Some BTEC Schools and Colleges have raised questions with their BTEC Standards Verifiers regarding sampling. In order to help support you in working together during the standards verification window, we hope the following question and answers provides the clarification you need:

A programme in our centre has been allocated for Enhanced Control sampling but we cannot provide two units this year. What will my Standards Verifier (SV) sample? 

If certification is required in summer 2022 and you are delivering a second unit this year outside of the sampling window, then permission for a late sample may be granted, providing this can take place by 30 June 2022. The SV can also sample a unit from Year 1 of the programme, providing it has not been certificated, previously sampled in 2020/21, or subject to U-TAG Quality Assurance. 

If certification is required in summer 2022 and there is only one unit available to sample due to the qualification size, then the SV will sample that unit. 

If certification is not required in summer 2022, the SV will sample what is available as an ‘Not Yet Fully Sampled’ (NYFS) sample.  

Due to our assessment plan, we are unable to provide a full unit for sampling until after the sampling window. Will a sample still need to take place? 

Firstly, the SV will enquire as to whether you can amend your assessment plan to ensure a full unit is available within the sampling window. This is the best way for us to ensure secure certification for your learners, and your consideration is appreciated. Understandably, this may not be possible and the SV will not insist that you do so.  

The SV can also sample a unit from Year 1 of the programme providing it has not been certificated, previously sampled in 2020/21, or subject to a U-TAG. 

In exceptional circumstances, and only where possible, permission for a late sample may be granted, providing this can take place by 30 June 2022. Any sampling undertaken past this date may result in delays to certification. 

We are running the first year of the programme (so no certificating learners) but are assigned Enhanced Control. There is only one component/unit available for sampling. What will the SV sample? 

If it is the first year of the programme and no certification is required, the SV will sample the one unit/component available and set the report to ‘Not Yet Fully Sampled’ (NYFS) . 

We do not have any units available for sampling due to U-TAGs and/or streamlined assessment. What will the SV sample? 

This scenario would only occur on smaller sized qualifications. If certification is not required, sampling will be deferred until next year. Centres in this situation will have had Pearson Quality Assurance of their U-TAG judgements earlier this academic year.  

If certification is required, the SV can sample a unit from Year 1 of the programme providing it has not been certificated or previously fully sampled in 2020/21. They are also able to sample the streamlined component/unit if a Year 1 unit is unavailable. 

Using Special Consideration for unavoidable absences, and where the assessment cannot reasonably be deferred

As many of you will know, we are permitting applications for missed external assessment in the January/February 2022 assessment series, to ensure that there is a ‘safety net’ for learners who cannot reasonably defer their assessment to summer. Please refer to our guidance for further information.  

Please note: As special consideration applications for unavoidable absences are only being accepted if a learner cannot reasonably defer, it is not expected that both an application and a resit will be made for a learner. If a centre applies for special consideration and later determines that a resit is possible, Pearson will use the result for the assessment that is sat to determine the qualification result. In other words, a special consideration ‘assessed grade’ (also known as an aegrotat grade) would not be calculated.

• Special consideration ‘assessed grades’ are only calculated at the point of certification; i.e. when all internally assessed grades have been reported, all remaining external assessment grades are available, and the learner completion date in the system indicates an award claim will be made. This is to ensure that a Special Consideration ‘assessed grade’ is calculated by Pearson using as much evidence as possible. As such, the ‘assessed grade’ is not intended to provide feedback that would inform a summer resit. 
• Centres that have submitted a JCQ Form 10 in relation to learner absence will be contacted to confirm that a deferral is not possible.
• Although we appreciate that some learners may have made plans to sit BTEC exams in both the January and summer series (taking advantage of resit opportunities), we are not able to calculate an assessed grade earlier than the point of certification. This is in line with other VTQ awarding organisations and intended to ensure that the option for an assessed grade is only used as a last resort (where deferral is not possible).
• For additional context, the JCQ guidance describes one approach to estimating assessed grades. This approach is used for many of the BTECs, and may assist centres in understanding how the assessed grade is estimated under the special considerations process. 

