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

[Milsonophonia]

My nephew did a BTEC in Media and a BTEC in Music production. He passed them all, which is fab. But my BIL keeps telling everyone he got 4 x A levels. My dd got 3 x A levels and I'm starting to feel a bit fed up with him saying dn got 4 x A levels. We were at a bbq yesterday and someone was congratulating dd and he interrupted and said well, dn got 4 A levels!

I think he may have got the equivalent of 4 A levels, so a great achievement whatever, but its beginning to annoy me. I know I'm being petty. But ds1 did BTECs a few years ago and did really well in them and ended up at uni but I am pretty sure I always told people he'd done BTECS!

I'm confused. If you're pleased for your DN why does it matter?

DH always says he did BTECs followed by an HND (although a quick Google tells me an HND is also a kind of BTEC? It isn't a route I know lots about TBH) when discussing his education. It would be odd to describe having done A-levels as he... well... hasn't...

It is definitely snobbery-based OP. He will be wanting to avoid people not recognising his DS's achievements as many see BTECs as lesser, probably because he quietly carries that same bias himself. FWIW, I have 3 A-levels and 2 AS levels followed by a BA(Hons), but DH with his 'lesser' BTECs earns several times my FTE income. His qualifications are very specific to his job, and a lack of A-levels and a degree has never held him back.

Maybe not if you don’t know the subject but when the subject is in an area that you’ve been working in for years, then I assure you that you can. Because I did. It was a Level 3 BTech in Management and it was much easier than a GCSE. There was no written work involved, just multi-choice tests.

I did a BEC certificate - precursor to BTEC (there were BECs and TECs).
I did A Levels at the same time, Accounts, Law & Economics, with the BEC in business studies. BEC was a very new qualification, we could take A levels as an option, but I would never have said I had A levels if I hadn't passed them - and would have been hacked off if the rest of my cohort, who either didn't bother with A levels or only did one, had claimed they had them.
It was essentially similar subject matter, but very different assessment methodology, so hard work over two years.

I'm too ancient now for anyone to ask what qualifications I have from decades ago.
Lets hope your BIL doesn't encourage nephew to lie on his CV.

But that's clearly not true though, OP.

You've just said in another update:

'Yes this. He only got a Pass as well so its not even like he got a distinction. It's irritating.'

Saying he only got a pass suggests that YOU think BTECs are lesser and are 'irritated' that your brother is likening them to the 'superior' qualification your daughter achieved.

A little petty - but just own it!

All snobbery.
I did a BTEC then went to uni and got a BEng. Later on got an MBA. But I have no A levels.

A Levels are more academic and BTEC vocational. Hence why the pride in A levels as back in my day (1990s) a BTEC was an option for those who didn't get the grades for A level. I got As at GCSE and was A level material yet wasn't keen to stay at school. Everyone saw the BTEC as 'less' but it's ultimately made no difference to where I've ended up.

Be proud of your kid. Let BIL be proud of nephew. None of it takes away from the other. But in answer to the question, no, I don't claim to have A levels because I don't.

OP you sound simply mean. BTEC and A levels are hard in different ways, providing different challenges for people with differing learning styles. Not everyone learns the same. Doesn't mean they're any less intelligent. There are various ways to test the 'best' out of people.

On college/sixth form course options, they state the BTEC is equivalent to A levels. - your nephew, and brother, likely read this so thought it's easier to say as people always ask 'what's a BTEC' and the answer usually is 'oh they're equivalent to A levels'. This is all this will be. Now go show your nephew you some love.

DD2 did a mixture of A levels and BTECs, and to be honest, I sometimes just refer to them all as A levels, especially with elderly relatives etc, because it's just easier. I cba to explain that she got 2x A levels plus a BTEC distinction star, equivalent to A* blah blah blah....

To be honest, in her case, the BTEC WAS the harder qualification, because she never got to actually take her A level exams; it was just teacher-assessed, due to Covid. So her BTEC is the one she should be proudest of, because she did all the coursework.

