Your questions answered

The assessment process in 2021 changed in response to the cancellation of external assessments due to take place in February, March and June of this year. The decision on how students would be assessed was guided by Ofqual and the Department for Education, following a consultation to which Awarding Organisations, schools, colleges, learners, parents and employers were asked to contribute. 
 
The outcome of this consultation was that most BTEC students in the UK will receive grades awarded by their teachers in place of exams this year, due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In line with the process used for A levels and GCSEs this year, teachers were asked to base your grades on work you've done during the whole of your course. This could include coursework and mock exams, as well as essays and in-class tests. You'll only have been assessed on topics you were taught. Your teachers may also have chosen to set you short assessments provided by the exam boards. These will not take place under formal exam conditions. 
 
Exam boards like Pearson BTEC provided teachers with guidance on how to most effectively assess your grades. However, there was no return to the algorithm that was used last summer to moderate teachers’ predicted grades. 
 
Teachers had until 18 June to submit their assessed grades, so any work you did up until that time may be considered as part of your final grade.  Some centres may have continued assessing your work after this date to support your progression to higher education/employment.  Once the grades were submitted to Pearson, they were quality assured by us, as required by the Ofqual guidance.  The process for BTEC quality assurance is well established and our approach was to continue working with your centre or school to support this requirement. 
 
Results are being published earlier than planned, so that students have more time to appeal any grades they are unhappy with. This is particularly intended to help students with university applications.  

This year most BTECs were awarded using a Qualification Teacher Assessed Grade or Q-TAG.  We  asked your school/college/private training provider to submit an overall qualification grade for you, based on your performance and a range of evidence from throughout the BTEC course. No algorithms were used to generate results. Instead, we sampled student work, as we have done in previous years, and the submitted qualification grades were subject to our quality assurance processes/checks to enable us to issue the final results with confidence.  
 
Teachers and tutors reviewed the evidence you have built up from what you have been taught and have had marked over the duration of your course.  They collected this evidence (banked unit assessment AND alternative evidence e.g. coursework, mock exams, as well as essays and in-class tests), and decided if it was broad enough to use it to give a Q-TAG.  If it was, they awarded a Q-TAG which was then endorsed by a senior manager.  If your teacher or tutor felt they didn’t have enough evidence to award a grade they were asked to discuss the available evidence with you to and ask you to produce additional evidence in April and May so that they can confidently award your grade.  Once they awarded their Q-TAG, they checked it against our quality assurance processes and submitted it to Pearson by 18 June. 

The DfE has divided Vocational Qualifications into three groups, which are summed up in this infographic from Ofqual: Vocational and Technical Qualification Awarding | 2021

Group 1 

These are qualifications that are most like GCSEs and A-levels, that are used for progression to higher education. Based on the government guidance, these include many (but not all) BTECs. Results will be given during the week of 9 August in line with GCSE and A-level results. 

Group 2 

These are qualifications that are used to enter directly into employment, such as NVQs.  

From the guidance: 

• “Exams or assessments should continue where they are critical to demonstrate occupational or professional competence and can be delivered in line with PHE measures.  
• “Where the assessment cannot take place safely, it will need to be delayed.  
• “These may be written or practical exams and assessments” 
• Your assessments may take place in a different way than normal, using social distancing or remote assessment.

Group 3 

• These are smaller qualifications that are unlike GCSEs and A-levels in their course structure. 
  This includes: 
• Functional Skills 
• ESOL Skills for Life 

Exams and assessments for these courses will continue so long as they can be carried out in safe conditions or remotely. Teacher assessed grades will only be used if you cannot access an in-person or remote assessment. 

Exam regulator Ofqual ran a public consultation to help it plan how to manage the cancellation of this year’s exams. It says there were more than 100,000 responses, with more than 50% of those from students. 
 
Ofqual’s interim chief regulator Simon Lebus said: “In normal years, we rely on exams to support students’ progression.  This year it is teachers’ judgement that will be used to assess what has been learned and determine student grades. 
 
"Assessment cannot itself serve as an instrument to recover lost learning and compensate for the different experiences students will have had in different parts of the country, and the arrangements being put in place will therefore only take into account what students have been taught, not what they have missed. 
 
"The aim is to make it no harder overall for this year’s students to receive a particular grade than students in other years.” 
 
Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: “Young people have shown incredible resilience over the last year, continuing with their learning amidst unprecedented challenges while the country battles with this pandemic. Those efforts deserve to be fairly rewarded. 
 
“That’s why we are providing the fairest possible system for those pupils, asking those who know them best – their teachers – to determine their grades, with our sole aim to make sure all young people can progress to the next stage of their education or career.” 

Teachers could choose whatever form of assessment they thought was best, but they had to use evidence whatever decision they made regarding your grades. They were permitted to use evidence from across the time you’ve spent on your course.  

In its guidance, the government recommended the following range of evidence that teachers could draw on: 

• Assessments provided by the exam board, including exam questions, past papers, practice or sample papers 
• Coursework, even if this had not been fully completed Substantial class or homework (including work you’d done during remote learning) 
• Any tests you’d taken in class 
• Any mock exams you'd taken 
• Records of your capability and performance during the course in performance-based subjects like music, drama and PE 
• Records of your progress and performance over the course of study  

The Department for Education advised that the January examination series would go ahead, and that your school or college was permitted to run those assessments if they judged it right to do so.  
 
We understand some learners might have felt their performance may have been compromised considering the uncertainty and disruption at that time. Ofqual provided guidance that those learners who sat external assessments in January should be included in the alternative assessment arrangements in 2021.  This meant your teachers could use additional evidence gathered through the breadth of your course, to support the submission of a Qualification-level Teacher Assessment Grade that may better reflect your achievement of the unit. 

No. Centres were asked to use evidence, gathered during the breadth of your course to inform their judgements on a Qualification-level Teacher Assessed Grade for certificating learners.  

This meant that, in line with students taking A level and GCSE grading this year, the emphasis was on teacher judgement.  Here at Pearson BTEC, we have provided guidance to teachers to enable them to do this.

There is a quality assurance system in place to give confidence in the grades being issued this year, including checks in schools and colleges, and by exam boards. Teachers received clear guidance and support with grading and making objective decisions to enable grades to be fair. We also continued our external verification process to sample learner work at our schools and colleges to help ensure consistency. The exam boards also asked all schools and colleges to submit evidence for grades, and a sample was checked to ensure that the process was done correctly, and that reasonable professional academic judgement had been applied. Once the quality assurance process is complete, the exam boards will go through the process of final checks before the grades are released. 

Yes, as the grades awarded this year were determined by teacher’s directly, they were able to take into consideration how much time their learners had spent in school. Teachers based their judgements on a range of evidence of each individual student’s performance in each subject, but only on what they had been taught. The evidence was expected to be consistent across each class or cohort wherever possible, while allowing some flexibility to recognise the unique circumstances of individual students. 

Yes, the strength of Qualification-level Teacher Assessed Grades is that this approach is sensitive to the different experiences that individual students have had on their learning over the course of the past 18 months and puts trust in those best placed to know their students and their individual experiences to arrive at a final grade. 

This year BTECs results days align to that of A Levels and GCSEs and so will be released on the following dates: 

• 10 August 2021 - BTEC Level 3 Nationals 
• 12 August 2021 - BTEC Level 2 Technicals/ BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts/ BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Award 
  

We are very sorry to hear that you have not received an anticipated result.  Please be assured we are working directly with your school or college to ensure that you receive them as soon as possible.  They will be best place to advise you on progress on this.  
 
However, if you have been affected in this way and want to talk to us you can contact our dedicated team of advisers on 0345 618 0440, email us at students@pearson.com, or live chat to one of our advisers through our online Student Help portal. Please have your centre and learner number to hand. Thank you so much for your patience. 
 
If you have an offer of a job/apprenticeship/college/university place which requires you to submit your results by a set date, as well as speaking to your centre and one of our advisors, please also speak to the organisation you have applied to and let them know there will be a short delay in you receiving your result. 

Every year nearly 100,000 students progress to university holding a BTEC qualification, either by itself, or alongside A Levels and/or other qualifications. BTECs have a long history of supporting entry into both HE and employment.  

We have been liaising closely with universities and HE organisations, such as Universities UK (UUK), UCAS and other university representative groups during this period. As part of this work, we have updated all UK universities and many international universities on this year’s assessment arrangements for BTEC qualifications.  

