BTEC equivalent to gcse

Hey my cousin is in year 9 and has 2 choose his gcse options.

He thinks he wants to do some sort of I.T degree at uni, and he has the following options for subjects aside from the compulsory science maths and english:

1) Geography and History
2) BTEC in IT, Business, Media, Health and social care

He was just wondering if it would hinder or help him if he chose the BTEC in ICT?

Reply 1

dh00001

it will make little difference, if anything its more likely to help

Reply 2

The_Goose

if he's not great with exams then a BTEC 1st is a good idea. It's also allows progression onto then appropriate BTEC national dip or AS levels.

Reply 3

tom_tom_tom

i wouldnt have thought so considering it is GCSE

i think it would be more important at A level

but if those are their choices and they will enjoy them then go ahead!

Reply 4

ParadoxSocks

My sister is doing a BTEC alongside her GCSEs and it's the best thing she's ever done :smile:

And a good BTEC first diploma will lead to the BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners which is awesome! If he wants to get into certain good universities though, he should check to see if they accept the BTEC Nat Dip. Usually adding A Level Maths should help keep his uni choices much wider :smile:

Reply 5

Ghost

It's a matter of what he'll enjoy the most. GCSEs are only really important for getting you through to A levels.

Reply 6

ellfaz

I did a GNVQ in Intermediate ICT in High School, which had 2 modular exams, and I think my school now offers DiDA instead, which is a much better option for people who don't like exams.

At Key Stage 4/GCSE Level, it doesn't really matter whether someone chooses a BTEC or a GCSE, as college grades are more important in the future