BTECs starting 2015 - General support thread

[TeenAndTween]

Is there anyone else around whose child is starting a BTEC rather than A levels? Should we stay on this board or move to Further Education?

My DD has enrolled for Travel & Tourism.

Thank you so much T&T. She's supposed to have had a grade from the other tutor I think as she's supposed to be the L3 extended so equivalent of 3 A levels (if you complete it, hollow laugh) but he is off on paternity leave so hasn't submitted a grade. Oh, that doesn't make sense does it because each tutor would be giving 3 marks then? I am finding this really confusing, am going to have to get DD to ask, have emailed her.

Reading the bumph again it says the Level 3 is available over one year with further study after successful completion of year 1 to year 2 and the Extended Diploma. The Diploma is equal to 1.5 A levels and a 2 year extended diploma is equal to 2. Then further down it says it is possible to take a one year diploma which is equal to 2 A levels.

Could do with her doing the one year diploma equal to 2 A levels if she can really.

Japanese tutor has come back to her saying she thinks she will have a very good result on AS but she's not quite sure for A2,. Goes on to say what she means is not an A* or A, probably a B just because it has lots of writing (her weakest area).

There is no way having read that that she'll want to keep doing the photography. If she could do the 2 A Level equivalent Diploma this year that would be fine. If not she'd hopefully have 1.5 equivalent then Japanese A level so 2.5 so could do with something else. Wondering about an Extended Project which I know nothing about.

Issue will be that because no where offers beyond GCSE Japanese we'll be on our own with it and I guess asking her old school if they would enter her for the exam as a private candidate but then no help for an extended project.

Apologies, I am going on somewhat ...

Sugar it's all so confusing isn't it? T&T thanks for that, I might know what they're talking about when I go to DD's subject review next Friday.

DD started with extended diploma (180 credits - 3 A level equiv.) but has dropped to a Diploma (120 credits - 2 A level equiv.). With the extended, grades range from D D D* to PPP.
I know that if you do more modules you still get credit for them, even if you don't do enough for the next qualification up.

Extended Projects are about investigating something of your own choice in depth and producing some kind of output (written, performance, creative). There is so much self direction that that is as much as I know, as DD would be unable to do this kind of thing at all. (If you ask on the other thread I expect loads of people will have kids doing or planning to do it. Or even the y13 thread).

Are you hoping she goes on to university? If not, I suspect (though don't know), that 2.5A levels v 3 might not make much difference to future plans.

We've pretty much ruled out university for DD, just hoping she gets some qualifications which help her into employment with some prospects for advancement.

Right now it is making sense, looked on Parent Portal and it says she is on the 90 credit one. Why it says that I don't know as she is supposed to be on the extended diploma.

I think University not for her and keep saying travel and have a gap year, but she wants to keep her options open so guess I need to try and support this until it is obvious it can't be supported.

She is a complex mix of things and in some ways very driven, IF it is something she wants to so - she'll go all out then. I suspect she has researched enough on her own to come up with an extended project on something like Japanese culture. This interest in Japan has come purely from her and she started off using YouTube plus spent ages studying on her own for the GCSE in the school library, having persuaded school to let her drop another subject. She did have a Skype tutor but her English wasn't good enough to understand the GCSE syllabus and it was quite late in we found the other tutor.

How is DD doing this week T&T and is she still doing Spanish ?

The course is going a bit better, I think, and yes she is still doing Spanish.
We've got her doing regular checking back while working on assessments so they can tell her if structure is wrong, or not enough detail, so that is helping.
Other stuff to do with college and life in general, not so great.

I'm glad the course is going better but I'm so sorry she's struggling with the rest. So hard for all of you

Sorry, another question Any idea of how realistic these target grades are if they are a fair way off now ?

Who knows!

DD seems to think hers are just generated from her average GCSE score.
I guess I'll know more after parents' evening on 1/12.

Parent's evening ?!

Aha, just found the list of dates. SO glad you mentioned that, thanks

That makes me feel loads better, I shall hopefully come away understanding how it all works.

Am glad to have found this thread, been looking for this for a while now!.

Its been a somewhat steep learning curve for me as well as he (college is far different from secondary school) but we're getting there I think now.

DS is thoroughly enjoying his level 3 course after being moved from the level 2 one.

Hello Attila and welcome

It definitely is a steep learning curve, glad you're getting there and DS enjoying it. I'm still very confused , not helped by fact DD is on her third course. I still have dates from the first on my calendar to get rid of !

Google Geoffreys BTEC calculator it's brilliant!

My daughter only got her grade after two years. My son didn't, he got one after 1 year which was made up of two grades. He is doing a second year though, and those grades follow through.

So in year one he did 9 units. He scored distinction on them all so that gave him a final grade of DD he wasn't able to get stars on the individual units, the most he got on those were distinctions.

My DD only received a score at the end of year two. She completed 18 x 10 credit units. She needed 15 distinctions and 3 merits minimum to get DDD* I think she got 16 or 17 Distinctions and 1 or 2 Merits

We used Geoffreys calculator to predict!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh formatting above has made grades look weird.

First set is supposed to be double distinction stars and the second set triple distinction stars

Can I add, if she is thinking of uni in the creative arts then a year gap is great for maturity and experience. There are students on my daughters course who are in their 40s! Last year one graduate was in her 50s. That isn't the average age but those older, generally, find the crits easier to handle and they have a greater ability to sell themselves in presentations. Age certainly doesn't seem to work against them in the arts - unlike something like maths, where a year out could mean you regress somewhat.

Travel or real.life experience also builds on your creative ideas. So it helps that way too.

DD just got her report emailed. I was ready to lay into her about the predicted D for dance and then remembered in a BTec a D is a good thing, not a bad thing . However ... as I know from GCSEs, predicted grades are not always reflected in the final results.

Subject reviews booked for next Friday and hopefully it will all become clear.

Here is the link for the BTEC grade calculator. It is brilliant for tracking progress. We have used it to work out how likely ds is to meet his university offers and what grades he needs for each unit to qualify for a scholarship.

SugarPlum the 90 credit diploma (sometimes called subsidiary diploma) is just the first half of the 2 year extended one which is 180 credits. It means that they can leave after the first year and still have a qualification much like As was to A2 in level

Thank you all. It is starting to become clearer.

Kez I keep finding suggestions of things to do during a gap year, I think she wants to go back to Japan. I'm really unsure about the university route for her and definitely think she needs a bit of time out (and so do DH and I !)

Japan sounds awesome. Degrees will always wait.

Took my degree in my 40s. She's got loads of time to travel and have fun first.

Exactly, that's what I've been saying.

Progress report arrived through post which does explain current and target grades etc so feel a bit less at sea.

Is there a parents evening date too?

Yes and after an initial kick off when she said she wasn't going and I might have exploded, she has come back with an appointment.

Hi Attila

I am the same as you. My DS is on a L3 course and did BTEC Sport at school so he understood how it all work. I am still having to ask questions.

Kez I was surprised when my son got a Certificate come through the post during the summer!

SugarPlumTree I would ask how realistic the grades are. The teachers have more idea than a computer. A gap year sounds like a good idea. Nowadays they need to be sure it is the right decision.

All quiet with the BTEC gang ?