BTEC Tech Award May Update
May 1st was the scheduled date for the Component 3 exam this summer, I hope this has gone well for you and all your students. We also have the 15th May deadline for internal assessed component sample and raw marks to be submitted.
Submission deadline 15th May
You can now submit your learners’ marks and samples for the summer series BTEC Tech Award internal assessments. The deadline to upload both marks and sample learner work is 15 May 2025.
We have sent a comprehensive set of helpful tips and references to support you if you have any questions.
Earlier release of PSA's
The Pearson Set Assignments (PSAs) for DIT will be released three months earlier, giving more time for teachers to plan, prepare, mark, and upload assessments.
This means we will be releasing upcoming PSA’s on:
2 June 2025 for the December/January 2025/26 assessment series
1 September 2025 for the May/June 2026 assessment series.
Earlier release dates will not alter the submission deadlines each series, nor affect learners currently working towards the 15 May 2025 submission deadline.
Useful background content
Learners are required to take the external assessment at the end of their qualification (the series in which the learner certificates). This means that learners must sit internal component assessments either prior to or in the same series as the external assessment to fulfil this terminal rule. If a learner chooses to retake an internal assessment in a series after they sat the terminal external assessment, they will also need to re-sit the external component to satisfy the terminal rule.
Learners are allowed one retake of each internal component, and one re-sit of the external assessment within the programme.
To help you understand the terminal rule, we’ve created a new scenario based quick quide that you can use to help you plan your learners path to certification.
The Tech Award 2022 Key dates are also a vital reference and these sit alongside the key dates and term-time check points below.
We are sharing an important update regarding the key dates and term-time checkpoints. To every centre that has recently delivered any of our BTEC Tech Award qualifications. These key dates have been designed to ensure BTEC results are delivered successfully to all learners expecting a result in 2025
BTEC key dates and term-time checkpoints 2024/25
Distinction * qualification grade needs all component results to be Distinction.
The UMS total will tell you what qualification outcome the student has achieved, except that for a D* certification all three components also need to be at Distinction. So it is possible for a student to have 270 UMS and not achieve an overall D*.
From the specification section 8:
The Level 2 Distinction* grade at qualification level will be awarded only if a learner has achieved a Level 2 Distinction in each component and the minimum number of uniform marks for the Level 2 Distinction* at qualification level.
Learners can retake internally assessed components once during their course.
If learners are retaking internally assessed components, they must respond to the new PSA released for that series. Learners are permitted to adapt work from their initial sitting where it is appropriate. They can use the full allocated time, including monitored preparation where applicable, and if they choose to adapt work from their initial sitting, they will need to repurpose, build upon and/or amend their work to meet the new PSA. Learners should not be overly guided on how to improve their work, and if assistance is provided, this should be documented and considered during assessment.
For further information, centres should follow the JCQ Guidance with particular attention paid to sections 2 and 17.
If a learner chooses to retake an internal assessment in a series after they sat the terminal external assessment, they will also need to resit the external component to satisfy the terminal rule. Learners are allowed one resit of the external assessment within the programme.
You will submit certification claims for the new BTEC Tech Awards during the series in which learners are sitting their terminal external assessment. You will do this using the cash-in code for the qualification, which you can find in our Information Manual.
You can make certification claims during the normal entry window for the assessment series. If you have a learner who sits their terminal assessment in January and is happy with their result, you will be able to submit a late claim following the release of January results. However, if a learner is not happy with their results and intends to resit in the May/June series, you may choose to delay claiming until making their resit entry.
We have revised the FAQs to include more detail about Claiming certification please review this material carefully
The new VQ Learner Tracker, is a new tool you can use to identify where cash-ins are missing and help you to manage your BTEC Tech Award cohort.
Subject advisor
Tim Brady
Computer Science and ICT Subject Advisor
