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).

Just asked DS2 and they've been set their first assignment! He seems quite happy about it. They get a deadline to hand it in, then they suggest improvements they could make and then there's a second deadline. I've told him he needs to be aiming for at least a merit as he'll need MMM to get on to the higher apprenticeships I've got my eye on. With him having ASD I need to have a slightly closer grip on things.

DD's first piece only has Pass criteria, no Merit or Distinction.

'Clear' seems to depend on what angle you look at as far as I am concerned. You can see the words of the criteria, but working out what the hell they actually want can be a different matter!

I have no idea what DD is doing for her btec dance really. I do know she has a BIG choreography project this term, which I suspect will mean she misses her bus every night. The sooner she passes her driving test the better.

I don't know about DS2's level 3 BTEC, but in my school where I'm a science technician, they were doing level 2 BTEC science up until last year with the lower sets. There were criteria for pass, merit and distinction for the assignments. The teachers marked them, passed them back with suggestions to improve then internally moderated them. A sample were chosen by the external moderator to be moderated. The students then had another chance to improve if the external moderation went badly - which it sometimes did! Each year the external moderator was someone different and seemed to be looking for a different set of criteria. So not always that clear.

HSMMaCM be careful what you wish for! The worry about them driving around in a car is something to be experienced!!

Draylon does your DS understand it? That is the important thing but it may take a couple of assignments to get there.

Make the most of them being at home. DS has now been away for 2 weeks and it is so very strange

DS2 seems a bit keener on college than school so far, which is probably because there are so many free lessons and the work is in a subject he likes! I guess quite a few of those students doing BTECS disliked traditional school so the completely different atmosphere is to encourage them to come. It seems very much more like junior university than a school sixth form. At DS's college the staff and students are on first name terms and it's all a lot more relaxed.

DS2 is going on a trip tomorrow to Sky in London, (or somewhere in the Home Counties!) 6.20am coach and home early evening. They are certainly keeping it interesting so far.

Ellen is your ds studying in a town sandwiched between 2 other towns which are generally considered posher? Lots of our students are going to Sky this week too!

No, in a town considered posh next door to a less posh small city! I think Sky must be holding open days for colleges as the classes from the city campus went last week.

Draylon when he gets his mark it will show if he has understood

Ellen My DS was like a different child once he started college as he was studying what he wanted rather than being told what to

eat how is your DS getting on?

Draylon

For DD, 4 Merits and 2 Passes was good enough to end up with Merit overall for first year.
So for her (2 A level equivalent), 8 merits and 4 passes will get her Merit Merit. (Same number of UCAS points as 2 Cs at A level).

For your DS, if the first assignment has merit criteria and he doesn't get it, then he will be capped at Pass for the whole unit. But the first assignment might not have any Merit criteria, so then a Pass is fine.

Unit 10, Human Computer Interaction?

I could imagine 2 pieces of work,
The first to meet learning aim A (which is basically theory), and the second to meet learning aims B and C (design and development).

Learning aim A is very similar to lot's of DD's assignments, with an Explanation for the Pass, and Analysis for the merit, and Evaluation for the Distinction. There is guidance as to what is required to meet Analysis and Evaluation. (DD can just about Analyse but can't Evaluate which keeps screwing her for getting Distinctions).

B&C are about doing. So the Pass criteria are more or less 'produce something', Merit is 'explain how it meets the brief clearly' and Distinction is 'talk about how well you did it, and also to have done it well'

So if the task was 'design a mode of transport for a 5yo'

To get a Pass you would make a scooter
To get a Merit you would make a scooter and explain that it would be easy to manoeuvre, relatively cheap, and quite robust.
To get a Distinction you would make a scooter, and then say it worked well as low to the floor to minimise getting hurt, and a nice colour that children like, and you would have good supporting documentation showing it meets safety features.

( I think ).

(Just saw p100, yup, 2 assignments, 1 for A and 1 for B&C)

But you/he must also look at pages 101-103 which explains in detail what sort of thing is expected. Before submitting he needs to know he has covered everything on those pages. Miss out one tiny bit of a pass criteria and you're sunk.

Does this help from Perasons?

or even Pearsons!

Ah Draylon I feel your pain.

This is why DD now does a structure with sub headings early on and gets it checked by me or college.

A steep learning curve indeed.

At least you found out before the deadline rather than after it.