Vocational Qualifications Bulletin
January 2024 |
|
Welcome to January's Vocational Qualification Bulletin.
I hope that you managed to have a restful break in December, and you and your learners are settled into the new year. For those of you who’ve run external assessments this month, I hope they’ve gone smoothly and that your learners will get the results they are hoping for in the spring.
We have our first term-time checkpoint in February and have been working closely with centres to ensure you have the support to complete your cohort declaration on time. |
Thank you to all of you who have completed this or are working with us to meet this checkpoint. Remember, we are here to help, and if you need any support to understand or complete your cohort declaration, you can contact us through the Pearson support portal. After this has been completed, we’ll have a shared view of all your learners who are expecting an overall qualification result in August. We’ll then be able to start sharing learner insights with you that will help you track your learners.
Kind regards,
Nick Cutland
Director, Vocational Qualifications Assessment |
Date |
Description |
| 31 January |
Deletion deadline: delete learner registrations if learner has withdrawn from qualification |
| 9 February |
9 February term-time checkpoint: deadline for your Head of Centre to confirm which learners are expecting a qualification result in August 2024,
following a check that all estimated completion dates are accurate on Edexcel Online. |
| 21 February |
BTEC Tech Awards (2022) June 2024 series entry deadline |
|
We’ve recently been in touch to ask centres to complete their cohort declarations to meet our term-time checkpoint. We’re asking you to check that all estimated completion dates and registrations are accurate before completing your cohort declaration. This year, this activity should be completed by 9 February for:
- BTEC Firsts and Nationals
- BTEC Tech Awards (2022)
- BTEC Specialist and Professionals
- BTEC International
- BTEC Higher Nationals
- T Levels
|
Who should complete this activity?
Schools, colleges, training providers and international centres could all potentially need to complete the cohort declaration if they offer any of the above qualifications. The cohort declaration should be completed by your head of centre, or person authorised by your head of centre.
Why are you asking me to complete this?
We need to have a shared view of all your learners expecting an overall qualification in August so we can ensure we deliver results on time. We’ll then be working in partnership for the rest of the year to make sure you have the information you need to make BTEC claims and received your results.
Where can I find support and training?
|
We will be running drop-in sessions to go through the cohort declaration in detail on 1 and 7 February. Sign up using the following links if you’d like to attend:
|
Learner Work Transfer (LWT) is now open for you to upload learners’ work for some BTEC Firsts and Nationals throughout the January 2024 external assessment series. You are no longer required to upload learner work to SharePoint.
The submission deadlines vary by unit and are detailed in our BTEC timetables; you should submit learners’ work before the end of each unit’s submission window. You can find a full list of the BTEC units using LWT in our BTEC External Assessments: LWT Guidance support article.
We have a wealth of support available to help you navigate LWT with confidence, including a short on-demand e-learning module and a recorded webinar:
There is subject-specific guidance for uploading learner work to LWT in each unit’s administrative support guide (ASG). You can find each subject’s ASGs on the qualification course materials page, under external assessments. |
Our key event this term covers the standards verification process, which will be useful to both new and experienced lead IVs. The session explains the sampling activity and key milestones attached; please share the details with your colleagues and encourage them to attend.
The Pearson assessment record sheets have now been updated with reference to the use of AI in learner work. There is no obligation to use the Pearson templates, but please ensure that your own documents include the AI reference moving forwards.
|
Standards verification
This month we have started to allocate standards verifiers (SVs) to the BTEC Level 2 and Level 3 programmes delivered in centres. Standards verification is an integral part of our quality assurance model and must be completed fully and in a timely manner to ensure the successful issue of learner results.
SVs will contact the quality nominee in the first instance to introduce themselves, their role and the sampling process. Please ensure that this information is shared with the relevant lead internal verifier(s), who will then be responsible for working with the SV to get the process underway.
The deadline for samples to be shared with your SV is 15 May, although we recommend that this takes place at the earliest opportunity. This will be agreed with your SV upon review of your assessment plan(s).
Our team is here to support you through this process. Contact us if you have any questions about the standards verification process, or if you have not received an SV allocation for any BTEC programme by 31 January. |
The latest modules in our BTEC exams officer training series are now available on the Pearson Development Hub.
