BTEC vs A levels

Most people do A-levels but my brother does BTEC and he tells me it’s a lot more practical to do BTEC. Still, I know that they are different but I don’t entirely know what BTEC is and what qualifications you need. Can someone help? My aspirations in life is probably to be a teacher or an office worker (ik they are boring) so could someone tell me what the best route is to go?

Reply 1

EBluebear

12

How old are you now?
Any ideas what you might want to teach?

Reply 2

Kanarii

12

As someone who has been studying through technical courses for almost 5 years (I started college in 2018, after homeschooling until I was old enough), even if I had the choice of taking A-Levels, I probably would've gone with BTEC anyways due to the course options. In my personal opinion, A-Levels are more centred around academics and theory, you won't spend as much time getting practical experience unlike BTEC does.

At my college, we are also replacing BTEC for T-Levels, which enhances the practical experience further, as it's focused on getting students to work ready whilst studying for their qualifications.

Depending on the qualifications you are looking at, the entry requirements vary. I could get onto my Level 3 BTEC course by completing a previous Level 2 BTEC, and passing my GCSE English and Maths, as I did not acquire these before college. I started on Entry Level 2 doing a rotation of different subjects and now pursue Level 3 BTEC ICT, which will allow me to get into university just as much as doing A-Levels would.

Look at what is required to be a teacher and the qualifications needed, I guarantee you a degree will be included and if you're looking into universities, look at what their entry requirements are. You can go from a complete different BTEC/A-Level to studying degrees in university that were not relevant to your college/sixth form course.

I know this is a bit of TLDR, but you should do some further digging and ask around, if you have any career advisors it's best to ask them too. They will know a lot more about the entry requirements and where to find the relevant information you need. UCAS is an excellent starter for looking at university qualifications and entry requirements, they also provide some colleges and sixth forms there, as well as a lot of advice for students of any age. You can begin there :smile:

Reply 3

sophie hart

18

A-levels pros:
- ability to study different topics giving you the choice of a career to purse
-suited towards people who do well under pressure and in exams
- some specific uni courses require a-levels
A-levels cons:
- the amount of work can be overwhelming
-you could lose interest in on or more subjects
-most likely to be assessed through exams
Btec pros:
- detailed coursework focusing on one subject in depth
- Graded through coursework and portifolio and presentation
- Focuses on employability and practical skills
Btec cons:
-if you lose interest in the course you will have to start all over again with something else
- you can only apply to uni courses in the relevant field
-you will have a constant flow of assigments and coursework

Reply 4

Syed998

12

Original post by sophie hart

A-levels pros:
- ability to study different topics giving you the choice of a career to purse
-suited towards people who do well under pressure and in exams
- some specific uni courses require a-levels
A-levels cons:
- the amount of work can be overwhelming
-you could lose interest in on or more subjects
-most likely to be assessed through exams
Btec pros:
- detailed coursework focusing on one subject in depth
- Graded through coursework and portifolio and presentation
- Focuses on employability and practical skills
Btec cons:
-if you lose interest in the course you will have to start all over again with something else
- you can only apply to uni courses in the relevant field
-you will have a constant flow of assigments and coursework

2nd point for BTEC isn’t true. I’ve talked to a lot of unis and they said I could do a teaching degree with my travel diploma

BTEC vs A levels

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