Anyone know about level 2 BTEC : difference between an “award” and a diploma?

[stopthatrightnow]

Hi, are there any BTEC tutors or someone with similar knowledge who can tell me what is the difference between a Level 2 BTEC “award” and “diploma”? DD is doing a BTEC level 2 and on the website (and what we signed up to), it says it is a diploma with the idea that they progress to L3 next year. However tutors are recommending she only does an “award” this year and does the L2 diploma next year.

I did not know the “award” even existed. What is the difference? If she only does the “award”, what is the equivalent of GCSEs to this?

And surely this implies that there must be significant more workload in summer term if she wants to successfully gain the “diploma”? If so, doesn’t this imply she won’t be doing much for summer term and that next year at L2 diploma will be at glacial pace?

She has a EHCP but can achieve; She did get 8 GCSES grades 2-6 last year. Concerned this means she will take four years at 16-18.

DD is doing a Level 2 City & Guilds DIPLOMA, she also has an EHCP.

For her, the Guided Learning Hours and minimum credits for the Award, Certificate and Diploma are as follows:
Award: Certificate: Diploma:
72 GLH 158 GLH 309 GLH
10 credits 21 credits 44 credits

So an Award is about 1/4 the size of the Diploma.

The Diploma would be the usual 'full time' course.
Are they maybe saying she can't cope with the workload for the Diploma (is she also doing Maths & English?) so suggesting fewer credits to keep things manageable?

You can find the specs for BTECs on the Pearson website.

You really need to get clarity from the college as to why they are saying this, what everyone else on the course is doing etc. (It seems very strange.)

For comparison, DD is resitting Maths but not English and has 17/18 hrs tuition weekly incl 3 for Maths. She does about 1hr weekly at weekends. Her course is 'work based' not 'theory based'.

@TeenToTwentiesthanks for your reply. College are saying she needs slower progression to L3 and should only do award this year. First I’ve heard of it. She passed maths and English GCSE with grade 5s last year so is not retaking them. Plus she passed six more GCSEs. I don’t understand what on earth she will actually do in the summer term if the rest of the class are moving to diploma and therefore will have a lot more teaching hours to get through than she does if she stays at the award level. I also don’t understand why she’s been told to stay at award level if she has 8 GCSEs and has passed all elements this year. What specific questions should I be asking of college?

With 8 GCSEs it would be more usual to progress straight to level 3 (A level equivalent). Normal level 3 entry is a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade 4:and above including English and maths. Which subject is she doing?

You said 8 GCSEs grade 2-6, how many were actually 4+?

I would just ask them WHY ? What makes them think she can't go at the Diploma pace? Has she not been attending a full set of lessons? Have her assignments not been good enough? What is everyone else doing that she isn't?

It all seems very late in the day for you to be finding this out!

What is her current timetable like?

(That said, 4 years isn't the end of the world. DD did 2 years at level 1, had a year out, and is now doing level 2, so that will be 4 years for her.)

@wantmorenowthat was my understanding too. Never told there was even an option to spend two years at level. 2. Seems glacial. What on earth would she actually do in summer term? She already only has about a quarter of the work commitment hours compared to this time last year. She’s doing business.

she has seven GCSEs at grades 4-6 and one at grade 3. She has attended all but one day of college (illness for one day) this year. She has support in lessons as mandated by her EHCP. No concerns have been raised since she started at this level and she has passed all the units. I did not even know there was an option to spend two years doing level 2 and the pace would be glacial if she did this.

Business (2022) | Pearson qualifications This?

See pages 10-12 for the difference between Award, Certificate, Diploma.

You really need a discussion with college!!

(Why is she doing Level 2 anyway not Level 3?)

In my experience working for a training company it comes down to their (the provider’s) outcomes, for which they are paid. An award is an “easy” claim financially. Signing up a student to a diploma is an over commitment on the provider’s part, and if the student doesn’t achieve, they don’t get paid. So they’ll register the student for an award first, then the certificate (£££) then the diploma (£££££). Cynical I may be, but that’s my experience observing the nuance behind the scenes.

But for a college, an Award in 1 year wouldn't be a full time course for funding purposes, that's what's so weird.

ps. In an ideal world if they are at college 3 or 4 days a week doing a BTEC then they have a part time job / unpaid work experience alongside if they have bandwidth.

( For us DD spends her spare 3 days recovering enough to make it to college the next week.)

This. She should be doing a 2 year Level 3 programme - given that she has successfully completed a full level 2 programme.

Yes, I think that doing another year at GcSe equivalent serves no useful purpose for my DD

It is strange the college is only just mentioning this. When was the last AR? When you say DD passed all the units, if DD has Passes, does the college think DD could get better results with another year?

Some DC with EHCPs take a sideways step at the post 16 phase transfer because they need the academics to be an easier part of the transition. It softens the transitions somewhat. That might explain why OP’s DD took a level 2 course rather than level 3.

It’s not useful to her now, this year, though. Why isn’t she on a level 3 programme?

My ds with EHCP and good GCSEs is completing a level 2 BTEC in a year. I’ve never heard it can be done in 2 years but they are saying he can’t progress to level 3 because he is only working at a Pass level. He does struggle to do extended writing but do you think I should query this as if he doesn’t do a Level 3 we are looking at no more academics and some form of supported internship.

The jump to Level 3 and what’s expected is quite a lot though for those of you thinking of the progression

My elder DD did a level 3 BTEC pre pandemic. The level/quality of writing needed was far in excess of what DD2 now needs for her level 2.
On DD's course they need a Merit at level 2 to continue to level 3.

@TeenToTwentiessounds like what they are saying at ds college. It’s such a shame as he can do all the work needed in terms of skills but it’s exams and extended writing that he struggles with. There is no other route now with academics

The plan for my DD is supported internship from September, probably.

@TeenToTwentiessame for us but he really isn’t ready for the working environment yet.

That is really odd. At my son's college anyone who had passed at least 4 GCSE's at Grade 4 and above including maths & English, could progress onto the Level 3 diploma (unless they wanted to study something like science and hadn't actually passed their science GCSEs.

Is she getting mostly passes, or any merits/distinctions?

I'm not asking, but I'm wondering if the reason behind the EHCP has any relevance to all this.
My DD 'qualified' to do Level 2 initially but it became clear within the first week she wouldn't cope (and then we got the EHCP), and she is only now 3 years later doing the Level 2.