Welcome to our February BTEC Tech Award newsletter. In this month’s edition, we're bringing you the latest updates, including important deadlines, support materials, and resources for both teachers and exams officers.
If you are a school new to BTEC Tech Awards you can jump straight to our support for new centres section of the newsletter to get started.
Don’t forget, we have a wealth of support articles available covering all aspects of the BTEC Tech Awards
Explore our BTEC Tech Awards support
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Date |
Activity |
| 21 February |
Entry deadline for internally and externally assessed units for May/June |
| 19 March |
December/January series results issued to centres |
| 20 March |
December/January series results issued to learners |
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We’ve had a fantastic response to our first term-time checkpoint, the cohort declaration, which was completed on the 31 January. We now have a shared view of all your learners that are expecting to receive an overall qualification result in August. We’ve recently written to schools to explain your next steps, including viewing outstanding actions in the VQ Learner Tracker.
Missed the email? Read more about how to keep your learners on track |
The entry deadline for May/June assessments is 21 February. Remember, you need to make entries for both your internally and externally assessed units by this date. Here are some top tips and resources to ensure you don’t encounter any delays making your entries:
- If you make your entries via EDI, it’s essential that the learners’ names are identical to the names used in the registration file to avoid delays processing your file. If you need to update a learner’s name, you should update their registration before submitting your entry file.
- Did you know you can check on Edexcel Online if your EDI file has been received and processed? Follow our guide to tracking your EDI file
- If you are making entries for the summer series, you should submit your certification claim (cash in) at the same time as making an entry. Find our list of cash in codes.
- Read our guide to making entries via Edexcel Online
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You will receive your December/January series results on Wednesday 19 March, which you can then release to learners on Thursday 20 March. Refer to our dedicated support articles for step-by-step guidance on how to access learner results:
- converting raw marks to UMS
- understanding grade boundaries
- a grade calculator to help you determine learners’ overall grades based on their results
- considerations for retaking internal or resitting external assessments
- examiner and moderator reports
- claiming certification.
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If learners sat their terminal external assessment in January and are eligible to certificate, you can either submit certification claims or allow them to resit in the summer.
Certification claims for January assessments open on 21 March and close on 18 April via Edexcel Online.
Follow our guide to submitting a certification claim (cash in)
You can use the grade calculator or check Section 8 of the specification to determine final grades. If a learner does wish to resit the terminal external assessment, you can still choose to submit a certification claim for them if they are eligible, or you can choose to wait until the summer.
Read our certification FAQs for details on these scenarios, as well as the rest of the certification process
When considering resits, you should think about the likelihood of improvement and the potential impact on other assessments and learner wellbeing.
The BTEC Tech Awards are compensatory, meaning that even if a learner receives a U grade in one component, they may still achieve an overall qualification grade if their total UMS points across all components are sufficient. |
You can access Pearson-Set Assignments (PSAs) for the May/June assessments on each subject’s page, which you can select from the main BTEC Tech Award area.
Remember, the PSA for Art and Design released on 2 September and the PSA for Performing Arts released on 4 December are both for use within the May/June window. |
From the 2025/26 academic year, we will no longer offer BTEC Tech Award assessments in Welsh. We do still have a range of teaching and learning resources available in Welsh across our Tech Award qualifications for you to use with your Welsh-speaking learners. |
Throughout February and March, we’ll be taking you through the task types that learners must complete as part of their external assessment. Join one of our free upcoming sessions and explore examples of learner responses, related mark schemes, and discuss how to prepare learners for the externally assessed task.
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We host a monthly exams officer webinar, where we’ll always have BTEC Tech Awards on the agenda. Providing you with the latest news and updates, and the upcoming tasks and deadlines.
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Teachers
If you are a teacher who is new to delivering BTEC Tech Awards this academic year, we’ve rounded up all the support we have available to get you started. Remember, if there’s anything you need help with you can contact us through the Pearson support portal and we’ll be happy to help.
Your key resources are all accessible from the ‘Course Materials’ and ‘Training’ tabs at the top of your subject’s qualification page, which you can find from our BTEC Tech Award web pages. On the course materials tab under the ‘teaching and learning materials’ category, you’ll find Teacher Guides, Transition Guides, Exemplar Standardisation Materials and more. |
- Getting Started
- Marking and Moderation
- Preparing for External Assessment
Recordings of past training events as well as bitesize videos are available from the Training webpage if you can’t attend the live events. |
Exams officers
If you are an exams officer administrating the BTEC Tech Awards for the first time, head over to our exams officer guidance page. This is a handy reference page with key information, links to key documents and a step-by-step guide to registrations, entries, assessment, results and certification. |
Quality nominees
Explore our quality assurance page which includes key quality assurance guides, quick guides, bitesize videos and live ‘catch-ups’ schedule. |
Subject advisors
Experts in their fields, and many of them former teachers, our subject advisors are here to support you throughout the year and can help with all your subject-specific queries. You can contact our subject advisors by email, book a short meeting and sign up for subject advisor updates. Meet our subject advisors here. |
While we’ll be sending this directly to you every month, there’s a wealth of support available on our website. Bookmark our BTEC Tech Awards FAQ webpage, where we’ll keep you updated.
If any of your colleagues would like to receive this straight to their inbox, they can sign up. |
Pearson Customer Services The Lighthouse, Manchester, M50 3BF Unsubscribe |
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