Computer Science, ICT and Digital Skills
BTEC Tech Award September Update
Welcome back to another school year! I hope all of your students had a successful results experience in August and that you are rested and ready for the challenges ahead.
Accessing and analysing your results
Preparing for Summer Results
Multi-Factor Authentication for Edexcel Online
To avoid any unnecessary delay in accessing your results and supporting learners, we are asking you to log on to one of the following platforms, ensuring you have a valid password and can authenticate using the MFA app.
- Edexcel Online (EOL)
- ResultsPlus
- Exam Viewer
The sooner you do this and ensure that your access is working the better.
Secure callbacks: Some issues, such as the need for an MFA device reset, requires us to complete a secure callback on the number we have on file. This usually means speaking to your centre reception first.
We have adapted our secure callback process to allow the use of a personal mobile number. If any secure callbacks are required during the summer holidays while you are not in centre, we are still able to do this quickly and securely.
Further Support: We appreciate that you may have questions about multi factor authentication..
Accessing Pearson Services Using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Results days: Key dates
| Qualification |
Exam session | Results to centres | Results to students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Award 2022 | Dec/Jan 2025 | 19/03/2025 | 20/03/2024 |
| Tech Award 2022 | May/Jun 2025 | 15/08/2025 | 21/08/2025 |
View the key date schedule documents for all relevant dates
Grade Boundaries
You can access Summer 2024 grade boundaries by component by using the Raw Mark to UMS convertor tool called 'BTEC marks convertor support' found on the website.
Using this tool you can access all raw to UMS conversions for all components in the Tech Award 2022 qualification.
Once you know each component UMS mark you can add these together to calculate the overall qualification score using the grade table from the specification. See below.
| Qualification Grade | L2D* | L2D | L2M | L2P | L1D | L1M | L1P |
| Max UMS = 300 | 270 | 240 | 210 | 180 | 150 | 120 | 90 |
Learners who do not achieve the standard required for a Level 1 Pass grade will receive a uniform mark in the range 0–89.
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.
Availability of Summer 2024 Question Papers, Mark Schemes and Examiner Reports
Exam materials from the Summer 2024 exam series will be made available on our website (secure download) on the following dates:
| Assessment materials | Date of availability on website |
|---|---|
| Question Papers | Available |
| Mark Schemes | Results Day |
| PSA Moderator Reports | Results Day |
| Externally assessed component Examiner Reports | Results Day |
ResultsPlus - our online results analysis tool
ResultsPlus is our free online results analysis tool, that gives you a detailed breakdown of your students’ performance in Pearson Edexcel exams.
It provides you with detailed analysis available of your students’ performance compared to national and other schools.
You can access ResultsPlus using your Edexcel Online username and password if your account profile has ResultsPlus access granted by your Exams Officer.
Details for use of Results Plus for the Tech Award 2022 can be found in the support guide
Access to Scripts - Component 3
You can use our free Access to Scripts service to view your candidates’ marked exam scripts online or download as a PDF. It is available from results day until the 13 December 2024.
Providing a rich source of information, you can use this service to help make decisions about requesting a review of marking, but it can also help inform future teaching and learning and gives insights and visibility that performance data alone cannot provide.
Note, you will need 'Exam viewer' in your Edexcel Online profile if you want to download candidate scripts from results day. Please ask your Exams Officer if you need this adding to your profile.
What if you have questions about the results
Post-results support services
If you're not happy with your students' results this summer, you should take the following steps:
- View the grade boundaries, question papers, mark schemes and examiner reports for the paper/qualification concerned.
- View your students’ scripts using our free access to scripts service.
- Log in to ResultsPlus to see how your students have performed on every question for the externally assessed Component and compare their performance to the national average.
- If you are still unhappy with your students' results, you may apply for a review of marking via our post-results services.
Full details of all our post-results services are available on our website.
The deadline for requesting a Review of marking and moderation (ROMM) is 26 September 2024.
How to apply for post-results services
Please speak to your Exams Officer if you wish to proceed with a review of marking or moderation. Exams officers should contact their Centre Account Specialist on 0344 463 2535 if they require guidance or watch our post results video. All applications for reviews of marking or moderation must be submitted through Edexcel Online.
Post-results support for students
We have a dedicated web page for student post-results support. Please forward this link to your students where they can find information on the services for students.
Appeals
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of a review of marking or moderation, you may wish to appeal against the decision. We will allow the head of centre (or designated member of the centre’s senior management team or examinations manager) 30 calendar days from the receipt of the outcome of the review of marking or moderation, during which an appeal may be lodged by filling in the form below. All appeals must be submitted by the entering centre. We cannot accept appeals directly from candidates, their parents or other third parties acting on their behalf. The only exception to this is if private candidates are appealing directly without the support of the entering centre. There is further guidance on appeals on our website.
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
Subject updates
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Computer Science September Update
Welcome back to the new school year, I hope results met with expectations and you and your students have had a productive and restful break, ready for the year ahead.