It grinds my gears that they are still regarded as "inferior" to A levels. Some subjects absolutely lend themselves to coursework rather than exams (e.g. Business Studies), and I think are therefore more meaningful as BTECs. Her university (Sussex) regarded it as equivalent for UCAS points, and that says it all.

FWIW my BTEC (which is the equivalent in UCAS points to 3 A-levels) involved a lot more hours of work than my friends A-levels. They all had a lot more free time than I did. Maybe It's subject dependent.

Maybe he wants his DS’s achievements recognised and knows that most people haven’t a clue what a BTec is, and if pushed would probably think it was somewhere below GCSE.

Then he should say his DS got 2 BTecs which is equivalent to 4 A levels and he should not interrupt someone talking to his DN about her results to do so.

People don't know what BTECs are.

I think he is probably trying to give an equivalent.

I agree that the equivalent is misleading - most schools don't let students do 4 a levels any more as it is considered too much work and so if they are really equivalent he's done better than most people doing a levels which I suspect is not actually the case.

One of my DC did 2 A-levels and a BTEC extended certificate (equivalent to 1 A-level for the purposes of funding and UCAS points). Because they stayed on in the school sixth form, elderly relatives tend to ask about A-levels so my DC just runs with it - they used to try explaining that it was 2 A-levels and a BTEC but everyone ended up confused so they now adapt the info according to the audience. I take a similar approach. If it's a general conversation with someone who is being friendly/interested, there's no need for the detail.

I wouldn't actively seek to pass off the BTEC as another A-level though because it's a very different qualification. The need for time management, the relentless deadlines and research, submitting of assignments that could limit the final grade etc. and the greater need for independence was a stark contrast with the A-levels which were much more prescriptive but also far more variable in terms of periods of high-demand.

This would irritate me too.
It’s actually a bit sad for your nephew- his dad clearly thinks his btec isn’t good enough if he has to lie that he’s completed a levels. He should be proud of his kids actual real achievements instead of exaggerating.

I think this is sad for his son, who will hear him lying and think what he HAS achieved isn’t good enough. And also learn that is ok to lie about your achievements. Neither of which is great.

so your BIL is a complete nob but not for the reason you put

I wouldn’t bother distinguishing between the two. I’d be inclined to just refer to GCSEs or A levels - everyone is familiar with what they are and will know what stage of education is being referred too. I think explaining about BTECs to people who haven’t heard of them (and probably aren’t interested in the different level 3 qualifications anyway) is just boring and unnecessary.

The fact that you can't just let everyone be happy with their own achievements is part of the issue here.

But he didn't achieve 4 A levels, he achieved two btecs? If the BIL was telling everyone he got two btecs, it wouldn't be a problem, they'd still congratulate him on that.

I never understand why people say that "people don't know what a btec is" because they date back to the 1930s. They're older than A-levels !
I have a City and Guilds. It's equivalent to an A-level if anyone asks which I don't think anyone ever has.

I used to teach the L3 Btec National in business. That is not it. It's 12 modules of coursework in things like finance, HR, Law, marketing etc. It's not a 40 minute test to get 3 A Levels.

YANBU OP.

It’s weird how celebrating the achievements of an academic child is frowned upon in case it upsets anybody.

Yanbu

dd is an academic child but we felt that drama btec was better for her than the A level

she did 2 A levels and one btec and thats what we told people

Does he just not understand what his DS has done? A full time L3Btec is equivalent to 3x A Levels, not 4. A full time L2 Btec is equivalent to 4 x gcse's. Maybe his DS did a L2 Btec but he doesn't have a clue about qualifications.
Anyway, I'm sad as Btecs are a great qualification but the previous government defunded a lot of them, replacing them with unpopular T Levels

Family friend kept telling everyone their daughter got 3Astars at a level. She did Btec and I did a levels. It really pissed me off. I know they are equivalent but they're really not the same.