- BTEC Bitesize Module 4: BTEC Amendments and cohort declaration (2023/24)
This course includes information about how to complete your cohort declaration, amend learner details on a BTEC registration, how to process transfers and deletions, how to amend external assessment bookings and onscreen tests, and much more.
- BTEC Bitesize Module 5: Modified Papers (2023/24)
This module explains what a modified paper is and how to make an application for modified papers on PAAO. It will also show you where you can find key dates and deadlines and how to access past papers in a modified format.
- BTEC Bitesize Module 6: Access Arrangements (2023/24)
This module explains what an access arrangement and a reasonable adjustment is and how to apply for access arrangements on PAAO. It also covers deadlines and how to avoid common issues when making your applications.
|
You can also join us for our next monthly live exams officer webinar on Tuesday 13 February at 2 p.m. You'll hear the latest news and updates with the opportunity to ask questions to our panel of experts.
|
We sent our monthly Tech Awards newsletter last week, featuring details on the January series, moderator reports, where to access PSAs and external assessment materials for May/June, and much more. |
The provisional timetables for BTEC external assessments for the winter and summer 2025 exam series are now available on our website. If you have any feedback, please email timetables@pearson.com by Friday 25 February.
|
APMR reminder
The deadline to submit your Annual Programme Monitoring Report (APMR) is 23 February 2024. Non-completion of your APMR could affect your centre risk rating and referral to our centre quality management team. For further assistance regarding the APMR please contact our Higher National quality assurance team at hnqa@pearson.com. |
Higher Nationals newsletter
If you would like to receive news and updates specifically about our BTEC Higher National qualifications (and HTQs for centres in England), please subscribe to our monthly newsletter. |
From September 2024, all post-16 institutions are eligible to provide T Levels. The approval window will open in February for providers commencing delivery in September 2024. You must gain approval for each Technical Qualification you wish to deliver.
- A guide to provider approval
- Guidance document Pearson vocational provider approval application for T Level Technical Qualifications
- Pearson T Level Technical Qualification delivery approval application form
- Pearson vocational provider approval application for T Level Technical Qualifications
|
New EPA Standards
We have recently launched the new Digital Learning Designer EPA. Should you wish to begin delivering this standard, please contact your nominated Business Development Manager or Curriculum Development Manager.
We are currently working on the HR Support apprenticeship standard and will share further details with you soon. |
Lead standards verification visits
Thank you for engaging with the first quality assurance activity of this academic year. The lead standards verification visit helps inform future sampling arrangements so your learners can certificate when they’re ready.
If you have not yet had your lead standards verification visit, please contact your lead standards verifier to schedule this as soon as possible.
Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care
|
Digital Functional Skills
You will soon be able to make test bookings for your Digital Functional Skills learners; the first test date will be 5 March 2024. We are finalising test content and system updates, and we’ll be in touch once test bookings are available.
As Digital Functional Skills is a brand-new qualification, we will need to establish a fair standard which we can then carry forward for future learners. To support this, our results SLA for Digital Functional Skills will be 40 working days. This will allow us to gather a suitable volume of learner data to inform the pass mark for the early text versions and provide the most representative view of the assessments.
Outgoing ICT Functional Skills
The last registration date for the outgoing Functional Skills ICT qualifications was 31 August 2023 and the last date to claim certificates will be 31 August 2024. To support the final certification date, 14 June 2024 will be the final date for SVs to review a sample of learner work at Entry Level, and the final test date for Level 1 and 2 external assessments.
This will allow us to ensure that all SV activities are complete and any follow up actions have been closed ahead of 31 August 2024, and that all marking of externally assessed Level 1 and 2 tests is complete before the final certification.
Essential Skills Wales – Application of Number Level 2 and 3
We will be making some changes to the allotted time for the Essential Skills Wales - Application of Numbers tests (EAoNS)
- There will be a 15-minute extension for the EAoNS Level 2 exam.
- There will be a 25-minute extension for the EAoNS Level 3 exam.
These changes will come into effect on 4 March 2024. No Level 2 or Level 3 Application of Number tests, including paper-based tests, can be taken between February 19 and March 3, 2024. You will be able to take the other tests as usual.
Neither the Communication test nor the Application of Number Level 1 test are affected by this and will not be changed. |
|
|
|
|
