I've done a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.. I can see both sides of the story tbh.
Yes, I get where you're coming from, I'd be under so much more stress if my reward for 2 years of college work were determined by an exam I'd do in one day. Whoever can do that and get a good grade deserves a pat on the back. Plus you're more likely to revise something time and time again so it sticks in your head instead of writing something once in your coursework which you'll probably never read again.
But then, someone could revise for 2 years and not understand the questions or have something going on in their personal lives at the time.. if they fail, does that mean they're dumb and shouldn't be employed in their industry? I don't think so.
And yes, I agree with what people have said about BTEC being easy. Yes, when I was at college we were allowed to amend what we didn't get right the first time and still got the grade. Hey, you could even ask the teacher if what you were writing was good enough.
But we also had to do roleplays and practical assessments, and you only got one shot at that I think. Definitely if you were going for higher grades, if you wanted a Distinction overall and you got a Pass in a roleplay, you got a Pass overall. That imo is the best thing about BTEC, if you want to get higher grades than the rest of your class, the chance is there, much better option that revising all year round for a not-guaranteed-chance of getting an A*. With BTEC you literally get back what effort you put in. The same can't be said for GCSE.
Plus it was a fail-safe way to make sure the entire class is writing down exactly what they need to know. With GCSE you can only teach the class the ins and outs of their subject and from then on you're just trusting they'll revise and hoping the exam questions, which you don't know, will be understandable and cover what you've taught them.
And it was pretty stressful doing the assignments. You don't have a deadline of next week to revise everything you need to know if you do GCSE. You didn't have to write a few thousand words when revising either, you could just read some books and take notes or highlight things, whichever method of revising suited you. If you're doing BTEC and you aren't good at writing or grammar.. tough.
I sound quite biased towards BTEC but I think honestly, I can see why people are negative towards BTEC... But they're just as good as GCSE, just in a completely different way.