BTEC Higher Nationals FAQs

This answer will be updated alongside the publication of the new BTEC Higher Nationals Guidance.

Where work placement is not mandated in the qualification, there is no minimum number of hours that need to be undertaken. For further guidance please see the section on ‘How to approach work experience’ in the COVID-19 Teaching and Assessment Guidance for BTEC Higher Nationals 2020-21. 

We ask that a valid proportion of work placement hours are completed in order to qualify for an award. Please see the guidance in Appendix 2 of the COVID-19 Teaching and Assessment Guidance for BTEC Higher Nationals 2020-21. 

Where a work experience/practice requirement is mandated within a qualification, we expect all students to achieve this requirement in full.  Where this is not possible due to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, students will be able to progress to certification in the following circumstances:   

• The student has completed the minimum required work experience/practice hours listed in the tables in Appendix 2 of the COVID-19 Teaching and Assessment Guidance for BTEC Higher Nationals 2020-21, and all attempts to access further hours have been exhausted .
• Steps have been taken to support the student to achieve the required work experience/practice hours, including part-time employment, bank and relief options, volunteering, work during holiday periods and the provision of planned, supervised and structured virtual (online/telephony) support, where the student has been trained to do so .
• Actions taken to secure the full requirement of work experience/practice hours have been recorded and are available for internal and external quality assurance .
• Students are able to satisfactorily provide direct care to service users whilst on placement, as verified by their placement supervisor and their college assessor.  

Yes. However, where it is safe to do so, observation by an occupationally competent and qualified assessor is preferred as the main source of evidence for all learners. Where this is not possible due to protracted disruption caused by Covid-19 restrictions, testimonies provided by a suitably experienced employer/manager/leader recruited by the centre to undertake the role of an Expert Witness (EW) will be accepted. Please refer to Appendix 2 of the COVID-19 Teaching and Assessment Guidance for BTEC Higher Nationals 2020-21 for further details. 

There are some pathways in the Healthcare Practice, Healthcare Practice for England, and Social and Community Work qualifications where observation of practice in the workplace setting is intended, but it is not mandatory. For these pathways, triangulation of alternative assessment methods can be used to capture evidence that would otherwise have been obtained through observation of the student’s practice e.g. through expert witness testimony, professional discussion and reflective logs. 

Even in these circumstances, the qualified assessor assigned to the student will be expected to confirm the accuracy of the judgement of the student(s) competency with a signed supporting statement. All judgements will be subject to the usual internal quality assurance protocols. 

For additional guidance and recommendations regarding alternative assessments for practice-related assessment criteria by unit, please refer to the HSCEY Adaptation Guidance on HN Global.  

In normal circumstances, this is not something we would accept, and continues to be the case. It is also very likely that the student’s work placement setting(s) will not permit devices that can take video recordings.    

For apprentices, the overarching and primary guidance for what is permissible on programme has been issued by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Please refer to these carefully in making decisions with regards to delivery and the assessment of the Standard. For the HND qualification element of the Standard, the considerations in the other FAQs listed here apply.     

We have a dedicated forum on HN Global that provides regular updates and an opportunity for you to ask questions specific to BTEC Higher Nationals. In addition, we update the Pearson website regularly with the latest information and guidance on Covid-19, and our response to support centres and students across all our qualifications. There is separate guidance for UK and International centres, and links on each of these pages to additional information, support, resources and guidance. Please check these regularly to stay informed.  

Here are some links to UK-based guidance and resources related to Covid-19 that are useful for centres delivering Health and Social Care, Early Education and Counselling qualifications, and related Apprenticeship Standards. These links will be updated regularly as more information is received. 

• Nursing and Midwifery Council Response to the Covid-19 Emergency (for students and educators)   
• Apprenticeship Guidance (England only) - Coronavirus (COVID-19): apprenticeship programme response
• British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance and resources for members
• Skills for Care Covid-19 Essential Training
• Coronavirus: Free e-learning resources from Skills for Health   
• Early Education (the British Association for Early Childhood Education) Free Resources and Membership - via HN Global
• Coronavirus Guidance and Resources from Social Care Online (SCIE) 

Yes, Centres can continue with distance learning where there is restricted access to face-to-face teaching, learning and assessment. Pearson will support centres by providing ongoing temporary distance learning approval. Please note that Pearson define distance learning as teaching, learning and assessment that takes place 100% online. 

In light of the current uncertainty, guidelines and global pandemic, there will be no in-person EE centre visits taking place for 2021. External Examination activities will be completed remotely in 2021, via a “remote visit”. A date for this remote visit will be scheduled for a mutually convenient time when centre staff and students are available to speak online with your EE.

Your allocated EE will be in touch with you from the 25th November onwards.

This answer will be updated alongside the publication of the new BTEC Higher Nationals Guidance.

This answer will be updated alongside the publication of the new BTEC Higher Nationals Guidance.

Yes, for BTEC Higher Nationals. Where possible Pearson encourages the re-ordering of units and/or adaptation in delivery/assessment to suit student needs, in order to complete assessments. More guidance can be found in the COVID-19 Teaching and Assessment Guidance.

Yes. There is helpful and detailed support which can be accessed in the COVID-19 Teaching and Assessment guidance.

In the first instance, you should you contact your External Examiner(s), and they will be able to provide you with support. If you require additional support from Pearson directly, you can contact us via Pearson Support.

Please see page 72, of the Centre Guide to Quality Assurance and Assessment.

Centres should have a policy for dealing with mitigating/extenuating circumstances if students are affected by adverse circumstances, such as illness, which may include adverse impact due to Covid-19.

The student should be informed that they may wish to submit a ‘mitigating/extenuating circumstances’ application to the centre. A decision can then be made (following the centre’s own policy) as to whether any exceptional/mitigating circumstances are accepted. Decisions will be ratified by the centre’s Assessment Board or an Exceptional/Mitigating Circumstances Panel. These decisions should be noted on the Assessment Board minutes.

This answer will be updated alongside the publication of the new BTEC Higher Nationals Guidance.

Yes, where units are undeliverable due to circumstances that prevent teaching, learning and assessment, those units can be derogated until the following year in order to allow students to progress from Level 4 to Level 5. Please be aware that students will still need to complete those units in order to receive their Higher Nationals award.

Given the current circumstances due to COVID-19, in 2020-2021 Pearson will continue to temporarily lift the expectation that an HND student would have achieved at least 90 credits at Level 4 before progressing to Level 5 units. This derogation from the standard progression expectation allows centres to respond to the current situation by being flexible in the order of the delivery and assessment of units in light of the need to accommodate social distancing measures.