March 2026 Media update
4 March 2026
Read more
Welcome to your March Media update from your Subject Advisor.
I hope you had a restful half-term week and welcome back to the start of the Spring half-term. This is always a short half-term, prior to Easter, and then the exam season begins!
Please sign up to our newly launched MBP T-Level Facebook group
and the BTEC Tech Award Creative Media Facebook group.
These are private groups for Pearson teachers only.
Feel free to ask questions, share ideas and let the collaboration begin! 😊
Please click on the qualifications you teach below for any updates regarding key dates, resources and training.
8th March - Release of January results to centres
19th March - Release of January results to students
20th March - Entry deadline: make entries for external assessment for May/June for BTEC Firsts, L3 Nationals and L2 Technicals*
1st April - Release of February results to centres
2nd April - Release of February results to students
- Learners who sat BTEC assessments in the January 2026 series can be re-entered for June exams after January results have been issued, and no late fees will be charged. The entry deadline for these learners is 27 March.
- Learners who sat BTEC assessments in the February 2026 series can be re-entered for June exams after February results have been issued, and no late fees will be charged. The entry deadline for these learners is 10 April.
Thank you for completing your cohort declaration. This means we have a shared view of all your students expecting results in the summer, and we can now make sure you know exactly what you need to do so they get their results on time.
The next time you log in to the VQ Learner Tracker, you’ll see a new ‘centre action’ column on the registrations screen. This shows you what you need to do for each student to achieve their overall qualification result.
Find out more about using VQ Learner Tracker to identify what you need to do
The deadline to make summer series entries for BTEC Nationals, Firsts and L2 Technicals is Friday 20 March. If you have students receiving results from the January series on 19 March, you’ll have until 27 March to make any resit entries for them.
Need help? See our entries index for step-by-step guidance
The provisional exam timetables for 2027 will be available on our provisional timetables web page from Monday 2 February. The feedback window will run until Friday 20 March.
Please send any feedback to timetables@pearson.com
View and give feedback on the 2027 provisional timetables
Get in touch with the Pearson BTEC Team
For support with existing BTEC qualifications, please use the Support Portal.
Check out our latest Teaching and Learning Skills videos on YouTube.
Our newest video covers Building Enduring Knowledge Through Desirable Difficulties.
In this video we discuss effortful, challenging learning - known as “desirable difficulties” - which builds enduring knowledge that is deeply embedded, flexible, and accessible over time. We discuss strategies such as spaced practice, interleaving, and retrieval-based activities helping learners retain and transfer knowledge across contexts.
This month’s blog is about Deliberate Practice: Unlocking Student Potential in BTEC Level 1 Intro Qualifications.
This blog post delves into what the practice of deliberate practice is and how it can be brought into the level 1 classroom in order to support students.
Join the BTEC level 1 Introductory, Entry Level and BTEC Workskills and BTEC personal growth and wellbeing to share best practice and to seek information about the courses on offer.
Join the BTEC Tech Award Media FACEBOOK GROUP.
This is a private group just for teachers of the Creative Media Production Tech Award qualification. This is a place to consult, share resources and teaching ideas/tips.
BTEC UK Key Dates and termtime checkpoints guide 2025/2026
Submitting cash-ins for the January series
If students sat their external assessment in January, you have until 16 April to submit a cash-in on Edexcel Online to claim their certification for that series.
You can't claim for the January series after this date.
You can submit cash-ins for the summer series either alongside your external assessment entries, or you can submit them via EDI until 15 May and on Edexcel Online until 5 July.
Need help understanding cash-ins? Read our FAQs
Don't forget about the terminal rule
The terminal assessment rule means students have to take their external assessment at the end of their qualification; i.e., the same series in which they'll certificate. This means students must sit their internal assessments either before or in the same series as the external assessment.
Read more about understanding the terminal rule
Important change to mark submission for internally assessed and externally moderated work.
From this summer, you’ll need to submit your centre marks before we release the list of students selected for the moderation sample.
Read our full update for more information
Earlier release of PSAs:
Your BTEC Tech Award Pearson set assignments (PSAs) for the May/June 2026 series are now available to download from each Tech Award’s course materials page.
PSAs are now released three months earlier, giving you more time to plan, prepare, mark and upload assessments.
