BTEC grades

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by BriantheSnail

Hi can anyone help? I’ve just finished a BTEC Level 3 in Games Design. I got one grade at the end of year 12 of a Merit, and my college has told me that I will get 2 further grades on Thursday.
Will all my grades be shown together in my results slip and notified to the university that way, or will I only get sent the 2 grades this time and assume that the university will already know about last year’s? Thanks

BTECs come in different "sizes". Do you know what size you're studying.

For example an BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Certificate is the same size as a single A level, and students will typically do three such BTECs (or one or two alongside A levels). The grade from an BTEC Extended Certificate is a single letter, e.g. M for Merit.

However a BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Diploma is the same size as 3 A levels and students would typically only study one such BTEC. The grade from an Extended Diploma is three letters, e.g DMM.

If you took an BTEC Extended Certificate last year, and two further BTEC Extended Certificates this year, then the grades will be supplied separately. However if you took a BTEC Extended Diploma, but we're given an "interim" grade based upon last year's units, then the single final official grade will be issued next Thursday.

It's also possible that you're studying a Level 3 qualification, but not one which is technically a BTEC. The BTEC brand is owned by Pearson, and I don't see "Game Design" on their list of Level 3 BTECs. Do you see the name BTEC or Pearson on any official information from your school / college? How about a course code?

Reply 2

BriantheSnail

OP

1

Thanks my certificate from last year says BTEC Level 3 National 540 Diploma in Creative Media Practice. My college told me that the Merit I got would count for one of the three grades I get this year, which I think is an Extended Diploma but they haven’t been very clear. I’m just wondering what I will see on my results slip? Thanks

Reply 3

PQ

If you’re getting an extended diploma result on Thursday then your results slip will show three grades and that’s what your universities should have too.

OP

Thank you!

Original post by BriantheSnail

Thanks my certificate from last year says BTEC Level 3 National 540 Diploma in Creative Media Practice. My college told me that the Merit I got would count for one of the three grades I get this year, which I think is an Extended Diploma but they haven’t been very clear. I’m just wondering what I will see on my results slip? Thanks

Ah, so it's not a "BTEC Level 3 in Games Design". :confused:

There are two BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Creative Media Practice, the 540 Diploma (so called as it's supposed to take 540 guided learning hours) and the Extended Diploma. The 540 Diploma is the equivalent of 1.5 A levels, and the Extended Diploma is the equivalent of 3 A levels.

As the specification says, "The shared assessment criteria define a clear hierarchy of possible achievement across the 540 Diploma and the Extended Diploma." In other words, you gain the 540 Diploma after a year and then continue working, with the existing units counting towards the Extended Diploma which you gain after the second year. This sounds like exactly what you're doing.

As @PQ says, the Extended Diploma is a qualification in its own right, so both you and your firm/insurance universities will receive that result as a single three-letter grade.

Reply 6

BriantheSnail

OP

1

Thank you. As I said my college has not been very clear. They call it a Level 3 in Games Design. You will understand why I was confused.

Reply 7

Original post by BriantheSnail

Thank you. As I said my college has not been very clear. They call it a Level 3 in Games Design. You will understand why I was confused.

Yes, I've seen lots of colleges being very vague about the qualifications they offer. Not just the subject (as in this case), but the type of qualification. At least you had last year's certificate, so you could check what it was you'd actually studied. :smile:

Reply 8

Original post by DataVenia

Yes, I've seen lots of colleges being very vague about the qualifications they offer. Not just the subject (as in this case), but the type of qualification. At least you had last year's certificate, so you could check what it was you'd actually studied. :smile:

Does b tec grade boundaries change? For example will a 196 for a ddm change or will it stay the same as previous years?

Reply 9

Original post by Ascodigne

Does b tec grade boundaries change? For example will a 196 for a ddm change or will it stay the same as previous years?

For a particular size of qualification the number of overall points (from each unit) required to obtain a given grade doesn't change each year. So, as you say, 196 points in a BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Diploma will always get you a DDM. However, what does change each year is the number of points you get for a given mark in external (examined) units.