Please be reassured that universities recognise the extenuating circumstances of this year for all Level 3 students and will be taking this into account when making admissions decisions. Earlier this year, UUK released the following University admissions statement:  

“Universities recognise that this year's school leavers have borne the brunt of disruption caused by the pandemic. University admissions teams will pull out all the stops to make sure that this year's applicants get the opportunity to fulfil their potential at university. They will continue to be fair and flexible in their decision making including, as in any year, for those who choose to appeal their results over the summer.” 

You can find out more on the Universities UK website and there’s lots of helpful information on the UCAS Results webpage if you have any additional questions relating to your university application after you’ve received your results. 

Each university is responsible for setting its own entry requirements.  Some of you may hold one or more unit-specific offers from universities (for example, where the offer is dependent on doing one or more specific units and/or achieving specific unit grades). This is common for some STEM/health-related degrees.

We have informed all UK universities that we will not be issuing unit grades this year, and the reasons for this, including the need to have parity with the assessment approach for A Levels. The vast majority of universities have already notified us that they will be updating unit-specific offers to reflect this, and we have been pleased to see the flexibility they are demonstrating towards admissions this year.

If you hold a unit-specific offer, you may wish to contact the university (if you have not already heard from them) to confirm they will be updating the offer to reflect the new BTEC assessment arrangements. 

It is possible to apply during Clearing up to 19 October 2021. UCAS has a lot of resources to support you when making your applications, and we have also included a link to our guidance and video for BTEC students here: 

• Making a UCAS application
• Guidance video for BTEC Students on completing their UCAS Apply form

The thought of starting university this year may feel a bit daunting, given the disruption of the past year. Please be reassured that universities recognise this and are looking at the support in place to aid the transition of new students. There are also free online short courses, focused on research/study skills and preparing for university at FutureLearn. 

We will directly share your results with UCAS and Track will be updated to show you your options from 0830 on 10 August, so you should know the outcomes of offers on results day. The UCAS website is a great place to find more information on this.  

If for any reason your results are delayed, please contact your chosen university to explain the situation.  We will be working directly with your school or college to ensure that you receive your results as soon as possible.  However, if you have been affected in this way, please contact our dedicated team of advisers on 0345 618 0440, email us at students@pearson.com, or live chat to one of our advisers through our online Student Help portal so that we can resolve this for you as quickly as possible. Please have your centre and learner number to hand.  

If you didn’t meet your preferred university offer and decide to appeal your grades, please let your chosen university know and check what their policy is on holding places while an appeal is underway, as this may vary between institutions.  Your chosen university will be best placed to advise you on whether and how long they can hold your place open. 

We recommend that you contact your preferred university in the first instance, even if you have not met their offer, as they may still decide to accept you.  

Universities appreciate that the impact of Covid-19 has made life difficult for applicants and they will take this into account as they award places. Universities will continue to be flexible in their admissions policies, given the level of disruption to schooling over the last 18 months.

Just as in other years it will be possible to apply for another course/university through Clearing up to 19 October via the UCAS Clearing website. This website contains invaluable information on the Clearing process.

Your school or college are also there to support you, and will also be able to advise on your options and next steps. 

We recommend that you contact your preferred college/employer in the first instance, even if you have not met their offer, as they may still decide to accept you, especially if you have narrowly missed the original offer.  

Your school or college are there to support you, and will also be able to advise on your options and next steps. 

 Your first step on receiving your results is to discuss them with your teacher or tutor. If you are worried or concerned, your school or college are there to support you, and will be best placed to advise on your options and next steps.  
 
This might include explaining the evidence used to reach the judgement, explaining options for re-sits (if you are ‘topping up’ to a larger sized BTEC next year) and finally the possibility of requesting a centre review.  
 
Before requesting a centre review, you should discuss this with your teacher or tutor. As part of the process, BTEC learners must confirm their understanding that grades are not protected, meaning a grade could go down, stay the same, or increase. Should you choose to appeal, we have outlined the Appeals process in our Appeals guidance for BTEC students which explains how each stage will happen. 

In the event, you think there is an error with the final grade(s) issued, you will have the opportunity to appeal the result with us, via your school/college/private training provider. Before requesting a centre review, you should discuss this with your teacher or tutor. As part of the process, BTEC learners must confirm their understanding that grades are not protected, meaning a grade could go down, stay the same, or increase. 
 
All the information relating to the appeals process, including timescales and deadlines can be found in the JCQ (an organisation made up of Awarding organisations which Pearson is part of) Guidance for students, parents and guardians: GCSEs and AS/A Levels in England Summer 2021.  

