BTEC National AAQ Applied Science: FAQs, support and guidance
This page brings together support and guidance to help you plan, teach and assess the BTEC National AAQ in Applied Science. It also answers some of the questions we are frequently asked by centres.
You can find the following information on this page:
- Teacher and Centre Needs Survey
- Key dates and timetables
- Training and support videos
- Resources to support teaching
- Support for internally assessed Units 4, 5 and 6
- Quality assurance support and guidance for internal units
- External assessment support and FAQs
- Qualification grading
Teacher and Centre Needs Survey
Your experience matters, and we want to hear from you.
At Pearson, we are committed to supporting teachers and centres in delivering the AAQ BTEC National in Applied Science with confidence.
This short survey is an opportunity to share what is working well, where you are experiencing challenges, and what additional guidance, teaching resources or professional development would make the greatest difference.
Your feedback will help us identify priorities, develop targeted training and provide practical support that responds to the needs of teachers and centres.
The survey should take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.
Thank you for helping us shape the support you need to deliver AAQ Applied Science successfully.
Key dates, deadlines and term-time checkpoints for BTEC qualifications are available via the links below.
Your overview of key QA activities for the year.
The Digital Assessment Plan (DAP) is now live, giving centres a simpler way to plan assessments. You only need to complete plans for BTEC National Applied Science programmes with a September 2026 start date. Existing cohorts already studying these qualifications don't need a digital assessment plan. The digital assessment plan is to be completed by 13 November 2026.
Exam Timetables
Timetables can be accessed from the link below.
The provisional timetables are shared on our website as they become available.
Details of live training are available on the training page. As new training is confirmed, sessions will be added.
What recorded training is available to help with getting started?
This training will help you prepare to deliver the BTEC National Applied Science (AAQ) qualification. The training provides a general run-through of internal and external assessment.
Internal Assessment: Pearson BTEC National AAQ Applied Science
This recorded training explores the assessment criteria and requirements for internal assessment and addresses common issues and frequently asked questions.
More recorded training will be added onto our playlist as it becomes available.
What internal unit support videos are available?
We have short videos to help with delivering the practical requirements for Physics tasks in Unit 4.
BTEC National Applied Science - Task 3A: Investigating the rate of transfer of thermal energy
( 7.37 )
BTEC National Applied Science - Task 3B: Investigating resistivity in electrical circuits
( 7.18 )
BTEC National Applied Science - Task 3c: Energy transfer from a renewable resource
( 5.20 )
Youtube Video Title
Youtube video contentRelated Videos
BTEC National Applied Science - Task 3A: Investigating the rate of transfer of thermal energy
( 7.37 )
BTEC National Applied Science - Task 3B: Investigating resistivity in electrical circuits
( 7.18 )
BTEC National Applied Science - Task 3c: Energy transfer from a renewable resource
( 5.20 )
To support your teaching of Unit 6 we have a video 'How to evaluate a contemporary scientific development'.
Published resources are available to support teaching. You can find the links below. Please note that there is no compulsory requirement to purchase or use Pearson's paid for resources.
We have resources to help with planning and delivery, including:
- Planning and Teaching Guide
- Individual Unit Guides
- Scheme of Work
Transition guide
The mapping of the Pearson BTEC National AAQ Applied Science to the Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Applied Science specification is provided in our transition guide.
No, but we do provide Centre Standardisation Materials. These materials support assessors in making assessment decisions and applying national standards consistently.
Additional standardisation materials are published each year to support ongoing standardisation activities.
The ‘Instructions for Teachers’ section at the start of each PSAB includes a list of practical equipment required for the procedures. While the list is not exhaustive, it provides a useful indication of the equipment needed.
We have produced a practical support document for Unit 4. This resource gives you additional guidance for planning and delivering practical activities and helps students build confidence in their scientific knowledge and skills.
You can download the document from the course materials page. It provides a range of practical activities across biology, chemistry and physics. It includes suggested methods, equipment lists, data collection activities and opportunities for evaluation, helping students develop their scientific knowledge, practical techniques and confidence. These activities support teaching and learning, but they don't replace the practical assessment tasks in the Pearson-set assignment brief.
Unit 5: Scientific Investigation Skills practical support document
We have produced a practical support document for Unit 5 to give you additional guidance to help with planning and delivering practical activities.
This document provides a range of suggested scientific investigations across biology, chemistry, physics and wider scientific contexts. It helps you and your students select and develop suitable investigations, with guidance on variables, data collection, analysis and evaluation.
The suggested investigations are examples rather than prescribed activities. You can also develop other suitable investigations that meet the unit specification and assessment requirements.
You can download the document from the course materials page.
The specification supplementary information should be used in conjunction with the specification documents.
Book with a Vocational Quality Assurance Manager (VQAM)
You can book a 15-minute appointment with your Vocational Quality Assurance Manager (VQAM) to discuss quality assurance queries at any point during the academic year.
