FAQs

Yes. Your delivery plan needs to enable your learners to achieve the best they can however, there are a few points to consider when planning your programme such as:

• Checking sampling requirements and deadlines to make sure you will have samples ready for submission at the right time.  You can find this information in the Centre Guide to Standards Verification.
• Does your plan make best use of synoptic units so your learners can draw on their learning across the programme to develop the knowledge and skills required to achieve the very best they can?
• Does the plan reflect the unit guidance in the specification?

If you are unsure about any of these points or need any help when planning your programme contact your Subject Advisor who will be happy to help.

Yes. We’re happy for you to design and use your own forms. All we ask is that in addition to your own requirements you also include what we have in our templates as a minimum. Here’s one of our templates you can use for reference.

Yes. Samples for standards verification can be sent electronically using a range of options such as DropBox, Google etc.

Please notify your Pearson Standards Verifier by email with details of where they can access materials and how to do so ensuring all files are clearly labelled. Please also check to make sure you have granted any permissions needed for your Pearson Standards Verifier to be able to access the materials. Guidance on meeting GDPR requirements can be found in the Centre Guide to Standards Verification.

Yes. All Standards Verifiers have access to myBTEC and can access assessment documentation using this method. When arranging your sample, please let the Standards Verifier know that you are using myBTEC for this purpose.

Yes. This is a working document. Dates planned into your assessment plans can be amended but you will need to make sure your Pearson Standards Verifier is notified of any changes via email.

Yes. We are happy for you to design your own assignment briefs around your needs and requirements. We provide assignment briefs to save you time in case you need them and these are found in the course materials section of the relevant specification pages on our website.  

We offer a free assignment checking service for BTEC centres to help make sure that your assignments allow learners to demonstrate the appropriate evidence for the required criteria.

Access our assignment checking service.

No. Your assignment brief needs to cover just what is being assessed so no need to include the entire unit content. Please remember that Learning Aims should not be split across Assignments.

Yes. You can give feedback to your learners on their work, however, you mustn’t provide them with feedback that would specifically show them how to meet criteria to achieve a higher grade.  

Yes. We think it is good practice to annotate learner work however, this must be purely to highlight where learner evidence contributes to the achievement of a specific assessment criteria.

You can provide summative feedback so it is clear why that learner has not met the individual assessment criteria but you must not add comments that indicate what needs to be added as that would affect a resubmission.

Yes. You can justify why the criteria has been awarded or not awarded but you can’t tell the learner what to do to improve their grade.

No.  If the video evidence clearly demonstrates the learner’s performance an observation record is not required. They are not a mandatory requirement for presentations when the learner is presenting to camera

Observation records are often used to support and enhance learner generated evidence if the video evidence does not clearly demonstrate how the learner has performed.

An example of appropriate use could be in a group activity such as a rehearsal, where the learner is situated at the back of the group and is not always visible in the shot. An observation record can be used to confirm skills have been demonstrated which may not have been captured on camera. They can also be used if the quality of the recording is poor.

All unit content needs to be taught, where relevant, to provide learners with the breadth and depth to their studies. There is no formula for how much content needs to be assessed.

The amount of content the learner will need to refer to will depend on the specific requirements of the actual assignment and the requirements of the assessment criteria and associated assessment guidance which can sometimes prescribe which areas of the unit content needs to be assessed.

No.  If a learner meets the criteria for a resubmission opportunity and one is authorised, the learner should be given the opportunity to submit to the full range of the assessment criteria targeted by the Assignment. It is not necessary to resubmit the whole assignment, only the criteria identified as needing further work by the Assessor and Lead IV.

No. A retake opportunity means a new assignment which targets only the pass criteria that the learner has not yet met following submission and resubmission.

No. There is no requirement to internally verify every learner. The sample must include learners who have been awarded each grade and a sample of assessment decisions for all assessors and all assignments need to be internally verified.

No. They don’t need to complete all internal verification activities but should sub-sample other Internal Verifiers.  

Yes. The Lead Internal Verifier has overarching responsibility for the quality assurance of and overview of the programme delivery and assessment, ensuring standards are met and assessments are accurate. This can be the Assessor for a specific subject however they cannot internally verify their own assessments.

No. Lead Internal Verifiers should ensure that a suitable internal verification process is completed which is based on risk. This will ensure support is provided to colleagues who need it.

We recommend that all BTEC programmes have an internal verification plan at the start of the course or unit to identify an appropriate sample size. Internal verification plans are simply this – plans. We know that things are subject to change, so teams may need to reflect on the sample size once delivery and assessments have commenced.

Once assessment has taken place and assessment decisions have been made, you may choose to change the number of learners sampled for internal verification. For example, if the group has been awarded high grades you may choose to increase the number of learners sampled at this grade.

Yes. Your LIV can also teach and assess on the programme.

No. The Pearson Standards Verifier needs to see evidence of internal verification within the sample, but this does not mean all learners submitted for sampling must have been internally verified. When arranging the sample with your Standards Verifier, you should indicate which learners have been internally verified on your assessment tracking sheet so your Pearson Standards Verifier can select the correct sample to include as evidence of internal verification.

No. As long as there have been no issues with the assessor’s decisions at the first submission stage, the resubmission will not need to be internally verified. The Lead Internal Verifier should however check the decisions if a specific learner’s grade has shown improvement or if no learners achieved higher grades.