why do A-Level Students Look Down on BTEC's?

To be fair, with the way that grades have been inflated in our A-levels and content has been somewhat 'dumbed down' over the years with a socialist agenda of unsuitably getting 1/3 into university, I'm not sure for quite how much longer they'll be the most valuable NQF Level 3 qualification.

I think that BTECs are looked down on in terms of academia and rigour quite rightly - as they are not academic or rigorous qualifications by any stretch of the imagination.

Compare academic A-level topics such as:
Matrix algebra
Oxidative phosphorylation
Friedel-Crafts acylation
Moments of inertia
Maclaurin series
Fatty acid metabolism.

To BTEC topics such as:

Drawing a nice picture
Fixing a bike
Spreading make-up on an unfortunate subject's face
Cutting an unfortunate subject's hair
Fixing a car

There is a stark difference. However, BTEC qualifications for the less-academically minded are in demand by employers and as long as this means that future BTEC students are ending up with a high employment rate and generating tax revenue to support the economy, then this is surely a good thing. It is a lot better for these students to end up in a job than to end up completing some pointless Arts degree with a 0.0001% employment rate.

Although BTEC students may not be academic, the skills that they learn are likely to support the economy, particularly the technological BTECs. This is more than can be said for people completing degrees in 'Theology', 'African Studies' and, frankly, anything with 'Studies' on the end of it.

Let people suited for university go to university and vice versa.

At my 6th form to do law A Level you needed to get at least 5 GCSEs at C or above, including English and maths.

If you do not get these grades and want to study law you have to take BTEC applied law whilst retaking the English and/or maths GCSE that you failed.

My friend failed his English GCSE and went to 6th form to retake it. Alongside this he wanted to study A Levels including politics I remember. He was only allowed to do level 3 BTECs and A Levels that ended in 'studies' (yes, really!) He ended up doing BTEC media, A Level environmental studies and A Level media studies while he retook his English GCSE.

So my 6th form blatantly makes a statement that BTECs and studies are for the 'thicker' students.

To be fair, with the way that grades have been inflated in our A-levels and content has been somewhat 'dumbed down' over the years with a socialist agenda of unsuitably getting 1/3 into university, I'm not sure for quite how much longer they'll be the most valuable NQF Level 3 qualification.

I think that BTECs are looked down on in terms of academia and rigour quite rightly - as they are not academic or rigorous qualifications by any stretch of the imagination.

Compare academic A-level topics such as:
Matrix algebra
Oxidative phosphorylation
Friedel-Crafts acylation
Moments of inertia
Maclaurin series
Fatty acid metabolism.

To BTEC topics such as:

Drawing a nice picture
Fixing a bike
Spreading make-up on an unfortunate subject's face
Cutting an unfortunate subject's hair
Fixing a car

There is a stark difference. However, BTEC qualifications for the less-academically minded are in demand by employers and as long as this means that future BTEC students are ending up with a high employment rate and generating tax revenue to support the economy, then this is surely a good thing. It is a lot better for these students to end up in a job than to end up completing some pointless Arts degree with a 0.0001% employment rate.

Although BTEC students may not be academic, the skills that they learn are likely to support the economy, particularly the technological BTECs. This is more than can be said for people completing degrees in 'Theology', 'African Studies' and, frankly, anything with 'Studies' on the end of it.

Let people suited for university go to university and vice versa.

Matrix Algebra is covered in a criteria within unit 26: Maths for IT practitioners in the IT/Computing BTEC

Only the very basics. Plus, there are max 2 actual maths assignments - the rest are dubious at best.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Are they meant to be tough? Considering you have an entire term.

That said in your examples of a BTEC you've mentioned the worst possible examples. Just showing your lack of insight into how dynamic the framework is; it varies from institution-to-institution. We covered subjects such as Manchester code, NRZ, CDMA, FDMA, GSM, ALU, and other topics similar. Some other courses do cover the objectives mentioned in your A-level example such as matrices and statistics are covered in IT. The more practical places get you configuring servers.

Some unfairly get into university, that is inevitable. But they get filtered out and left to die very quickly, often the ones you see struggling to get anything above a 2:2.

It's *literally* only people on TSR I have come across who are snobby about A Levels. I can guarantee that in real life they wouldn't say **** to a BTEC student about the fact they're doing BTEC. All those A Level students that look down on BTEC students are rude, ignorant, and probably keyboard warriors. Respect other people's choices, you don't have to understand it, just respect it and be nice. Quite frankly, being mean to someone because they did something different to what you did is BULLYING!

