BTECs at college - Support thread 2

[TeenAndTween]

Following on from the 2015 thread to inform and support each other through the ups and downs of BTECs. Mainly aimed at y12/13 level, but BTECs alongside GCSEs more than welcome too. Plus anyone just considering BTECs and wanting information.

What I learned last year:

You have to hit the ground running as the very first piece of work may well count towards your final grade

DD's course has 3 options like this.

Subsidiary 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 Subsidiary 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. (However exactly what is required for some criteria is about as clear as mud, and DD seems to get little/no feedback on assignments to help her improve for future ones. Sometimes there seem to be implicit requirements that DD doesn't catch on about.)

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

A couple of useful tables for reference:

Table showing UCAS points

A level equivalent UCAS

And finally the Pearson BTEC site from where you can find specs, unit descriptions, and pass/merit/distinction criteria.

(Praying for less of a roller-coaster this year).

Another one to join here please!

DS missed the marks required for A levels at his preferred sixth form by one grade but the sixth form is part of an amazing school so he/we have decided that he would be best going there and doing a BTEC extended diploma in Business than going to a mediocre sixth form and trying to get A levels.

I am bracing myself for all the comments of "oh well" etc when we tell people what he is doing and not quite sure how to respond. Being completely honest I was a bit of a snob about them inside beforehand and having researched can see BTECs have changed a lot over the years so have managed to get rid of my internal snobbery but I suspect I may find that difficult to deal with. Any tips?

I'd like to join too. DS starting a BTEC extended level 3 diploma in IT.
He applied to his 6th form for A levels and college for the BTEC. He was already leaning towards the BTEC, but his results made the decision for him.

May I join too, thank you giraffe for pointing me in the right direction (and Draylon in the past).

Similar experience here, DS got 6Bs (6s in English) and 4 Cs (4 in maths) in GCSEs but due to the 4 in maths he wasn't allowed to follow the business studies A level but he could do a Btec level 3 diploma at his school.

So he swapped to the Btec in Business (equivalent to 2 A levels) and Geography A level.

I am a bit like giraffe I was a bit shocked when he came out and told me of his decision (I wasn't with him when he discussed the swap) and tried to discuss A levels alternative options such as English or French but he refused. I then had a good reading of the course and realised that in fact the Btec will suit him much more than A levels due to the course work,

I guess as he's doing both an A level and the Btec I'll be able to say in 2 years time which one suited him more.

He started today at his school sixth form where he has to wear a suit and tie so he looks like he's the CEO of a company, not a 16 yo going to school on his bike.

Luckily I have more friends with kids DDs age (10) than with kids DS's age which means that when my friends asked me what he's doing they heard a lot of "bla bla bla he got into his school sixth form which he wanted" to which they congratulate me so I didn't have any nasty comments. Maybe because DS is at an academically selective school they don't realise that laziness on revising for your GCSEs can affect your choices, they think that because he's staying at his school he must have done amazingly well (don't get me wrong, he did well, but not as well as his potential which did affect his options, hopefully he learnt something out of it).

Hello - can I join. Need a bit of a hand hold
DD2 has started a level 3 extended diploma today. She knows no one there!
Feeling incredibly nervous for her

Notanothergiraffe

absolutely don't feel embarrassed about BTECS from a snob point of view

I was at a sports thing on Saturday with a group of private school parents and BTECS were all they were talking about. More and more private schools are adding them and parents are choosing those 6th forms because they offer BTECS - including one that costs £13k a term .

Thanks show.

I have actually told the one person that I thought would react the worst and she wasn't as bad as I expected.

I don't think people are half as snobby about poor exam results in RL as they are on Mumsnet

Probably not show

Out of interest how many do most people have in a class for BTEC business? DS has 'about 25' which seems high.

Hello can I join too please? My DS is about to start a Btec level 2 in sports coaching at sixth form, as well as re-sitting maths and English.

He didn't do very well in his GCSEs, so I'm really hoping he'll turn things around this year.

First day today so fingers crossed it goes well!

Has anyone got experience of BTEC music or music technology?

My DD is currently doing GCSEs and I am researching alternatives to A-levels. I think vocational education would suit her more than an academic route. However, I don't know much ie nothing about them and worried BTECs might be too narrow and close doors for her in the future. I don't really know anyone that did or whose DCs did BTECs and when I bring it up, I get a strange look as if I am suggesting torturing my DD!!! Also from what I can gather no local schools offer BTECs. We would have to go to a college.

