BTEC Nationals in Music and Music Technology: May 2017 update

We are now in May and the deadline for completing first dampling is approaching rapidly. This must be completed by 30 May and I ask you to work with your SV to make sure they have all necessary documents in time so they can complete the sampling and reporting by deadline. Any further sampling must be cmopleted by 30 June and again I ask you to work with your SV to meet this deadline.

The external assessments for the new Music Technology specifications need to be submitted this month with unit 5 submitted by 15 May and unit 6 and 7 submitted by 26 May. Results will be released on 16 August 2017. You will be able to access the exam paper and mark scheme online by the end of July with the Examiner's report being available from results day.

After the summer 2017 results are published in August, centres will be able to view and download scripts which have been marked online free of charge from our Self-Service Portal via Edexcel Online.

The Self-Service Portal will be available until the final post-results deadline for each exam series:

• Summer 2017 - Thursday 28 September

Customers should save and/or print any scripts they need for teaching and learning purposes before the post-results deadline.

Scripts do not have examiner annotation on them. The marked script allows teachers to evaluate how the student performed on particular questions in relation to what they have been taught; the Principal Examiner's Report and the exemplars that we make available demonstrate how the mark scheme is applied.

If scripts have been marked "traditionally" (i.e. not online), centres will have to request them via the Post Results section of Edexcel Online as in previous exam series.

These scripts will also be free of charge, but the final dates to request them are the same as the published JCQ Access to Scripts deadlines.

New BTEC National Extended Certificates in Sound Engineering and Digital Music Production

We have released the new BTEC National Extended Certificate in Music Technology specification online. There are two option at this size. The first is in Sound Engineering and the second is in Digital Music Production. These specifications are for first teaching in September 2017 and have been submitted to DfE for consideration on the 2019 performance measures in England. I will update you further when there is more news.

We are also developing a 180 guided learning hour, Certificate in Music Technology that will be submitted for consideration on performance measures in June. Further details on this specification will be available during the summer term.

Key Dates