I respect that there are some BTECs that aren't academic but so what if they aren't? It's not a bad thing, just an alternative thing. We aren't all meant to get firsts from an Oxbridge university :')

Furthermore, not everyone who is doing a BTEC is stupid or had no other choice. I'm on my first year on BTEC Applied Science and I did well in my science GCSEs. I had an A* in chemistry, B in biology, and a C in physics. Sure I didn't get A*s in all of them, but I wouldn't say that they're awful results. I chose BTEC because it's better for ME. It allows me to do what I love and get onto a course at university. Fairly decent universities too! Bath, Lancaster, Reading, Oxford, UCL, to name a few, all accept BTEC. Maybe not to all of their courses, but some of their courses do accept BTEC.

I just wanted to state my opinion about this issue, and to those A Level students who are stuck up as hell about doing A Levels just calm yourself. You aren't going to die just because someone chose to do something different to you

It's *literally* only people on TSR I have come across who are snobby about A Levels. I can guarantee that in real life they wouldn't say **** to a BTEC student about the fact they're doing BTEC. All those A Level students that look down on BTEC students are rude, ignorant, and probably keyboard warriors. Respect other people's choices, you don't have to understand it, just respect it and be nice. Quite frankly, being mean to someone because they did something different to what you did is BULLYING!

I respect that there are some BTECs that aren't academic but so what if they aren't? It's not a bad thing, just an alternative thing. We aren't all meant to get firsts from an Oxbridge university :')

Furthermore, not everyone who is doing a BTEC is stupid or had no other choice. I'm on my first year on BTEC Applied Science and I did well in my science GCSEs. I had an A* in chemistry, B in biology, and a C in physics. Sure I didn't get A*s in all of them, but I wouldn't say that they're awful results. I chose BTEC because it's better for ME. It allows me to do what I love and get onto a course at university. Fairly decent universities too! Bath, Lancaster, Reading, Oxford, UCL, to name a few, all accept BTEC. Maybe not to all of their courses, but some of their courses do accept BTEC.

I just wanted to state my opinion about this issue, and to those A Level students who are stuck up as hell about doing A Levels just calm yourself. You aren't going to die just because someone chose to do something different to you

Only the very basics. Plus, there are max 2 actual maths assignments - the rest are dubious at best.

Posted from TSR Mobile

In what way do we have an entire term to do those topics? Some in that list take an hour's lesson whereas others take a week or two. I was just providing an example.

Matrix algebra is meant to be difficult for A-level? The only thing remotely annoying is eigenvectors and that's only due to how long winded they are.

Not really.. I was saying that the stuff covered in the BTEC course is pretty watered down in terms of depth.

I don't look down on BTECs anyway.

Yeah, they are bloody pain.

Posted from TSR Mobile

If BTECs are so good, you tell me this..

In USA, you goto college if you get Bs and above.
In UK, you do A-Levels if you get Bs and above.

In USA, you don't goto career if you don't get Bs.
In UK, you do BTEC then career at the age of 18-21.

When I applied for BTEC they said I can do retakes with it.
When I applied for A-Level they said I can't because it isn't at a B and only had 2 GCSEs (becuase I just switched from BTEC pathway to GCSE/A-Level)

Also, if BTEC are soooooo good, then why does all colleges do BTEC but very few A-Levels and no GCSEs apart from English/Maths in foundation.

If BTECs are so good, you tell me this..

In USA, you goto college if you get Bs and above.
In UK, you do A-Levels if you get Bs and above.

In USA, you don't goto career if you don't get Bs.
In UK, you do BTEC then career at the age of 18-21.

When I applied for BTEC they said I can do retakes with it.
When I applied for A-Level they said I can't because it isn't at a B and only had 2 GCSEs (becuase I just switched from BTEC pathway to GCSE/A-Level)

Also, if BTEC are soooooo good, then why does all colleges do BTEC but very few A-Levels and no GCSEs apart from English/Maths in foundation.

You retake your high school subjects through Apex. Don't be so ignorant.
In UK doing A-levels you do the same. You do A-levels until 18.. Then you go to university and put yourself in debt. Apprenticeships offer employment as young as 17.. For those able enough can be on graduate salary. Your second point for entering a career just enforced the point as to why you should do a BTEC.

You do retakes on a BTEC at mediocre institutions that care far too much about pass ratings than student preparations. If a student doesn't get it first attempt they shouldn't be able to resit.
With A-level you can take resits on a gap year.

Seems like your results weren't good enough for A-level. Blame yourself.

They offer a more practical approach to learning which is why a majority of people enjoy doing a BTEC. The amount of courses offered as a BTEC at a college highly depends on the students applying.