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.

If I were to mention in a post later on Harry Fisher from BBC's The Voice would anyone know who I meant? (Young lad, red hair, platform shoes, on Boy George's team)

Yes I remember him. Student recently left home, with a younger brother I think?

That's the one.

He turned up at (his old) college yesterday, recognised DD from school (2 years ahead) and gave her a hug.

I said she should have asked for his autograph in case he gets famous (and pretend it was for DD2).

DD is quite enjoying her btec. Not so much her A levels. I'm waiting to see what she sticks with next year.

Oh cool T&T, I shall be rooting for him to do well

That's good she is enjoying the BTEC HSM, goes a long way.

DD is laid up still on sofa with virus number 2 in 2 weeks. Same happened to me last month so not a surprise but causing havoc with deadlines. Project due in today, she has to give it in 9am first day back but isn't quite finished and needs to print it out, but can't access the files she needs remotely and isn't enough to work at moment. Luckily Friday is a day off and she won't be in register so will have to sneak in and get it sorted then to hand in 9am Monday.

We're waiting for biopsy results for my Mother and had a total roller coaster with her the last few weeks with one biopsy not showing cancer but looking like that was a false negative. I think that has been hard for DD too and she said she feels guilty being ill though she knows it isn't her fault.

Sugar So sorry you are having to deal with so much at the moment. It is a lot for you all to cope with.

Also sorry your DD is poorly again. It really messes up assignment timing doesn't it? It is why I am always on at DD to get on with things as soon as, so that if she gets ill it won't screw things up. Luckily as long as she doesn't get distracted by BF she is normally quite good at getting on with things.

HSM Glad the BTEC is going well. Is the plan to drop 1 A level after AS, or to try to carry on with everything?

Sugar sorry to hear about your poorly family members

T&T the original plan wasn't to drop anything, but due to lack of effort and DD not liking one of her teachers something is almost certain to change next year.

Thank you both DD doesn't really listen to me on the timing issue unfortunately.

I have however got to the bottom of the units (I think). She's passed 5 and number 6 due today. So hopefully that will get in and she'll pass then 2/3 of the way there as the 90 credit one is 9 units I think.

HSM I find plans have a habit of changing with teenagers !

Good news on passing the assignments

So sorry Sugar about your mother. I know you have a lot on your plate and not working will take the pressure but do make sure you make time for yourself as well.

Apparently student finance has now opened so that the next task here

Thank you Gaslight. I've had a pleasant day catching up with friend I haven't seen for a few years. Punctuated b6 messages about DD from college giving updates on her temperature.

I posted this for Draylon on the 6th form thread, but I''m pasting it into here in case anyone wanders in trying to understand these blasted BTEC things.

and I may be inaccurate in my understanding

DD's course has 3 options like this.

Subsiduary Diploma - 9 units (1 year, 9 units (5 units, then 4 more))
Diploma - 12 units total (2 year, 6 units each year)
Extended Diploma 18 units total (2 year, 9 units each year, 5 in first half of year, 4 in second half)

DD is doing the Diploma (2 A level equivalent), but the college ensures that they do all the 4 'compulsory' units in the first year so if someone drops out they can still qualify for the Subsiduary Diploma (1 A level equivalent?).

You pretty much have to pass every single unit in order to pass the whole thing. There are limited opportunities to re-submit, but there are some. The Pass criteria for DD's course are quite straightforward (if you can structure things properly which DD struggles with). The Merit criteria are harder, and the Distinction criteria need a good level of analysis (that DD doesn't have).

Each unit is made up of a number of Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria. To reach each level you have to meet all the criteria at that level. So if on your first assignment for a unit you miss a Merit criteria, you can't get higher than a pass for the unit (as far as I understand).

Each unit gives you a number of Points. For DD mainly it is 70 for a pass, 80 for a Merit and 90 for a Distinction. To Pass the whole thing she would need 12x70 points - 840, equivalent to EE A level grades. To get CC equivalent she needs 920 minimum. To get AA she would need 1000 points.

DD has up to 3 teachers at any time, each teaching a unit. They teach a bit, and then set an assignment. For a week or 2 they don't teach in some lessons and they use the time to get on with the assignment. Then more teaching and second assignment. Around 4 assignments per unit.

What you don't have to do is 'extra' exam practice, question practice etc. So all work is pretty much set. The students don't have to work out extras.

Disclaimer. I don't know if all BTECs are like DD's !

That's well explained Teen

There are limited opportunities to re-submit, but there are some As far I can tell (via DS) is that you can re-submit if you fail the assignment or are very close to the next grade up. You can not keep re-submitting if you are re-submitting to get a merit and you still get a pass that is your mark.

I think the other thing is that it is not always possible to get a distinction on very assignment (not sure how many this applies to). I know my DS has said a couple of times that he has got a merit and when I have queried why it is not a distinction (sounds a bit harsh I know but he should be getting distinctions so not unreasonable) he says you can only get a merit.

Hi Draylon and welcome.

With the IT BTEC your DS is considering, have you discovered what sort of assignments your DS is likely to be given? Are they document based, or more practical such as 'Create a database meeting xyz criteria?' (Or a mixture). I could imagine needing to show understanding on the rules concerning security of data for example which would mean writing stuff?

If you are having trouble getting info from the colleges on assignments, the other thing to try would be to look on the relevant website (possibly Pearson?) to try to find the spec of the course, with the unit descriptions and pass/merit/distinction criteria. They will show what he will need to demonstrate he knows/can do which will give you an idea of what the assignments may cover. (We didn't know to do this and it would have helped set out expectations a bit better I think).

I know on the other thread you were debating an AS alongside and your DS had plucked one out of thin air. One related to, but not overlapping, the BTEC would be best I would have thought? So Computer Science would maybe be too overlapping? But perhaps not? (I would say Maths/Use of Maths, but know that's a non-starter). Is there an Electronics AS? Even something like Media Studies I guess could be considered appropriate, because of the overlap with web design? But finding something he will stick to is I guess your problem.

We've just had DD's progress report, and in the standard wording was something about needing to commit to all current courses until the academic year, and slacking off one even if planning to drop in July would be taken into account when permission to proceed to next year was considered (or something like that).

Draylon Is this the table you need for the BTEC to UCAS?

And then this link for the A level and A to UCAS?

I believe the AS is the column you said - half an A level.

I was looking for the table last month to see A level equivalents of the Diploma, so fought through the QCF / NQF stuff then. So today it was a point of looking at a few until I found the right one!

re Extended Diploma v Extended+AS/A2

DD likes the mix of her Diploma+Alevel, and is not rushed off her feet. She does a bit of vocab on the bus, but doesn't work when she gets home of an evening. Does need to do some at weekends, but not loads.

However if she had 33% more work it would be more than she could cope with, and things would be too rushed/stressy. (I get the feeling she is more hardworking than your DS, but less academic.).

This BTEC stuff has been a big learning curve. They don't make it easy to find info.

Draylon is this site any help

Also, when it comes to UCAS points, do you know whether you can add loads of ASs together plus a BTEC, or whether they will expect them to have come from a maximum of e.g. 3 courses? (I have no idea.)

You know how I'm always the voice of doom pretty much these days, I'd like to share some good news for a change . DD has her project that she was off sick for over the deadline. It's 2 units and she got distinction for both and was the only one in the class who did. Given that she's not had higher than a pass until now it has really brightened my day and boosted her confidence a lot.

Well done Sugar's DD

Oh my that is brilliant! To get distinctions is great but to also be the only one she must be floating.

Well done!