Read more about the earlier release of PSAs
Check out the Tech Award bitesize videos on YouTube. Here you will find tips on delivery, best practice and assessment.
Here you will find all the full training event recordings for the BTEC Tech Award (2022) in Creative Media Production on YouTube.
BTEC Tech Awards 2022: Support Index
Registration and Entry Deadlines
Previous Live Training:
Creative Media Production Marking and moderation for Component 1
We are committed to continuously improving the BTEC Tech Awards to give you and your students the best possible experience. The feedback we have received since launching the 2022 series has helped to shape real, practical improvements in line with standards set by the Department for Education.
End of academic year: BTEC Tech Award feedback
Sign up for future Tech Award (2022) updates
Training - Level 2 Planning for a T Level Provision
19 February 2026 at 15:00 - 16:30 GMT
Getting Started: Ways to Teach and Assess
Walkthough of the Level 2 Skills Qualification
| May/June Series | BTEC L3 Nationals and L2 Skills |
|---|---|
| 15 May 2026 | Deadline for Standards Verification sampling |
| 15 June 2026 | Deadline for Standards Verification additional sampling (if applicable) |
| 5 July 2026 | Deadline to submit results for certification on August results days |
| 5 August 2026 | Restricted release of results to centres |
| 13 August 2026 | Release of results to learners |
BTEC key dates and term-time checkpoints:
We recently published the BTEC key dates and term-time checkpoints for 2025/26.
While your exams officers will take the lead on most of these activities, your support will be important to help meet these deadlines, so it’s useful to be aware of what is required and when.
Find out more about term-time checkpoints
Explore our key dates and term-time checkpoint guide
Webinar dates for spring 2026
Keep up to date on the latest developments around the reforms, sector-specific briefings and sessions to support you when teaching new and current qualifications. Find your event and book your place today.
See the full programme and book on to an event
Standards verification
Standards verification is underway and standards verifiers should now be working with your lead internal verifiers for each BTEC programme to make sampling arrangements. We’re here to support you; if you have any questions about the standards verification process, or you’ve not had a standards verifier allocation for any of your BTEC programmes, contact us.
Meet your VQAM
If you have any quick questions or want some one-to-one support, remember you can arrange a Teams call with your VQAM. Book a 15-minute slot at a time that suits you and we’ll be happy to chat.
Here are some helpful resources to help you plan this school year.
BTEC international key dates and termtime checkpoints 2025/26
Here are some helpful resources to help you plan this school year:
Here are some helpful resources to help you plan this school year:
| May/June Series | BTEC Higher Nationals |
|---|---|
| November 2025 - February 2026 |
Contact made with your EE |
| November 2025 - March 2026 |
Two assignment briefs sent to your EE for review |
| May - July 2026 | External Examination sampling - completed by 30 July |
| August 2026 | Students receive qualification |
We launched our new BTEC Higher Nationals qualifications for Art, Design and Media in September 2023 alongside our existing qualifications. Our aim is to give you more flexibility and scope when designing your curriculum so we hope you enjoy our new titles.
Resources for these qualifications can be accessed through HN Global.
Join the T-Level Media FACEBOOK GROUP.
This is a private group just for teachers of the Media, Broadcast and Production T-Level qualification. This is a place to consult, share resources and teaching ideas/tips.
Tell us who’ll upload student work this summer
If you’ve made entries for employer-set projects or occupational specialisms this summer, we’ll need to know who’s uploading your students’ work to SharePoint so we can make sure everything’s set up correctly. We sent an email to all centres with entries with a link to the form you’ll need to complete for each person who’ll upload work.
Missed the email? Read it
T Level Autumn 2025 Exam Timetable
Catch up on all the T Level news:
We send out a monthly newsletter to all T Level providers.
Are you missing out on these updates? Make sure you receive the latest news and updates about T Levels directly to your inbox by signing up.
ScreenSkills has many training opportunities available and elearning options which can enhance your media knowledge.
Thank you!
I hope you found this update useful. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and the team using the contact details below.
You can also sign up to get Media updates straight to your inbox every month.
Subject advisor
Sarah Fearnley
Media
Email :
Phone :
+44 (0) 344 463 2535
(Teaching Services team | Mon - Fri, 8am - 5pm GMT )