There are some areas where the BTEC appeals process will differ from the arrangements detailed in the JCQ document. To make things as easy to understand as possible, we’ve put together Appeals guidance for BTEC students which details the BTEC appeals process, the timelines for the process, and also how to contact us should you have any questions. 
 
Please note that Ofqual’s Exam Procedures Review Service is only available for General Qualifications (i.e. GCSEs and A Levels).  This means that BTEC learners will need to follow the appeals procedure as outlined in our guidance document.  If you believe Pearson has not followed its appeal process correctly once you have the outcome of the second stage of your appeal, you may issue a complaint with Ofqual, the qualifications regulator. 

We are sorry to hear that you have been frustrated by the response from your centre about submitting an appeal. Please contact us through our online Student Help portal, letting us know your candidate number and centre number and we will contact your centre on your behalf.  

We’re sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the outcome of your stage 1 appeal centre review and appreciate this may be stressful for you.  In this situation you can ask your school or college to appeal to the exam board (Pearson) as a stage 2 appeal.  

Pearson will then review the decisions made by the centre during their review and ensure that no administrative errors have occurred. For further information relating to the appeals process, including timescales and deadlines can be found in the JCQ (an organisation made up of Awarding organisations which Pearson is part of) Guidance for students, parents and guardians: GCSEs and AS/A Levels in England Summer 2021.
 
There are some areas where the BTEC appeals process will differ from the arrangements detailed in the JCQ document. To make things as easy to understand as possible, we’ve put together Appeals guidance for BTEC students which details the BTEC appeals process, the timelines for the process, and also how to contact us should you have any questions. 

We’re sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the outcome of your stage 2 appeal. If you believe Pearson has not followed its appeal process correctly, you may issue a complaint with Ofqual, the qualifications regulator. 

Please note that Ofqual’s Exam Procedures Review Service is only available for General Qualifications (i.e. GCSEs and A Levels). 

If you are applying for an apprenticeship or have missed the conditions of your “firm” offer to a university via UCAS, we will do our best to share the outcome of your appeal by 8 September through our priority appeal process.  A priority appeal is for learners applying to higher education who did not attain their firm choice (i.e. the offer they accepted as their first choice) and wish to appeal a Level 3 qualification result, or where a student has an apprenticeship place pending the outcome of an appeal for a level 3 qualification.  

We will process all other appeals as quickly as possible and aim to complete all appeals within 42 calendar days of the receipt of the application. (Due to the nature of appeals this year, we may require additional input from your school/college, and it may not always be possible to meet this target.)  

We have a priority appeals process in place for learners applying for courses via UCAS.  If your school/college let us know that your appeal is a priority case (as you have missed the conditions of your “firm” offer) and submit the details to us by 23 August, we will aim to process it and get an appeal outcome by 8 September, the UCAS advisory deadline.  

We’re really sorry that your appeal outcome hasn’t been received and appreciate this can be a stressful situation to be in.  If your school or college has let us know that UCAS are waiting on your appeal result we will do our best to process your appeal by 8 September.  

If the outcome still hasn’t been received by 8 September, please ask your school or college to get in touch with our team as soon as possible, with your appeal reference number, and our team will urgently look into this for you. 

It is totally understandable If you are feeling concerned about your exam results. Ofqual have published a blog where you can read about students' concerns around receiving results without exams and the strategies that might help you if you have some of the same concerns here: Managing worries around results. 

When you are struggling with issues of stress, anxiety or depression it is essential that you talk about your concerns. If you can, you should talk to your parents, guardians, carers or a trusted adult. If you don't know any adults you feel you can talk to, these organisations may be able to help:  

• Childline  – call 0800 1111  
• Mind – call 0300 123 3393 
• Samaritans – call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org  
• Or call NHS 111 or your GP – they can assist in providing the mental health support you may need  
  

Although your school, college or centre will be best placed to advise you on how the new assessment arrangements have worked in your specific case, you are welcome to contact us with any questions you may have: 

• Via telephone on 0345 618 0440 from 8:30am- 6:00pm on results day 
• Email students@pearson.com between 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday 
• Live chat through our online portal. 

Don’t forget you can keep informed by following @BTECStudents, visiting this student FAQ page or our dedicated student webpage.  All these channels are updated regularly with the latest information. Our social media is monitored from 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday.