October 2023 Esports update

A digital badge for BTEC Esports

Once certificates have been issued to your learners they will be eligible to claim a digital badge for the Level 2 or Level 3 qualification they have completed.  The digital badge demonstrates their achievement and shows potential employers and higher education institutions the skills they’ve gained from studying their BTEC in esports.  The badge can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts.

The badges can be claimed from 25 September 2023 and are easy to claim.

Each BTEC programme (covered by the BTEC quality assurance model) offered at your centre requires a Lead Internal Verifier (LIV) to register or re-instate their registration each year. The deadline for this is 14 October.

The 2022 Tech Award does not require a Lead Internal Verifier.

The 2023-2024 Centre Guides have been uploaded to the Quality Assurance page.

Go to the Quality Assurance page.

What to teach?

Here the answer is simple. Please teach all of the specification content.

What to assess?

The BTEC Centre Guide to Internal Assessment states:

Do Assignment Briefs need to cover all unit/component content?

No. Your assignment brief needs to cover just what is being assessed so no need to include the entire unit content.

All unit/component content needs to be taught, where relevant, to provide learners with the breadth and depth to their studies. There is no formula for how much content needs to be assessed.

The amount of content the learner will need to refer to will depend on the specific requirements of the actual assignment and the requirements of the assessment criteria and associated assessment guidance which can sometimes prescribe which areas of the unit/component content needs to be assessed.

Section 6 of the BTEC National specifications includes the following:

As assignments provide a final assessment, they will draw on the specified range of teaching content for the learning aims. The specified content is compulsory. The evidence for assessment need not cover every aspect of the teaching content as learners will normally be given particular examples, case studies or contexts in their assignments. For example, if a learner is carrying out one practical performance, or an investigation of one organisation, then they will address all the relevant range of content that applies in that instance.
 

On 28 March, JCQ released a document which provides teachers and assessors with the information they need to manage use of AI in assessments. This guidance applies to all our qualifications including vocational qualifications.

Important points to note:

• centres should explain the importance of students submitting their own independent work
• centres should ensure that teachers and assessors are familiar with AI tools and their risks
• centres should consider communications with parents/carers to make them aware of AI
• students must acknowledge use of AI when used
• misuse of AI tools is malpractice.

Within the document, there is a list of potential indicators of AI use that may help identify work where students have misused AI.

Please do take a look at this guidance.

The grade statistics for BTEC qualifications are published in late October/early November on the grade statistics page of the website.

These statistics can be used for benchmarking purposes. Please note that in line with all qualifications, learner achievement is reported at qualification level and not at unit level.

A report on the state of esports in the UK and the opportunities and challenges for the esports industry.

Nik Turner has written this guide to help you get started in delivering a BTEC qualification in Esports.

British Esports and Williams Esports will be launching a National Student Racing League in September 2023 for schools and colleges,

Learn more

Sunderland College and British Esports have been working together in a partnership which aims to make Sunderland a global hub for esports.

This page provides an overview of the reforms and will be updated as and when new information becomes available.

As part of the Level 3 Vocational Qualification reforms we would like to invite you to help influence the next generation of BTEC Nationals. We want to ensure we capture the teacher and learner voice in our qualifications and support materials.

This is your opportunity to have your say and get involved.

The funding checklists below for 16-19 year olds give you a comprehensive view of funding which takes us up to the cohort starting in 2025.

This will give you clarity on how the recent updates on funding for BTEC Level 3 affect your centre and learners.