BTEC Standard Setting and Grade Boundaries 

In Bulletin 38, we updated centres with information from Ofqual on the expected approaches to standards setting in 2022, and we will share more in the lead up to results day on how we have approached this for the January 2022 series. 

Ofqual have confirmed that they would expect Awarding Organisations (AOs) of VTQs with similar purposes to General Qualifications (A Levels and GCSEs) to ensure, as far as it is possible, that VTQ learners are not disadvantaged nor advantaged compared with their GCSE and A level peers. 

For BTEC, we have introduced a range of measures to recognise the continued disruption that learners have faced to their teaching and learning due to the pandemic, and to ensure there is parity for learners as far as possible in the different qualifications available. 

Adaptations 

A number of adaptations have been implemented for BTECs to accommodate for the continued disruption to teaching and learning. The aim of these adaptations is to ensure that BTEC learners are not disadvantaged, nor advantaged, compared to their peers studying for General Qualifications. Some of the adaptations we have introduced include streamlined assessments for internal assessments, extensions to task release windows for external assessments and moving back (by a week) the exam window in January 2022. 

We are delighted that so many centres have updated learner details following the communication that was sent earlier this month. We want to remind you that this is not a mandatory task and you do not need to send the spreadsheets back to us. This step was offered, following feedback from centres, to give you early sight of any anomalies in the GLH (Guided Learning Hours) against the requirements for their qualifications, and to review learners' eligibility, before final grades are entered into Edexcel Online (EOL).   

In addition, in order to minimise your administration workload later this year, you may find it useful to check BTEC learners' completion dates in EOL to ensure that they accurately reflect when your learners will certificate. We would expect for learners certificating in summer 2022 to have a completion date between 1 June and 31 August 2022. Our 'Update Learner Detail' support article shows how you can amend these dates in EOL through each learner's record.  

It is helpful to keep all learner data accurate; please withdraw BTEC learners via EOL that are no longer planning to complete the course they are registered on. It may be possible that these learners are eligible for a smaller sized qualification based on the units they have achieved so far. If so, please transfer to these smaller qualifications and claim a full award instead. You can find further information about these processes in our 'Edexcel Online: Withdrawing Learner Registrations' and 'Registrations: Transfers' support articles.

England’s Department for Education have recently published updated guidance (PDF | 1,008 KB) to Level 3 providers about the Level 3 Reform to aid planning. Key changes include: 

• The updated timeline for the defunding of qualifications and the introduction of new ones.
• Reference to the removal of the English and Maths exit requirements for T Levels. 

We are pleased to announce that a number of our BTEC Tech Awards First Teach September 2022 have been included in the Department for Education, Key Stage 4 2024 performance tables. 

At this stage, the Pearson BTEC Level 1 / Level 2 Tech Award in Engineering (603/7049/X) has not been approved for the 2024 Key Stage 4 Performance tables. We are asking the Department for Education (England) to review the decision and we will let you know as soon the outcome is available.  

More information regarding our redeveloped BTEC Tech Awards for 2022 can be found on our website, alongside Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs), Pearson-Set Assignments (PSAs) and Quick Guides for each qualification. 

New January assessment window 

As a reminder, we have confirmed that the BTEC Tech Awards will have an additional moderation window in January, and specifications have been updated to reflect this. 

'Getting Started’ training events  

We are running a series of free training events to provide you with an overview of the revised BTEC Tech Awards specifications for first teach September 2022. The sessions will count as 2 hours of CPD. 

These events will give you an overview of the course, alongside assessment and grading. In addition, you will have an opportunity to interact with the presenter and ask questions.

Events are available for each sector – just select BTEC Tech Awards and your sector, or type Getting Started in the keyword search on our training portal. 

Book onto an event for your sector 

Following feedback from Exam Officers, Notifications of Performance (NOP) will no longer print automatically when you submit an interim claim through Edexcel Online. We understand that learners often do not require NOPs until they have completed their course, and managing the receipt of unwanted NOPs creates additional and unnecessary administrative work for centres.  

From 9 March 2022, instead of generating a NOP automatically, Edexcel Online will give you the option to select "Do you require a Notification of Performance to be printed? Yes/No", with the default setting being "No". 

