BTEC vs A Levels - can someone explain please?

[Weareallaliens]

DS is studying for 3 A Levels, and is working very hard. His best friend is completing a BTec level 3 (sports related). The workload and hours for the BTec diploma are very light and the expectations seem fairly low (e.g. most students get distinctions on assignments, easily). The BTec college states it is 'the equivalent of 3 A Levels'.

DS is feeling discouraged that he is working so hard compared to his best friend, and that he could have taken an easier route to get the same level of qualification. I don't understand how they are equivalent either so can't help him! Can anyone explain how it works please (I don't know anything about academia or further education)? Will they both potentially come out of these courses with the same choices open to them (equivalents of course, depending on subjects)?

I used to teach A level Textikes. It’s very linked to industry and all our students got straight onto a degree course with no foundation.

I used to teach A-level Textiles too and I worked in Fashion for 20 years before teaching A-levels and it really is nothing like how a BTEC is linked to industry. A-levels are coursework and exam based and the project themes/titles are very unlike what you get in real fashion jobs. In a BTEC the projects were designed as if you worked for Zara or Vivienne Westwood etc and as if you were being given a design brief by them - this is the brief, these are the fabrics you have to use, this is how many outfits you need to design, is it SS or AW etc (although with some more flexibility in most cases) which was very much like the design briefs at all the companies I worked for in London. A-level projects could have elements of that but it is not the same structure at all.

Ha ha, l also worked as a designer for a long time in the rag trade

I I wasn’t really talking about the design side. I was talking about the industrial side, learning about businesses and production. This is very much linked to industry. And l wish I’d known some of it before working.

Apthough l didnt find the projects unreal. We set them anyway so we could set what we wanted.

Are we both talking about A level DT fashion/Textiles?

Your DS needs to.ignore what others are up to.

If he's doing A levels, spend his energies on doing his best and getting into the best Uni and course for him.

Some people don't work at all at BTECS. They will probably pass if they actually complete each assignment and that may get them a Uni course. The Uni and course quality though, may be less good.

However, in our family, we have 3 BTECers. One has a first class degree albeit from a minor Uni and works in her industry. One was awarded a degree apprenticeship and is now a software engineer. The third a Chartered Accountant via an apprenticeship type route. All of them achieved the equivalent of a triple distinction star in their relevant BTEC and worked like absolute Trojans! You will not get great BTEC grades without putting in the work.

I firmly believe if you pick to your passions and strengths you get out what you put in. Do that and dont worry about others. A good work ethic ingrained in your psyche is also extremely helpful when it comes to the world of work.

@Navigatinglife100

Absolutely agree

My son did Btec engineering.

He had a very poor start to life, I adopted him age 8 after he had been in care since age 4. When he was taken into care he was mute, when he came to me he was still in special school and working several years behind national curriculum levels. He also has ASD. Thanks to amazing teachers carrying on the great work of his first special school, he transitioned to mainstream in year 6 and went to mainstream secondary. He had a tough time initially, he thought he was stupid because of the ASD and being adopted.
He was if course still catching up in so many ways.
His school was amazing with him but I always taught him to focus on himself and what he was achieving, not what he thought he should be achieving because that's what everyone else was doing.

He has just finished his second year at uni. No it's not Russell Group but quite frankly who cares.
He has spent his whole life catching up, running after other people, and he's finally there, holding his own with the people who did A levels.
He has a great work ethic and is determined not to be defined by either his ASD or coming from a care background.
I have no idea where he will end up, but I know it will be good.

My son completed a BTEC extended national diploma in Information Technology. His final course grade was DDD*. I can assure everyone that it was not easy going. Yes it was less academic than a normal A level. However it earnt him a place on a HND course in Computing & Systems Development for this he gained a Distinction grade in all modules. To round of his education he went on to complete a BSc First Class Honours degree in Information Systems.
So rest assured the BTEC Extended Dip is a good starting point if you want to go to University.

A levels will get you into the top universities

Btec will also get you into university just not the top ones. But it still means you get to study your course of interest and choice which is what matters.

OP - you seem to know a lot about your sons friend and classmates.

That depends on subject - I have friends whose kids did a L3 extended BTEC and have offers from 5 RG universities for subjects that want AAA for A level.

You need to look on a case by case basis.

As long as you put the effort in BTECs are certainly easier to get top grades in than A-levels. At the same time there are softer A-levels IMO - anything you can go straight into at A-level is likely to be easier than Maths or the Sciences for example. DS did Comp Sci and it was definitely easier than Maths or Physics because there was coursework (NEA) that he could choose and complete over a long period. He barely revised for the Comp sci exams either because his other subjects were much harder - but he still got his highest grade in it.

So while BTECs and all A-levels are supposed to be equal they're really not. That doesn't mean any are easy but certainly some are easier. If your DS's courses are much harder then it obviously means he's learning a lot more though - and that can only be useful in the future surely?

Yes but did they do a mix of A level and Btec or just Btec and what were the subjects? Were any of them STEM like maths or physics

Just BTEC and not STEM

Many of the students on this course didn't get 4 or above in maths and English GCSEs so are also studying for these.

Are you sure they are on a Level 3 BTEC and not a Level 2? Level 2 is equivalent to GCSE.

I don't know of a college near me that would put someone on a Level 3 without decent GCSE grades.

My most taught courses have been in Health and Social Care.

The college / school chooses which units it teaches but Edexcel require certain modules to get the diploma. So there are 24 possible units in HSC but to get the HSC (health Studies) there are 8 units that are mandatory. Then 3 units from Group A and 3 from group B so a total of 14 units over 2 years.

Universities can also dictate which until must be completed.

The last time I taught it was a few years ago and then it was possible to get the diploma without pass in Anatomy and physiology for HSC. If you didn't do this unit then you need to get a B in Biology A Level to get on a nursing course.

Students doing HSC are aiming for careers in healthcare, mostly nursing.

There are vocational L3 courses that will take you without maths and/or English as long as you have 4/5 other GCSEs at 4 or above. They then organise resits for the English/Maths in the Nov and June.

Suspect these tend to be performing arts/arts/music/creative industries, where academics are not that relevant. They do tend to have auditions/portfolio reviews as part of the application process so easier to weigh up on the maths/english.

My DD got into a RG univiersity which was the top in the country for her course with a btec. She got a first.

My son just completed an extended diploma in IT and is headed to uni to do Cyber Security. His course was intense at times, he could have 4 large assignments to do at the same time, he sat exams in both years, he had a lot of work to complete at home on his off days too. Im not sure the work load of A levels these days, but his course certainly wasn't easy and he worked hard to achieve high grades. He picked it as it gave him a more varied insight into the one subject he was certain he was going to uni for, and allowed him to gain knowledge on where he wanted to specialise at uni.

My youngest did btec (others did a levels). On her course only a few got the distinctions regularly. She went on to uni and has just graduated.