This is pretty much what I wrote here when I answered the same question you asked about three weeks ago. At the time I asked, "Did you use the grade boundaries for the correct exam series (e.g. the January 2023 grade boundaries if you took your exams in January 2023) the to establish the unit points you entered into the calculator?" You did not answer. I suspect you will not respond to this post either, as you are looking for a nice clear unambiguous answer where one does not exist.

I'll give you an example. Suppose you were taking BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Agriculture and took Unit 2, Plant and Soil Science, in June 2022. If you had achieved 49 marks out of 80 you'd just hit the boundary for a grade D. As this is a 120 GLH unit, a D would have earned you 32 unit points. Had you taken the January 2023 paper instead, which was slightly easier, those same 49 marks would only have got you a grade M. In January the boundary for a grade D was a mark of 55 and the boundary for a grade M was a mark of 38. Rather than just giving you the 20 points for a Merit in a 120 GLH unit (which they would have done it you'd just hit the M boundary), they'd pro-rata it. In this example, your 49 marks was 11/17ths of the distance from the M boundary to the D boundary. So you'd get the M points (20) plus 11/17ths of the 12-point difference between just hitting the M boundary and just hitting the D boundary. So that would be 38 + (11/17 x 12) = 28 points. So, in this example, using the June 2022 boundaries for a paper taken in January 2023 would mean your unit points would be calculated 4 points too high.

Unless you've calculated the points per external (examined) unit using the correct grade boundaries, and calculated the points as above, then the total you're working with (196 points) may be wrong.

Reply 10

Im doing b tec business so i have calculated my points to come to 198 with all exams marked with the correct points entered for the exam units. I got a near pass in unit 7 so 11 points so i have re taken the exam to get higher but it doesn’t effect my grade. I have got the points from the january 2023 grade boundaries. So the question i am asking is 198 points set as i know all my external and internal unit grades.

Reply 11

Original post by Ascodigne

Im doing b tec business so i have calculated my points to come to 198 with all exams marked with the correct points entered for the exam units. I got a near pass in unit 7 so 11 points so i have re taken the exam to get higher but it doesn’t effect my grade. I have got the points from the january 2023 grade boundaries. So the question i am asking is 198 points set as i know all my external and internal unit grades.

Yes. As I said above:

"For a particular size of qualification the number of overall points (from each unit) required to obtain a given grade doesn't change each year. So, as you say, 196 points in a BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Diploma will always get you a DDM."

Reply 12

Original post by DataVenia

Yes. As I said above:

"For a particular size of qualification the number of overall points (from each unit) required to obtain a given grade doesn't change each year. So, as you say, 196 points in a BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Diploma will always get you a DDM."

So because i have calculated 198 points i should get DDM and is the calculator 100% accurate?

Reply 13

Original post by Ascodigne

So because i have calculated 198 points i should get DDM and is the calculator 100% accurate?

How is this question any different to the one you asked three weeks ago?

Original post by Ascodigne

Hi can anyone help me. I have calculated my grade using the calculator to and i would achieve 198 points which is DDM. I am 2 points clear of the threshold, does that mean i will still get DDM or is there a possibility the grade can change to a DMM?

What is it about the answer I gave then which leaves you in some doubt? Here's the answer I gave at the time.

Original post by DataVenia

Did you use the grade boundaries for the correct exam series (e.g. the January 2023 grade boundaries if you took your exams in January 2023) the to establish the unit points you entered into the calculator?

If you did, and you entered all the information into the grade calculator correctly, then the result it generated will be accurate and will not change.

Reply 14

Original post by DataVenia

How is this question any different to the one you asked three weeks ago?

What is it about the answer I gave then which leaves you in some doubt? Here's the answer I gave at the time.

I was wondering if u have personally used the grade calculator and is there any flaws in it?

Reply 15

Original post by Ascodigne

I was wondering if u have personally used the grade calculator and is there any flaws in it?

I've used it many, many times. I'm not aware of any flaws of it.

If your know your points (for external units) and grades (for internal units), then just work out your total points long-hand. It's not hard.

Why are you so convinced that it's got your grade wrong?

Reply 16