For more information, including preview screenshots of how this new option will appear, please take a look at our support article on making interim claims. 

We have made this change to give you more control over these documents, and hope you find it helpful. 

Based on feedback from centres, we have collated guidance (PDF | 216 KB) about managing external assessments pertinent to the below group-based performance tasks, which are currently underway and due to be assessed in summer 2022.  

BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award Performing Arts (2017) 
Component 3: Responding to a Brief (21123K) 

BTEC Nationals Performing Arts (2016) 
Unit 3: Group Performance Workshop (31557H) 

BTEC Nationals Music Performance (2018) 
Unit 3: Ensemble Music Performance (20175K) 
 
We hope that you find this guidance useful. If you have any queries, please contact us using the Pearson Support Portal. 

Free on-demand eLearning for Exams Officers | New BTEC modules   

In September, we launched our new on-demand eLearning service for exams officers on our website. This is a fully interactive service, with pre-recorded guidance from our training team with mock webpages and systems so you can go through processes from start to finish. 
 
You can find our newly released BTEC bitesize modules on BTEC amendments and modified papers on our website.

Pearson Quality Advisor Events 

New Year, new look! Your familiar support events offer from the PQA team has taken on a new look for 2022. We now have a selection of both online ‘live’ events and pre-recorded 'on-demand' sessions for you and your teams to access.

Please check out our BTEC page on the Home of Quality Assurance for more details and to book a place on the forthcoming events.

Support material for external assessment 

Additional teacher support videos for BTEC external assessments continue to be added to the main Vocational Teaching, Learning and Assessment Support Page.  Recent and soon to arrive additions include: 

• How to use examWizard (a training guide) 
• Preparing learners for external assessment (a video overview) 
• Understanding BTEC External Assessment Mark Schemes (a video overview)

Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction Providers will recently have received an email from us letting you know of a change that we are making to the Occupational Specialist Project assessment window for summer 2022.  

To ensure students have equal access to the assessment and there is comparability across all Providers we have moved the window back by a full week, so assessment will now commence on Monday 25 April 2022.

This has been reflected in our Construction Key Dates schedule.  

Missed our latest TQ newsletter? Pearson’s February e-Bulletin was published and included the following:  

• Legal Services announcement and expressions of interest to join our Provider Panel 
• Q&A Networks and Training events for the Spring term Entries 
• 2022 Provider Approval window

Read the 9 February Bulletin

We would like to let you know that Ofqual have updated their Exam Procedure Review Service for 2022.

This service enables them to review the procedures an awarding organisation followed when it marked an assessment, moderated a teacher’s marking of non-exam assessment (NEA), completed any review of marking or moderation and when it determined an appeal. It takes place after outcome of the stage 2 appeal. 

Key changes include:

• The service now covers the Technical Qualifications in the new T Levels (in addition to General Qualifications). 
• This service is available to centres and private candidates (whereas last summer all students could apply directly), which reflects the change to exams being undertaken this year. 

Please note this service is not available to BTEC qualifications. 

Mammography Associate Amendment 

Please be advised that we have made two changes to Mammography Associate Level 4 EPA Resource Pack. 

K3 - NHSBSP standards and quality assurance process: technical repeat (TP) standards updated 

K19 - The relevant national standards and local guidelines for quality assurance: NHS Breast Screening Programme Guidance for Breast Screening Mammographers, year 2017 removed as learners must be taught the requirements as per the latest guidance. 

Please ensure that apprentices are made aware of these changes, as these knowledge criteria will be assessed within the on-screen tested component of their EPA. This will be live for Tuesday 1 March 2022.

Customer Service Specialist Amendment 

Please be advised that we have made a small change to the Customer Service Specialist Level 3 EPA Resource Pack. This is to clarify the evidence requirements of grade criterion 7.P1 in which apprentices “must give two examples of where they have resolved customer issues”. 

New Standards 

Pearson has just been approved to delivery Community Health and Wellbeing Worker. Further details will be provided as the development progresses.  

For further information on our general qualifications for 2022, please visit our summer 2022 support page. We will be updating this page regularly. 

Please sign up to receive our regular Pearson Qualifications Bulletin on our website where you’ll also be able to read past issues.