Publication of BTEC Results Data for 2021/22

· Level 2 – Level 2 BTEC Firsts (NQF) (1 MB) and Level 1/2 BTEC Tech Awards (1 MB) - these qualifications are delivered in schools and colleges alongside GCSEs.

· Level 3 – BTEC Nationals (2016 RQF) (1.7 MB) - this qualification is delivered in schools and colleges alongside or instead of A levels or other 16-19 qualifications, including to adult learners.

This data is published annually each autumn, as this is when the majority of students entered to complete the qualification that year have finished their course.

BTECs are high quality, future-focussed qualifications that provide learners with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours they need to progress in life. Many of these students are taking next steps into jobs that will help satisfy the UK economy’s widening skills gaps.  Included in the class of 2022 are many of the future healthcare professionals, engineers and construction workers that are so vital to the UK’s economy.

Level 3 BTECs are globally recognised and continue to be the most popular vocational qualification to support progress to university. Around 50 per cent of Level 3 BTEC graduates will continue into Higher Education in the UK with the rest going into employment, an apprenticeship or further study.

Headlines from this year’s results show:

Level 1/2 BTEC Tech Awards

· Health & Social Care, Enterprise and Digital Information Technology are the most popular subjects.

· In line with 2022 being a transition, outcomes have seen a slight decrease across all grades from the previous academic year.

Level 3 BTEC Nationals (2016 RQF)

· There has been an increase in entries across all qualification sizes as centres continue to transition from the retired version of our qualifications. The largest increase is in the Extended Diploma (1080 size).

· Business, Health & Social Care , Applied Science, Sport and Information Technology are the five most popular sectors.

· Overall outcomes have remained broadly stable compared with 2021.

While we returned to the pre-pandemic assessment and grading process this year, adaptations were made (under guidance from the DfE and Ofqual) to reflect the challenges and disruption to learners’ education since 2020, to ensure this was a transition year for students, schools and colleges.

Our primary aim, following DfE and Ofqual direction, has been to ensure fairness for BTEC learners by neither advantaging or disadvantaging any one group of students compared to their peers.

When making comparisons to historical years we need to be mindful, as the approach to grading and awarding for the past two academic years has been under extraordinary regulatory conditions and there have also been significant changes in the cohort make-up and size.

We want to thank every teacher, tutor, lecturer, school and college leader and parents and carers, for the incredible effort they have made to support students achieving the grades they have worked so hard for.