I would also love to hear updates on how your DCs are getting on with BTECs and within a college environment. Thanks

Bump

Hi @VioletCharlotte & @Sonnet So how are the new 2017 BTEC students getting on?
My son was hoping to do the Level 3 Extended Diploma in IT, but didn't get quite enough grades to get in. He is doing the Level 2 Diploma instead. He is in College three days a week but is finding the transition a bit odd. He feels the progress in class is a bit slow and while he enjoys the free time, he feels a bit "underemployed" compared to regular classes all day in Year 11. I'm encouraging him to read around the subject and do extra stuff, but he is not a great self starter.

Violet, my son had to do the 'intermediate' year ladt year cos his GCSES were a bit rubbish. It was really useful. He took two level 2 Btec, one in a subject he never would have picked and retook maths and English. He sailed through maths in November (he never should have failed it originally - he is a sound mathematician). Got distinction in one btec and merit in the other (he was distinction for c/w) but failed his English again - something that is going to go on and on and on, I fear.

He got into college life and the way of doing btec so the path this year with his three level 3 s seems to have been easier and from what I can tell, now he is back doing the two subjects he loves, he seems to be working hard. He is young for his year and I just think he has grown into himself academically. He worked really hard for two exams last year and failed what seems to be the easiest exam known to man. He passed both on retake but worked hard gaining knowledge for it. This tells us that he is just genuinely rubbish in exams, for some reason. It's like all sense leaves his brain.

It's gone a bit quiet on this thread. My DS2 is going to apply for apprenticeships but has also applied via UCAS to do an HNC leading to HND in computing at his college a fall back. Pretty low entry criteria of 64 points and he's already got 48 after his first year so a good insurance. DS2 has ASD and wouldn't cope living away from home. He could apply to our local minor university to do a computing degree but would need DMM for that, and I think he's more likely to get MMM. He could apply there after his HND to do a year conversion to a degree though.

I still think an apprenticeship at a supportive government dept would be better. He'd get a degree, get paid and hopefully have a job at the end of it.

Hope all your DC are doing well.

Sorry if the answer to this question is already in the thread somewhere, but I was wondering whether someone could tell me how many Distinctions are needed to get a Distinction overall?

DD is doing 3 single diplomas (2 equivalent to A levels and one equivalent to an AS level)

Grades so far:
First 2 year course: D D D D (Distinctions for 4 units completed out of 6)
Second 2 year course: D D D (Distinctions for 3 units completed out of 6)
One year course: D (Distinction for 1 unit completed out of 3)

I've Googled it, but was very confused! I'm just wondering whether she needs to continue working at the same pace - especially for the course where she's already got 4 Distinctions.

Thanks for any advice.

chocolate I think you need to look on the Pearson website (linked in the opening post on this thread) and find the spec for the courses. Hidden in there will be how unit grades collate to overall grade.

However, I think that getting loads of (all or nearly all) distinctions will mean the resultant grade is D which carries same UCAS points as A. So if your DD is aiming for university then it is worth going at the same pace.
If you are happy to 'settle' for 'just' Distinction then it may be that 4Ds and 2Ms is sufficient if DD's courses were anything to go by. (I say settle and just because obviously Distinction overall is very good, and better than DD got!)

Ah well, DS2 didn't get the apprenticeship he hoped for. He applied for the HNC at college through UCAS and it turns out they only require 48 points for the HNC, 64 for the HND, so he just been offered an unconditional place. You win some, you lose some! He's accepted it so next year is sorted. He'll apply for a student loan and live at home.

Hope all is going well with everyone.

for those students who are certifying this year on the new specifications

The DfE released Friday evening a change to the resit rule for these learners only; basically students who are certifying on the new specifications this year can have 3 attempts at the external assessments due to the issues this new specification has caused to schools/colleges.

Therefore if you DC is undertaking the new spec and are completing it this year they get an extra sitting of an external assessment, at the moment given the late notice of this announcement from DfE the boards (this does not just affect BTEC but all other boards offering new vocational L3 specifications such as OCR/NCFE) are racing around to ensure that all centres/students can have 3 attempts.

The information I have received from Pearson so far is that they are going to put in another assessment window in March in conjunction with the summer window.

If your DC are certifying this year and are undertaking the new specifications which include external assessments please keep a careful watch out for communications from the college/school about external sittings as this is not on any calender given the sudden nature of this announcement.