April 2021 Engineering update
Here is your April 2021 update for Engineering. In this update, you will be able to access guidance, key information and helpful materials for Engineering qualifications and summer 2021 awarding in one place. The links on this page will take you to the key documents, which guides you through the Qualification-Level Teacher Assessed Grade (Q-TAGs) approach this summer. The information will also cover non-certificating (mid-flight) learners.
Awarding results in 2021
Access the full guidance document, which includes guidance for certificating and non-certificating learners. This document will guide you through the process for summer 2021 awarding through the Q-TAG (Qualification Level Teacher Assessed Grade) process and provide information on mid-flight learners.
In the video below, you will be able to go through the recently flowchart, which takes you through the decision making process for Q-TAGs.
Our sector experts have compiled some examples of the evidence you might use to make the holistic Qualification-level Teacher Assessed Grade (Q-TAG) judgement. They are not meant to be prescriptive and are provided as examples of how a teacher might approach grading the performance of a particular learner. The examples are intended to guide you, showing the judgements teachers might make in specific circumstances. See document below.
When determining a Q-TAG, centres will need to have evidence of learner performance appropriate to the qualification level and purpose. Where this evidence consists mainly of practical activities, as in the engineering sector, it might be challenging for a centre to make a holistic judgement in the absence of sufficient appropriate evidence. The following guidance document is intended to support centres in determining what might be considered as the most appropriate sources of evidence for certificating learners in the Engineering sector.
The performance indicators in the link below are designed to be used to undertake a holistic sense check of the Q-TAG that you have arrived through the guidance documents. The performance indicators are not intended to replace or undermine the evidence you have already considered, but support in confirming, or highlighting the need to reconsider, the Q-TAG.
We have previously communicated unit level adaptations to qualifications to mitigate against loss time and the challenges brought by the pandemic, including school closures.
The adaptations are:
- Reduced internal unit assessment adaptation for BTEC First and Nationals in Engineering, and BTEC Specialist AME
- BTEC Tech Award in Engineering assessment evidence adaptations
Awarding results in 2021 page on our website holds all necessary documentation and up to date information. Please visit and bookmark this page. Here, you will find:
- Teacher assessed grade guidance
- Common sources of practical evidence
- List of voational qualification categories
- Sector specific performance indicators
Please make sure that you have signed up to receive our VQ Bulletins to ensure that you receive all new information detailing the processes which will operate for this year. You can also review past bulletins if you’ve missed any or sign up to receive future updates if you have not already done so, via the links below.
Access the VQ bulletin issue 14
We are running 2 additional briefing events for Schools and Colleges, so if you have any further questions or queries, please do sign up to attend one of these sessions
- 28th April 4PM - 5.30PM - FE/Sixth Form/WBL
Sign up here
- 29th April 4PM-5.30PM - Schools
Sign up here
We recognise and anticipate that mid-flight learners due to certificate next year will have been impacted by a different level of disruption than those completing this year. We also understand that learners and centres are keen to know unit level results to make decisions, but as we do not yet know what the situation we will be next year, our decision is to ensure that we do the right thing by learners and take the time to review the situation next academic year, and take the impact into account at the point of certification for these learners.
In light of this we can confirm that we will request Qualification-level or Unit-level Teacher Assessed Grades for mid-flight learners, at the appropriate point of certification next academic year. We anticipate that this will be in January 2022 for March completers, and June 2022, for summer completers. Further detail will be confirmed closer to the time.
TAGs will only be permitted for those learners where there are ‘reduced assessment’ flags and/or external assessment entries in place this academic year (applicable between 30 August 2020 and 31 August 2021, in line with the eligibility window for the VCRF).
All other assessments for the relevant qualification will need to be taught and assessed, and evidence retained, so that it can be quality assured, and used to inform the TAG.
Access more information on TAGs from the guidance document, page 41-42 below.
Subject advisor
Evren Alibaba
Engineering
