BTEC Tech Award October Update
I am sure you are into the swing of the busy school year. Please find this October update which has some helpful information.
PSA for Component 2 has been changed
Component 2 PSA Changes
If you are planning on delivering this assessment in the December/January window, please ensure that you use the version which is labelled version 2.. The original version of the PSA included a task in Task 2b that required an out of scope solution. The PSA has been corrected and its reference number (bottom of the front cover)  will now be W81133RA. There has also been a change to one of the two datafiles and you will see that Party_analysis_and_dashboard.xlsx is now Party_analysis_and_dashboard_v2.xlsx.Â
New Standardisation Materials
Exemplar work from the Summer 2024 series
New exemplar work will be published here as soon as it is through typesetting and checking.
From the Summer 2024 series
New Question paper, Mark scheme and Examiner reports from this summers series can be found for Component 3
Training Events
Live training events
| Qualification |
Date | Time | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ways to Teach and Assess Digital Information Technology 2022 | 15 October 2024Â | 16:00Â -Â 18:00 | Register |
| Marking and moderation for Component 1 | 18 October 2024 | 16:00Â -Â 18:00 | Register |
| Marking and moderation for Component 2 | 06 November 2024 | 16:00Â -Â 18:00 | Register |
All training events live and recorded for Digital Information Technology can be found on our qualification pages
Have your say
BTEC Tech Awards
We are committed to continuously improving the BTEC Tech Awards to give you and your learners the best experience possible. We are currently working on several further improvements based on your feedback, including the moderation experience and moderator reports. We will update you in the Autumn on the progress we have made in those areas. If you would like to share any feedback with us you can do so by completing our short feedback form.
Useful background content
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.
January 2024 saw the first availability of external assessments, results will be seen on 20 March 2024 (21 March 2024 for Learners)
Remember that the terminal assessment rule requires learners to take the external assessment at the end of their qualification (when the learner is due or eligible to certificate). 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 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
