BTEC versus A levels

[GaribaldiGirl]

My son is in GCSE year. He has an above average IQ but has slow processing and a poor working memory - he therefore has always found schoolwork and exams harder than most. I think he’ll get 5/6s in most subjects.

I’m wondering whether BTECs are better suited to pupils like him. I believe they have more coursework.

Any advice appreciated, particularly from anyone with experience of BTECs. Most people I know seem very A level focused.

He’s going to move schools for sixth form and one of the ones we’ve looked at has a BTEC option. His current school is strictly A levels or Baccalaureate only.

[Fazackerley]

Ok I think you are exaggerating a bit. I know a lot of students (through my work) that have gone to uni with Btecs and done really well. You sound hugely over dramatic about it.

[GaribaldiGirl]

Actually I shouldn’t say he definitely isn’t a Russell Group candidate. Pupils with learning difficulties are often on a different trajectory and will blossom later. He might yet surprise us . He certainly works harder than his more academic siblings.
The challenge is always maintaining self esteem - and I think BTECs sound refreshingly different with a less exam focussed approach

[GaribaldiGirl]

There’s an independent school near us which states that pupils getting an average of grade 6 in their GCSEs should be doing a mix of A levels and BTECS rather than straight A levels. Would people agree with that?

[Fazackerley]

I'd say that's fair tbh. Dd got a couple of As, plenty of Bs and a C and she's doing 2 a levels and a BTEC, hopefully will end up with A, B and D* (equiv to A)

[cricketballs3]

Apologies in advance for this long post - but I would like to straighten the record in regards to BTECs against the earlier posts by @VelvetPineapple

Whilst I agree that the old specifications were ‘easy’ as in assignments could be written for each specific criteria, a lot of guidance given with no external assessments the new specifications are as far from “piss easy” as you can get.

All new spec subjects have 4 external assessments for the Ext Dip – these vary (depending on subject) in terms of type from traditional exams to high control supervised write up sessions with either a pre seen case study but unseen question to a 3 hour write up on an unknown question/case study.

They then also have large (between 90 and 120 Guided learning hours) mandatory coursework units together with additional optional coursework units.

The content of these units is often far more in difficulty than in A Level – for example in unit 3 for H&S the content has sections within it that is far beyond the A Level spec (we have a specialist Biology teacher this year leading that unit and she was stunned at the difficulty in some areas), for the business finance exam BTEC students are expected to memorise more accounting ratios than in the A Level papers.

The mandatory units have to be completed to a certain point, so the coursework units at a pass, the external units at a near pass (at least) with the total points from the units still being enough to achieve an overall pass – so whilst in the A Level you could flunk 1 paper altogether but gather enough from the other paper this is not the case with the new specification BTECS.

In terms of the practices that is reported on this thread Pearson are really cracking down on it with far more vigour than ever before. A lot more centres are subject to enhanced sampling which means that rather than just a couple of units and some paperwork being checked on the coursework units Pearson are visiting centres and want to see previous records of assessments, Internal verification and will interview students. Ofqual is currently proposing a change to centre assessments that will include 2 planned visits and an unannounced visit every year in order to stop centres like the one that @VelvetPineapple has experience of diminishing the delivery and assessment of BTECS and the value they have for students for whom this model suits far better than A Level.

As PP have pointed out - the nature of BTEC means that rather than 2 years of practice, cramming etc a BTEC student needs to be on the ball straight away, however this is also something that suits a lot of students as they prefer the constant work rather than the pressure of end of 2 year exams.

The funding issue you raised is not applicable to schools as we get paid for bums on seats, not results.

Op – now I am at my laptop I can offer more detail as to the BTEC Business! this is the specification which details the units and what has to be learnt. For the ext dip as well as the 7 mandatory units there are also 6 optional units to be covered which, as explained earlier are usually determined by the centre given expertise, however smaller centres may offer the students some choice.

Whilst I have ext dip students who have gone on to good universities/higher level apprenticeships the nature of the school that I work at has meant that the majority of my students are either doing the Dip (2 x A Level) or the ext cert (1 x A Level) together with A Levels and whilst I haven’t had L3 students with Oxbridge offers I have had previous students attend RG unis and have come out with excellent results – in fact a lot of my former students do claim that especially in their first year they are at an advantage against the purely A Level students as they are far more experienced in research group work, presentations etc.

[TapasForTwo]

"In terms of the practices that is reported on this thread Pearson are really cracking down on it with far more vigour than ever before"


They are doing this with A levels as well. Last year the coursework for the new spec geography A level had so few guidelines that even the teachers were floundering. They weren't allowed to offer the students any guidelines at all, and virtually the whole class had their coursework externally moderated.

[GaribaldiGirl]

Thank you for that cricketballs.

I’m sold on a mix of A levels and BTECs. Now to persuade the boy himself.....

[VelvetPineapple]

In terms of the practices that is reported on this thread Pearson are really cracking down on it with far more vigour than ever before

Pleased to hear this @cricketballs3. It was atrocious practice and awful for the students - both those who worked hard and saw others getting the same grades without working, and also those whose final grades didn’t reflect their ability who subsequently struggled on a higher education course they should never have been directed towards.

As I said, one of the reasons I quit teaching was because it all seemed like a con and my employer regularly required me to commit professional misconduct that would have got me struck off if it was uncovered. Not relevant to the OP but I do wonder how FE centres will cope financially if they can no longer artificially boost the pass numbers? (and thereby boost their funding)