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).

Lyn, I think it's generally useful if they know, may allow them to give him the benefit of the doubt in some situations if nothing else. Well done, him. If he's taken ownership of enrolling, hopefully he'll give the course a fair shot.

Not your responsibility, Teen. As they get older you can lead them to water but can't make them drink.

With DD's course it would help if she read around issues a bit (basically reading newspapers and picking up tourism related issues), but the only 'homework' is doing the assignments.
She does find it helps if she reads the text book a bit.
Don't know how relevant that experience is for an IT related course though.

Can you do a deal with your DS that you are 'on' him for first assignments, but if he gets on and does them with no panics you'll gently back off?

Draylon My DD had home study every week which was usually typing up an assignment. This was then submitted via the moodle system and she would then be given it back with a mark and suggestions how to improve it if needed. She seemed to have constant work at home, unless she was just telling me she did!!

DD's new timetable is online. I'm quite pleased with it. No need to go to college one day a week, and a second day she could theoretically work at home in the morning and go in at lunchtime. On the other days not too many 'free' periods to waste time in.

DD has already volunteered to help out with all sorts of extra curricular dance stuff which is nothing to do with her btec. Can't wait until she passes her driving test, so we don't have to keep collecting her, because she misses her bus if she's late.

I have no idea either what DD's first assignments will be or when they will be due.

They have to learn stuff first, so possibly not set for a couple of weeks, and then she normally get 2 weeks or so to do them. (That's what happened last year anyway).

The Pearson documents give teaching guidelines, but they aren't prescriptive as to exact details of assignments etc.

Last year for DD was very up and down with work. Some weeks hardly any, other weeks loads. She could balance that with her Spanish last year but doesn't have the option this year.

DD did something with a power point the other day. I think it was for drama ??

There has only been 1 of the textbooks published so far for Business; we are expecting the 2nd student book (which contains 2 of the externally assessed mandatory units) around Christmas.

How I teach it (and I know of a local college that also does) is that all teaching materials- presentations/case studies etc is available to students.

Each institution will have their own assessment plan therefore dates will be different and as a PP said they have to do some learning first!

The assignments are on the Edexcel site, but we are still allowed to write our own as long as they meet the learning aims and the assessment criteria so don't presume these are the ones that will be issued

Draylon DS used to write bits but I think there was stuff they could access through the college website as well

Sounds like he is enjoying it

He'll need blue dust coat for Monday for engereeing however is there any builder style shops that I can buy it screw fix and b&q and wicks don't sell them 🙁

pleasemothermay1

try a uniform shop if you have one near, if not then Alexandra. www.alexandra.co.uk

It's interesting reading this. DS is still a way off college but it's nice to understand what's out there. BTEC appears to have changed a lot as I sat module end exams and year end exams (when the earth was still cooling! ). I hold two and found these well regarded at the time as the defacto replacement of ONCs. Are they still received well by employers as well as universities?

Am lurking on this thread as dd is taking a vocational A level subject (Health and Social care) which is mostly taken as a BTEC so some of the advice could well be useful. She did a level 2 ICT certificate in Y11 which was part exam and part coursework.
engineer I think that exams are coming back as part of many vocational courses such as BTECs. I agree that qualifications shouldn't just be about university entrance and am sure that many who take them do go into employment. Colleges should publish details of where students go after they complete their courses

Draylon I know different colleges work different ways - in fact I imagine it may vary from department to department. We had no parents evenings - if we wanted to contact them we did so as and when we needed to and vice versa. They soon got on the phone if attendance or work was not up to scratch.

Our DC need to ask for help but it is so hard to get that thought to them

The emphasis at college is very much on the student as an independent learner although at my college there are parents evenings twice a year and some colleges within the group issue reports. All the target reviews (every half term) are done via the individual tutorial system but all of it is recorded on the student eILP on the VLE. Most colleges would have a similar sort of system which I would encourage you to all to ask your dc to share with you.

I found it really look at ds3's learner record just before parents evening as it gave me a starting point for questions.

DD has her first assignment.