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There are also BTEC first diplomas, comprising six units. These are level 2 qualifications equivalent to an intermediate GNVQ or four GCSEs graded A*-C. Students can progress from a BTEC first to the BTEC national.

Using BTECs


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BTEC qualifications belong to one awarding body - Edexcel. They are discussed on this website because they form a suite of qualifications that offer progression through levels 2-4, and level 1 provision is being developed. BTECs can be combined with other qualifications, most commonly key skills, but also AS and A level GCE and VCE.

The role of BTECs

BTEC, the Business and Technology Education Council, merged with the GCSE and A level awarding body, London Examinations, in 1996 to form the unitary awarding body Edexcel, and the prefix BTEC identifies the employment focus within this suite of vocational qualifications.

The BTEC national is a long-established qualification. Many employers and universities value the BTEC national as providing a vocationally specialised preparation for employment or courses in higher education. There are BTEC courses in a wide diversity of sector specialisms. For example, there are BTEC nationals in e-business, computing, care, media, music, art and design, performing arts, applied science, engineering and in a range of land-based applications.

The BTEC nationals are more vocationally specialised than the vocational A level, and the titles reflect this (eg BTEC national diploma in sport and exercise sciences, BTEC national certificate in music technology). However, in the national qualifications framework they are not placed in the 'occupational' category of qualifications like NVQs, but in the 'vocational' category. Some are used as technical certificates within Modern Apprenticeships.

Edexcel has re-designed its BTEC national qualifications, and now has a wide range of new BTEC nationals accredited to the national qualifications framework. These became available for teaching in September 2002.

The new Edexcel BTEC nationals are composed of units which are the same size as those in the VCE and A level. The BTEC national is graded pass, merit and distinction. Both the individual units and the qualification as a whole are graded. The qualification is available in three sizes, with different numbers of grades depending on the size, as follows:



Revised BTEC national structure

6 units	BTEC national award	with one overall grade (eg pass)

12 units	BTEC national certificate	with two overall grades (eg distinction, merit)

18 units	BTEC national diploma	with three overall grades (eg merit, pass, merit)

Progression is provided by the BTEC higher nationals - HNDs and HNCs - which are level 4 qualifications studied in higher education. Students can progress from level 2 to level 4 in the national qualifications framework in vocationally relevant steps.

The BTEC Nationals are designed to offer vocationally related qualifications to suit learners with different needs. Some learners, particularly adult, 'widening-participation' students and those in employment, are likely to need smaller qualifications such as the six-unit national award. The national award is highly focused and specialist, such as the BTEC national award in sport (sports development and fitness), and is not available in every sector. Other learners, particularly full-time, 16-18 year-old students will want to take the full 18-unit BTEC National Diploma in order to study a vocational sector in breadth and depth. There will also be students who will want to combine the 12-unit certificate and perhaps the six-unit award with GCE/VCE qualifications.

In total, the BTEC national diploma is available in 11 vocational sectors, the BTEC national certificate in 12 sectors and the BTEC national award in seven sectors.

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