BTEC vs GCSE?

[MrsBright]

Okay .... can someone guide me through BTEC vs GCSE?

DD is bright but finds written work difficult (very left-handed) so we are suggesting subjects more 'practical' as a good move. But how are BTECs actually regarded by employers etc? Are they seen as 'CSE' and therefore as only for the 'thick'?

I teach both BTEC & GCSE and in my subject (Performong Arts) there is very little difference between the two courses. Very similar content, very similar ways of examining. The poster who mentioned external assessment is correct - all new generation BTECs now have this. The new generation BTECs are also far less open to "corruption"
(Under the old specs, some schools did indeed play the system, and this has helped develop the negative view of BTECs IMO) I have never had a student denied entry to 6th Forms / colleges on the grounds that they have BTECs. I also teach L3 BTEC and have had plenty of students go on to take up places at university. In some subjects, IMO, a BTEC is a more appropriate style of learning and assessment than a GCSE.

One more thing - if you're going to comment, please get it right - it's BTEC and not Btech.

Thanks for your comments. Some of them are very helpful - esp news about exams within BTEC. This is the major issue for DD, she finds the pressure to write quickly/neatly and performs badly, despite 'knowing it'.

The advice seems to be to use one BTEC as a way of providing a more practical outlet in an appropriate subject (prob Business Studies or IT for our DD) but to still have the bulk of subjects as traditional GCSEs?

The rules are changing about what schools can count in league tables, so I suspect many schools will cut down on their BTEC offering anyway. Four years ago, at my school, students were taking three or four BTECs, and the one I taught counted as 4 GCSEs (though it didn't take up 4 options IYSWIM) whereas now, they are limited to one BTEC option. It's not necessarily the best thing for the students but schools are playing so many political games as the moment.

Still, not what you need to worry about, OP. If there are BTEC options that your DD wants to do because she enjoys that subject, then she should consider them. If you want more specific info, you can look at the Edexcel website as the BTEC specs are all there.

Op, I can tell you about Business; the tested unit is finance and its an on screen test, so no writing but typing! The other units are coursework and therefore can be all be done on the computer.

Our dept did look at the BTEC ICT and we went with the GCSE as the BTEC was a lot more difficult!

It does massively depend on the subject. We offer triple, core and additional and BTEC science routes for Key Stage 4. We would very much only expect the less able students to follow the BTEC, and they would not be able to access A level science courses with that as a qualification. That is made very clear to both parents and students in year 9. The addition of the BTEC external exam has made it much harder to have a clear choice for students who perform very badly in exam conditions.

Hobnob, our science dept are dropping the BTEC route due to the difficulty of the new spec

This is the major issue for DD, she finds the pressure to write quickly/neatly and performs badly, despite 'knowing it'.

Rather than trying to avoid exams, could you look at other solutions eg getting her assessed for extra time in exams or using a computer or a scribe.

We've dropped it too, because of best8 / progress8.

PS. I certainly do not equate left-handedness with 'thick'.
I was asking about the perception of BTECs not left-handedness.

I am very left handed and can write very fluently, so I'm not about that bit of your OP. Does she have a SpLD related to writing?

SpLD?

Sorry! Specific learning difficulty. Dyspraxia for example.

Good God I've just looked at the National Careers Advice Website - the section for young people is absolutely NOT going to be read by any young person. So badly designed and laid out. It's like telling a young person to go and read a really boring essay and then ask the right questions.

I do hate this government.

The Government believe that young people do not need face to face independent careers advice and think a shoddy online alternative will suffice.

Time will tell

Half the young people don't know what the word 'manufacturing' means. They could miss out on being a furniture maker or dressmaker as they come under that category.

The first page says 'for example if you are good at maths and want to work in an office you could work in Finance'. How many young people know what the word Finance means.

It's as if they are saying 'we don't know how to do this careers advice thing for young people hopefully someone else will come and take over and we can pay them to do it instead'. Wait and see...

They want schools to be able to deliver careers advice and have tasked them to offer impartial advice and guidance but really this is impossible for a school as filling their 6th form and getting results will have an impact on this.

I have the absolute upmost respect for teachers but they are not qualified careers advisers nor do they have the time to give each student the appropriate level of support. It will get left to underpaid support staff with already huge caseloads. They will put them through a quick qualification and brief them on what the school want.

Seems daft doesn't it when there are fully qualified, experienced careers advisers being made redundant and going off to work in other roles.

It does my heart good to hear Horsetowater and Tweasels comments here. It certainly seems that this government don't value face-to-face guidance, and in Wales the emphasis is on supporting those at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training), rather than the excellent universal service available until recently.

There are those of us offering a private service, if parents are prepared to seek us out though!

I thought as much CareersDragon - what's the service called?

My company is called Dragon Career Associates bit.ly/1hLDqWx, but there are lots of qualified advisers working freelance. To ensure that you engage a properly qualified adviser, look at the Professional Register of the Career Development Institute (CDI) bit.ly/19pxU9h.
It's not compulsory to join the register to practice (until it is compulsory, I probably won't be joining), at least you know that those listed are qualified.

DS is doing an engineering at a RG Uni (entry AAA going up to A* AA) and there are quite a number of BTEC students
.They are really struggling with the maths though

That's interesting, I think if you get a distinction in BTEC it can only count as AAA - so the highest mark at BTEC will no longer get them into that RG Uni.

You can get a Distinction at BTEC, which carries the same UCAS points as an A

Oh can you thanks. Just been looking at them with dd. It's an interesting route - I'm doing a BTEC level 2 course at the moment and it's very thorough, I am very impressed.

I done GCSEs, BTECs and a GNVQ at KS4, got good grades, went on to get good A-levels and attended a good university. Good university with a lot of snobs who would often sneer at BTECs until I dropped the "I done two" bomb on them. Awkward for them!

Although I believe it does depend on the subject. The school that I work in offers a BTEC in Science for students who struggle with GCSE Science, however a BTEC Drama with no GCSE alternative.

The maths in btec level 3 engineering covers much the same topics as A level (but more focussed on applied), but the questions aren't done in exam conditions, can be redone until they are right, and are very formulaic. I'm not entirely surprised people are struggling with maths compared to A level students - it's quite possible to get a high grade in BTEC maths with a fairly superficial understanding and no real incentive to develop understanding further. But on the other hand, they're probably way better with oscilloscopes than the A level students.

A D at BTEC is equivalent in points to an A at A level, but some engineering courses are beginning to ask for maths A level as well as an entry requirement for btec applicants.