not distract from your daughters achievements

As someone who has taught BTEC all the way through to HND I would say what qualification they have, not the name of the awarding body.

BTEC stands for the Business & Technology Education Council, it is not the title of a qualification.

The qualification being discussed here is a National Diploma, there are a whole range of BTEC qualifications up to Level 5 Professional Diplomas

Although lots of unis accept.btecs,.they are not as readily acceptable as A-Levels. For very competitive things it is either very specific modules or a contextual offer into a foundation year. Don't get me wrong, I think they are fabulous and much of the time.just a different vehicle to the same destination. However, they just aren't as demanding which is why the entry requirements to btec are much lower and students with lower gcse grades are much more likely to pass or get a merit/distinction compared to if they did A-Levels.

What uni is that? Even Oxford takes btecs and most medical schools...

I agree with those saying it doesn't matter. BTECs are equivalent to A Levels for uni points, and some 6th Forms combine BTEC and A Levels - Heath & Social Care, Engineering and arts are taken as BTECs in my area and kids are combining. They are adding T Levels in some specialist colleges, which will add further confusion! It's rude of your BIL to cut in about his dc when people are talking to yours, and you need to pull him up on it. He sounds like an insufferable competitive parent.

I don't think it helps that BTEC can be a Level, 2 or 3 qualification... so some are more like GCSEs and some more like A levels.

Or more to the point why didn't you pull him up on the interrupting?
That was rude and unnecessary. People are snobbish about btecs, even when they don't even know what they are. Why knows which child ' worked harder'? Btecs involve 2 years of coursework. If you don't work hard, especially at L3 throughout the 2 years, it is extremely difficult to pull the grades around. A child may be able to coast a year of A Levels then work really hard revising for the 2nd year and pull it around. They are different skills. In any case, this is we dont tell results in my friends and family ' Yes, he did well/ he did OK but he's a bit disappointed' to avoid all the questions. It doesn't make one child better than the other. Unless DN is a little shit who doesn't deserve any praise for his achievements.

@Milsonophonia no I don't say that she has A levels because she doesn't.

While your BIL went about it wrongly I think he is trying to protect his son and celebrate his son for doing so well. It’s a great achievement for both your dd and your nephew

there is a lot of snobbery around BTEC. I feel this is the better option for ds his school do not offer them and he won’t entertain the idea 😟 I wish he would change his mind

I have A Levels

I have a BTEC

I would say that I enjoyed the BTEC more than the A Levels & the teachers were much better

I also have a degree

YANBU. One of my DC’s did a level 3 extended diploma and got a distinction, this is equivalent to 3 A levels. My other DC is doing 3 A levels, they are very very different and not at all comparable. I never say that DC has A levels, as they don’t, they have the equivalent of 3 A levels. BTEC entry requirements are often much lower. My DC wouldn’t have been able to do A levels as they didn’t get the GCSE’s required to do A levels, that doesn’t mean that I am not proud of their achievement. I think it’s fine to say they did a BTEC which is equivalent to 3 A levels.

Massive well done to your Nephew and DD. They have both done incredibly well in qualifications that clearly were well suited to their learning styles. Great achievements, be proud of them both.

Do they?! That’s hilarious..

No that is odd. They are two different things.

I think this post clearly shows that, in general, people are clueless about what a btec is, which explains why he’s used A level to describe it rather than “ a btec which is equivalent to an A level”.
My ds has just finished 6th form and did a double and a single btec, he had quite a lot of course work and a few exams, but no final exams so he was finished by mid May. I am not sure that the btec course was to his advantage as he’d probably have done well in exams. If anyone asks how he did in his A levels, I say he did btecs and he got dmm and they say “what’s that mean?”

Well - why on earth didn’t you correct him then? If you had an issue with it - there and then, correct them? My understand is, one is more academic and one isn’t. I presume you feel your child is more academic and worked harder? Why not say something - rather than stewing.

I think its weird to be so bothered by it. Why can't you celebrate your daughter's achievements independent of anyone else's? Why are you even comparing them? Does his dad saying he got 4 a-levels diminish your daughter's achievements in any way?

Why are you bothered?

BTECs are the equivalent to A'levels a D is the equivalent to A

But not in real life

BTECs are the equivalent to A'levels a D is the equivalent to A (interesting I've no idea why my phone chose bold!) any who 2 of my children did btecs, one now has a private cognitive behaviour therapy practice and the other is a senior OT. Neither of them would say they have a'levels but, then again, it really doesn't matter which way round you got onto your degree. Even degrees rarely get spoken about once you have a degree classification no one is that bothered if you got a first or a 2:2

Sorry I mean your DD, not son! But I’d have definitely challenged him and asked why he felt the need to compete with DD, rather than sit stewing about it.

We were at a bbq yesterday and someone was congratulating dd and he interrupted and said well, dn got 4 A levels!

Regardless of any comparison between two very different qualifications, the issue seems more your BiL attempting to upstage your dd's achievement. Even if nephew had got 4x A* A levels, it's still not etiquette to interrupt or attempt to belittle like that.

Out of interest, I looked up the current entry requirements for my old uni. They want either 3x A levels all at grade A, or btec at DD plus two A levels at grade A. So they're effectively only considering a btec diploma as worth one A Level.