These are the FAQs sent to the QN each month, however some of these will be relevant to you.
November 2022
BTEC Tech Awards from 2022
If you are delivering new BTEC Tech Awards (First Teach from September 2022), here are some key updates to make sure you’ve got everything to hand.
Have you made your registrations?
If you haven’t yet registered your learners, please read this important guidance, which will ensure they are registered on the correct Tech Award for their year of completion.
So that you can finalise your registrations and ensure learners are on the correct programme, we are delaying the late registration deadline for this academic year to Friday 18 November for legacy Tech Awards, First Awards, and new Tech Awards (2022) only.
After 18 November standard late registration fees will apply. You can find out more in our vocational fees guide.
Accessing your Standardisation Materials
We have published the initial set of Exemplar Standardisation Materials (ESMs) for teachers to refer to for internal standardisation prior to marking learner responses to Pearson-Set Assignments (PSAs). You can access these using an Edexcel Online password in the Course Materials section of your subject’s qualification page, under ‘Teaching and Learning Materials’. Further ESMs will be added in early 2023 following the first moderation series.
Attend our training events
Live 'Getting Started' and 'Marking and Moderation' online training sessions are running throughout November. They are free to attend and are filling up fast, so be sure to book your space quickly! If you can’t attend one of our Getting Started sessions, you can access the recordings from our YouTube BTEC Tech Award playlist, and we will be releasing recordings of the Marking and Moderation training in the coming weeks.
Further support
You can access further information about BTEC Tech Awards from 2022 on our website, including updates on registrations, assessment entries, key dates, updated specifications and sample assessments, quality assurance processes, requesting modified papers, grade calculators and becoming a moderator.
If you need help or have any questions, we are always happy to support. You can get in touch by using the Pearson Support Portal.
Confirmation of assessment arrangements for 2022/2023 - Reminder
In relation to adaptations, Ofqual confirmed previously that:
“For other qualifications, including vocational and technical qualifications taught alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels, a range of adaptations were permitted in academic year 2021 to 2022. […] Given that public health restrictions are no longer in place, these adaptations are no longer necessary for the academic year 2022 to 2023 onwards.”
This means our main adaptation of streamlined assessment will not be available in 2022/23, so you should plan to teach and assess the BTEC qualifications as normal. The streamlined ‘flag’ will be removed shortly from Edexcel Online, so please do not use it in the meantime.
Ofqual have also released guidance on grading assessments in this academic year. You can read more about the Ofqual guidance on their website.
Special Consideration
In relation to the use of special consideration, learners must attempt all assessments that are required and when assessments are missed, they should be deferred to the next available opportunity. Where the assessment is the final opportunity and it has been unavoidably missed, for example due to illness, the special consideration process can be used.
Therefore, from the January series we will be advising centres candidates must resit, and only apply for special consideration in summer if they are unable to re-sit then. Unless there are difficulties arising, for example group performances which cannot be repeated, or candidates who are certificating, special consideration will not be awarded.
BTEC Support Documentation
Access your Administrative Support Guides
All Administrative Support Guides (ASGs) for 2022/23 for task based BTEC papers are now available on our website, including our BTEC Tech Awards (2022). You can access these via our qualification pages.
Our Administrative Support Guides are designed to support you in delivering task-based assessments. They contain important information about:
External Assessment overview document now available
The External Assessment overview document for 2023 is now available on our Timetables webpage.
Final timetables for January 2023 and June 2023
We have now released the final timetable for summer 2023, which you can view alongside the January 2023 timetable on our Timetables webpage.
BTEC Tech Awards from 2022
If you are delivering new BTEC Tech Awards (First Teach from September 2022), here are some key updates to make sure you’ve got everything to hand.
Have you made your registrations?
If you haven’t yet registered your learners, please read this important guidance, which will ensure they are registered on the correct Tech Award for their year of completion.
So that you can finalise your registrations and ensure learners are on the correct programme, we are delaying the late registration deadline for this academic year to Friday 18 November for legacy Tech Awards, First Awards, and new Tech Awards (2022) only.
After 18 November standard late registration fees will apply. You can find out more in our vocational fees guide.
Accessing your Standardisation Materials
We have published the initial set of Exemplar Standardisation Materials (ESMs) for teachers to refer to for internal standardisation prior to marking learner responses to Pearson-Set Assignments (PSAs). You can access these using an Edexcel Online password in the Course Materials section of your subject’s qualification page, under ‘Teaching and Learning Materials’. Further ESMs will be added in early 2023 following the first moderation series.
Attend our training events
Live 'Getting Started' and 'Marking and Moderation' online training sessions are running throughout November. They are free to attend and are filling up fast, so be sure to book your space quickly! If you can’t attend one of our Getting Started sessions, you can access the recordings from our YouTube BTEC Tech Award playlist, and we will be releasing recordings of the Marking and Moderation training in the coming weeks.
Further support
You can access further information about BTEC Tech Awards from 2022 on our website, including updates on registrations, assessment entries, key dates, updated specifications and sample assessments, quality assurance processes, requesting modified papers, grade calculators and becoming a moderator.
If you need help or have any questions, we are always happy to support. You can get in touch by using the Pearson Support Portal.
Confirmation of assessment arrangements for 2022/2023 - Reminder
In relation to adaptations, Ofqual confirmed previously that:
“For other qualifications, including vocational and technical qualifications taught alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels, a range of adaptations were permitted in academic year 2021 to 2022. […] Given that public health restrictions are no longer in place, these adaptations are no longer necessary for the academic year 2022 to 2023 onwards.”
This means our main adaptation of streamlined assessment will not be available in 2022/23, so you should plan to teach and assess the BTEC qualifications as normal. The streamlined ‘flag’ will be removed shortly from Edexcel Online, so please do not use it in the meantime.
Ofqual have also released guidance on grading assessments in this academic year. You can read more about the Ofqual guidance on their website.
Special Consideration
In relation to the use of special consideration, learners must attempt all assessments that are required and when assessments are missed, they should be deferred to the next available opportunity. Where the assessment is the final opportunity and it has been unavoidably missed, for example due to illness, the special consideration process can be used.
Therefore, from the January series we will be advising centres candidates must resit, and only apply for special consideration in summer if they are unable to re-sit then. Unless there are difficulties arising, for example group performances which cannot be repeated, or candidates who are certificating, special consideration will not be awarded.
BTEC Support Documentation
Access your Administrative Support Guides
All Administrative Support Guides (ASGs) for 2022/23 for task based BTEC papers are now available on our website, including our BTEC Tech Awards (2022). You can access these via our qualification pages.
Our Administrative Support Guides are designed to support you in delivering task-based assessments. They contain important information about:
- level of supervision and control for each assessment
- dispatch method (web download or secure dispatch)
- what is required before, during and after the assessment – this includes information on any preparatory work (Part A), information on the supervised assessment (Part B) and submission of work
- attendance registers and learner authentic forms
- important links to support pages, key dates and deadlines, post results services and Special requirements.
External Assessment overview document now available
The External Assessment overview document for 2023 is now available on our Timetables webpage.
Final timetables for January 2023 and June 2023
We have now released the final timetable for summer 2023, which you can view alongside the January 2023 timetable on our Timetables webpage.