VQ Bulletin - February 2023 edition

February 13, 2023, 11:31 , 11:31

Welcome to the latest issue of the VQ Bulletin.

This month we’ve launched our new Teaching, Learning and Assessment 2022/23 web page. Bookmark this page to stay up-to-date for the latest information on assessment in 2023. This includes information on the enhanced support we’re offering this year and links to our training for Exams Officers, Teachers and Quality Nominees.

Visit our Teaching, Learning and Assessment 2022/23 webpage

Ofqual released a survey in February that is seeking views on new ways to ensure students receive their vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) results on time in summer 2023. This is an opportunity for school and college leaders, Teachers and Exams Officers working in schools, colleges and other centres, to let Ofqual know how best to implement arrangements that ensure students get their results when they need them.

Complete the survey

Thank you for your support and collaboration over the last few months as we’ve been working to confirm the list of BTEC learners in your centre that are expecting a qualification result in 2023. You can read on to find out more about this, and how we’ll be supporting you this year.

Jo Fowler

Assessment Director

Vocational Qualifications

Dates for your diary

6 February 2023 - Release of Pearson-Set Assignments for internally assessed components for May/June series - Tech Awards (2022)

10 February 2023 - Deadline for completing Head of Centre Declaration for 2023 completing learners

21 February 2023 - Entry deadline for May/June series internally assessed components - Tech Awards (2022)

23 March 2023 - Release of results to learners for December/January series - Tech Awards (2022)

Head of Centre declaration for your BTEC 2023 completing learners

We’ve been working with Exams Officers and Heads of Centres this year, to ensure that we have a shared understanding of all learners that will be expecting a qualification result in 2023. We’ve recently been in touch to share the list of learners that you’ve told us should be completing in 2023, and we’ve asked your Head of Centre to complete a declaration to confirm this. Thank you to everyone who has been working with us so far to complete their declaration.

If you need any support in completing this activity, or are unsure if this has been completed for your centre, you can contact us through the Support Portal.

This work is vital in enabling us to offer you more support this year. You should expect check-ins throughout the year, where we will provide you with learner-level data so that you can see how your learners are on-track to receive a qualification result. For learners certificating in summer 2023, we will provide this data in April.

You can find our new key dates timeline on our website, and also access our new Teaching, Learning and Assessment for 2022/23 page, to find out more about how we’re supporting you this year.

BTEC external assessments (Feb series)

As we are in the February examination series for BTEC external assessment, we’d like to remind you that there are no adaptations permitted to any assessment this year. This means you should teach and assess BTEC qualifications as normal, which includes learners sitting external assessments, and fully assessing all internally assessed units.

We are aware that industrial action across the UK could impact the running of external assessments. Please continue to monitor any disruption and we ask that Exams Officers check you have contingency plans which focus on ensuring that learners can sit their assessments. Any on-demand assessment should be rescheduled.

You can find additional information on contingency planning on the JCQ website.

Support for delivering assessments

Exams Officers can access our on-demand e-learning if you need a refresher in delivering external assessments. Modules are 20-30 minutes long and are fully interactive. You can find modules relating to question paper security, modified papers and external assessments.

Explore Exams Officer on-demand e-Learning

BTEC Tech Awards (2022)

December/January series

Moderation activities are now complete for learners entered for the December/January series, and you will have had direct feedback and the opportunity to adjust your original marks if necessary.

As moderation is such a new process for BTECs, we provide direct feedback and the opportunity to amend marks as a service to ease the transition from standards verification and support centres in adopting new marking processes and standards.

We are currently reviewing feedback from centres on the first moderation series to help improve and streamline processes and services going forward.

Results for the series will be issued to centres on 22 March, and can be released to learners on the 23 March. On results day, you will also be able to download Principal Moderator reports for each moderated component, detailing outcomes of the series and giving helpful feedback to aide centres in future series.

If you are unhappy with results, you can request a Review of Moderation (Service 3) (RoM) from results day until 20 April. Centres must await the issue of results day before any RoM requests can be requested.

Find out more about Review of Moderation (Service 3)

May/June series internal assessments

You can now make entries for the May/June 2023 moderation series using the basedata for EDI entries, or directly through Edexcel Online. Entry deadlines can be found in the Key Dates Schedule.

The Pearson Set Assignments (PSAs) for the May/June series are now available for download from the subject qualification pages. New PSAs are released for use in each new series, so please ensure that learners are using the PSAs for the May/June 2023 series.

Learners who have sat internal assessments in the December/January 2023 series and wish to retake them can be entered for May/June assessments after results have been issued on March 23, and no late fees will be charged. The entry deadline for learners retaking assessments is 1 April.

