This guide is for centre staff who will be using Pearson’s Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG) submission portal in 2021. The portal is referred to as the ‘TAG Portal’ throughout this guide and will be used for relevant GCSE, AS, A-Level and BTEC qualifications.

Q-TAG Portal User Guide 1.7 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/teaching-and-learning-hub/Awarding-results-2021/btec-user-guide-qtags-2021.pdf false 2023-11-20T16:32:34.585Z

Q-TAG Portal User Guide (PDF | 1.7 MB)

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Submitting Teacher Assessed Grades to Pearson in Summer 2021 ( 10:28min )

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Submitting Teacher Assessed Grades to Pearson in Summer 2021 ( 10:28min )

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From the documents below, you can access all relevant gudiance for awarding Q-TAGs this summer for your certificating learners and information on mid-flight learners. 

Awarding results in 2021 1.2 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/teaching-and-learning-hub/Awarding-results-2021/awarding-results-2021-guidance.pdf false 2023-12-08T15:00:20.059Z

Awarding results in 2021 (PDF | 1.2 MB)

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Here is a step-by-step decision flowchart and a video to help you make decisoins on Q-TAGs.

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Q-TAG Decision Flowchart for BTEC ( 7:48min )

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Q-TAG Decision Flowchart for BTEC ( 7:48min )

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BTEC Specialist AME is a B2 category qualification. The process for Q-TAGs is different for these qualifications. Please see the floqchart and guidance in the links below. 

B2 Q-TAG Decision Flowchart 228.1 KB pdf /content/dam/pdf/teaching-and-learning-hub/Awarding-results-2021/btec-b2-q-tag-flowchart.pdf false 2023-12-08T15:00:20.137Z Reduced unit assessment guidance 720.7 KB pdf /content/dam/pdf/teaching-and-learning-hub/Reduced-unit-assessment-guidance.pdf false 2021-01-25T17:23:45.920Z

B2 Q-TAG Decision Flowchart (PDF | 228.1 KB)

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Reduced unit assessment guidance (PDF | 720.7 KB)

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• Q-TAG for B2 Qualifications - Guidance, instructions and intention to request Q-TAG form
• Reclassification, information and actions for Engineering B2 qualifications

Please download and view the list of BTEC qualifications to check whether your qualifications are identified as those where results will be issued based on a Teacher Assessed Grade.

We continue to work with Ofqual, DfE and other VTQ Awarding Organisations to ensure that we have sufficient plans in place to respond to scenarios that may emerge as we come out of lockdown, and also to respond to the impact that the past 18 months has had on the provision of teaching, learning and assessment.

For now, and in line with our guidance , please report all internal assessments that were due, but could not take place due to the pandemic (scheduled to take place between 1 August 2020-31 August 2021), via the ‘Z Flag’ process. This can be used for all ‘B1’ BTEC qualifications, namely: Firsts, Nationals, Tech Awards and Technicals. If the assessment did take place, you should of course report the unit grade awarded using the ‘interim’ function. If learners have assessments that are due to take place next year, you should not report anything against those units, as you have not yet assessed them.

For mid-flight learners we anticipate that a TAG (component or qualification-level) will be requested by Pearson during the learner’s year of certification. At the time of writing, this will apply only to those units which were due to be assessed between 1 August 2020 – 31 August 2021, including external assessments.

As noted in the section above, although Tech Awards have ‘in-unit’ reductions for assessment which we hope will have enabled assessment to continue, where whole unit assessment was due but could not take place due to the pandemic, these units can be marked using the 'Z Flag'.

If assessment is not due until 2021/22 the 'Z Flag' should not be used.

Where assessment has been completed using the ‘in-unit’ reductions, then the unit grade achieved should be reported in the system, using the ‘interim’ claim function.

In this issue

• BTEC - Key dates for qualifications most similar to GCSEs and A-Levels (B1)
• BTEC – Q-TAG External Quality Assurance checks – reminder
• BTEC – Submitting Q-TAG when all assessment is completed
• BTEC - Mid-flight learners
  BTEC – Tech Awards and ‘Z Flag’ functionality
• BTEC - Standards Verification sampling for ‘B1’ BTECs
• BTEC - Category ‘B2’ qualifications – Notification of Performance (NOPs)
  Appeals update
• BTEC - Updated Childcare guidance
  Reminder – video guides
• BTEC - Reminder - Delivery of key units for Higher Education
• Results Day embargo and UCAS Track
• Functional Skills and EPA – Remote Invigilation is now live
• General qualification news.

• VQ bulletin issue 20
• VQ bulletin blog

The BTEC FAQs have been frequently updated to answer frequently asked questions in relation to summer 2021 awarding. You can access FAQs in the link below. 

• BTEC FAQs