Quality Assurance Catch-ups
We also offer informal online Quality Assurance Catch-ups, providing a quick reminder of where you and your staff should be within the quality assurance calendar.
You can also refer to the Centre Guide on Quality Assurance.
Our Quality Assurance page provides all the available support and BTEC guides.
The Digital Assessment Plan (DAP) is a web-based tool that supports assessment planning and quality assurance for BTEC programmes. It replaces the traditional Excel-based assessment plan and provides a central location for managing qualification assessment and quality assurance activities throughout delivery. The DAP can be updated throughout the year and provides version control and a clear audit trail of any changes.
You only need to complete plans for programmes with a September 2026 start date. Existing cohorts already studying these qualifications don't need a digital assessment plan. For detailed guidance, see the digital assessment plan centre user guide.
If you're delivering BTEC Level 3 Nationals to students starting in September 2026, you'll need to complete a digital assessment plan by 13 November 2026. You can also attend digital assessment plan training and drop-in sessions for support and guidance.
We also provide a video guide for more information:
Visit the webpage below to download the forms you need.
Use the Quality Assurance Year Planner for an overview of key quality assurance activities and deadlines throughout the academic year.
Planning and Teaching Guide
In addition to the specification, you can also use the Planning and Teaching Guide to support you with teaching the specification content.
You can download the updated guide from the course materials page, under ‘Teaching and Learning Materials’.
Sample Assessment Materials
We have sample assessment materials and a locked set of additional sample assessment materials. These are available to download from the qualification page.
examWizard
examWizard is an online resource containing a bank of past paper questions to help you create your own mock exams and tests. It’s available for GCSE, A Level subjects, and BTEC, so you can select suitable questions to prepare your own mocks and tests.
The external units (Units 1–3) are separate components and are entered individually. Students receive a separate unit grade for each external unit.
If a student wants to improve their result in one external unit, they can be entered to resit that unit only.
They do not need to retake all three external units. Students have up to three attempts at each external assessment: the initial attempt plus up to two resits.
If a student resits an examined unit, the best grade achieved will count towards their overall qualification grade, rather than necessarily the most recent result.
We have removed the N grade (near-pass) hurdle for externally assessed units in all Level 3 BTEC National AAQs.
This change means students can achieve the qualification with a U grade in external units, if they have gained sufficient points to meet the minimum threshold for a Pass at qualification level. The N grade remains available in externally assessed units, contributing points towards the qualification grade and providing an additional level of differentiation between the Pass and Unclassified grades, but is no longer a hurdle to qualification achievement.
The specification was updated to reflect this change.
Yes. You can use the BTEC grade calculator to:
- calculate the overall qualification grade based on a learner's unit results
- model different outcomes by entering potential unit grades and points
The points tables and qualification grade thresholds are published in the specification in the 'Understanding the qualification grade' section. The qualification grade is determined by the learner's total points across all required units.
The points and thresholds provided in the Extended Certificate specification are below for your convenience.
Points awarded for internal units
The table below shows the number of points available for internal units. For each internal unit, points are allocated depending on the grade awarded.
| Grade | Points |
| Unclassified | 0 |
| Pass | 9 |
| Merit | 15 |
| Distinction | 24 |
Points available for external units
The table below shows the minimum number of points required for each grade in an external unit. External unit grades cover a range of points, with higher performance within a grade contributing additional points towards the overall qualification grade. For example, a learner achieving a Pass could receive between 6 and 9 points depending on their performance within the grade boundary.
| Grade | Points |
| Unclassified | 0 |
| Near Pass | 4 |
| Pass | 6 |
| Merit | 10 |
| Distinction | 16 |
Raw marks from external assessments are converted into qualification points once grade boundaries have been set. Pearson will automatically calculate and award the appropriate number of points for each external unit based on the learner's performance.
Award of qualification grade
Pearson will automatically calculate the qualification grade for your students once the internal unit grades have been submitted and the qualification claim has been made.
Students will be awarded a qualification grade once they achieve the required points total and meet the qualification requirements.
The table below shows the minimum points thresholds required for each qualification grade.
| Grade | Points |
| Unclassified | 0 |
| Pass | 36 |
| Merit | 52 |
| Distinction | 74 |
| Distinction* | 90 |
As mentioned above, external unit grades are not worth a fixed number of points. For example, a Pass in an external unit can contribute between 6 and 9 points, while a Merit can contribute between 10 and 15 points. A learner's exact points score from each external assessment contributes towards their overall qualification grade.
Refer to the 'Understanding the qualification grade' section of the specification for full guidance on qualification grading and points.
If you would like to model a learner's overall qualification grade using their unit outcomes, please refer to the BTEC National (AAQ) grade calculator.
Subject advisor
Irine Muhiuddin and Tim Lawrence
UK and International Science