Further guidance on making entries and other key processes for new Tech Awards can be found in our Tech Awards Support Index.

Updates from your Quality Assurance team

Standards Verification

As the spring term gets underway, so does the Standards Verification activity for internally assessed units on BTEC Level 2 and 3 programmes. Standards Verifiers will be in touch with the Quality Nominee in the first instance to introduce themselves, the process, timescales and deadlines. Please forward these communications to the programme level Lead Internal Verifiers who should assume responsibility for liaising with the Standards Verifier and ensuring the process is underway in a timely fashion.

Networking Events

We are back out on the road this summer with the welcome return of face-to-face networking events. Dates, times and venues will be published shortly on the QN Hub Events page, along with booking information. Please do try to join us as we will be using these events to support you in getting ready for the results period in the summer as well as outlining the quality assurance cycle for 2023/24.

Visit the Quality Nominee Hub Event page

Functional Skills

Question paper security is fundamental to the smooth running of exams in your centre and to the qualification system. As we are approaching our peak period of activity for our Functional Skills paper based on-demand tests, we want to remind you of the secure storage requirements.

The security of live Functional Skills question papers must be maintained at all times before and after the assessments have taken place, with live test papers being stored securely at all times. Please ensure your centre has robust measures in place to maintain question paper security and that all staff involved in the delivery of Functional Skills exams are aware of what is required of them.

Detailed information regarding question paper security and how Functional Skills exams should be delivered can be found in the following:

Instructions for the Conduct of Controlled Assessment 2022-23 - Entry Level

Instructions for Conducting Exams – Functional Skills English and Mathematics Levels 1 and 2

Functional Skills ICT on demand User Guide

We know that centres want to provide learners with past papers and example questions to aid teaching and learning. To support this, we provide copies of Functional Skills question papers which are no longer live. These are always marked as ‘Practice paper’ or ‘Past paper’ on the front cover. You must take care to ensure that such question papers are not confused with live papers.

Higher Nationals

Annual Quality Declaration (AQD) – HN Declaration (APMR) Reminder

If you have not already completed the HN section of the AQD, please ensure you have done so by 24 February 2023. The HN section is your Annual Programme Monitoring Report (AMPR) and only one submission is required per centre including any provision delivered by a collaborative partner on your centre’s behalf for all Higher Nationals delivered. For further information, or to answer any questions you may have, please contact us at hnqa@pearson.com.

New Higher Nationals in Construction

Our suite of BTEC Higher Nationals in Construction is changing for 2023. Please read our guidance document for further details.

The 2023 BTEC Higher Nationals in Construction suite of qualifications is slightly different in approach from the traditional RQF qualification model, which employs multiple pathways within the same specification. For the new Construction-related Higher Nationals, each title is a distinct qualification/specification, which links more directly to sector career pathways.

The specifications are now live and a notification regarding Re-Approval was sent earlier this week.

To register new students beyond 31 August 2023, you will need to apply for programme approval by completing the declaration form and sending it to us at hnqa@pearson.com. For many centres, we can carry out an auto-approval. However, some may require a desk-based review, as outlined in our guidance information.

The current approvals window closes on 21 April 2023. Please ensure that you leave sufficient time to process your application to register new students from September 2023.

T Levels

End-Point Assessment

Reasonable adjustments

If apprentices require a reasonable adjustment, please ensure that this is recorded in the apprentice record in ACE360 and the request form is completed.

ACE gateway data

To ensure we can forecast End-Point Assessments for when you and your apprentice require this, please ensure that the expected gateway date is accurate within ACE360. If apprentices have withdrawn from programme, please ensure that they are archived within the system.

Find out more about updating a record by visiting ACE360 Knowledgebase.

Test voids and resits

To avoid multiple-choice tests being voided, please double check that learners have reached ‘EPA Approved’ status before booking tests on Edexcel Online, and that resits have been requested on ACE360 prior to booking a learner’s second test attempt.

Further information on test delivery can be found on the Support Portal or accessing the test instructions within ACE360 Knowledge Base (under general documents).

Work-Based Learning

Annual Quality Declaration (AQD)

You need to complete and submit the AQD for your centre as soon as possible, if not already completed. Please work with your Lead Standards Verifiers, who are there to support you, to complete the WBL Section (Centre Self-Assessment). For further guidance to complete the WBL section, please see the AQD Guidance Document.

Lead Standards Verifier (LSV) (remote) visits

LSV remote visits should now be complete for most centres. If yours is still outstanding, please work with your LSV to book in a date to arrange a remote visit as soon as possible.

Work-based Learning Handbooks

You can access all WBL Quality Assurance Handbooks on our website. If you have any questions regarding quality assurance, please don’t hesitate to contact the team via the Pearson Support Portal.

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