Calculating your overall BTEC grade | Pearson qualifications
Understanding marks and grades

BTEC: Calculating your overall grade

This page explains how to calculate the overall grade for BTEC qualifications. Detailed information is also available in the relevant specification. 

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If you're not sure which BTEC you studied, ask your school or college.

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This section explains how to calculate the overall grade for current BTEC qualifications accredited on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). This includes:

  • BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Firsts
  • BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Children's Play, Learning and Development (teaching from 2014)
  • BTEC Level 3 Nationals (teaching from 2016)

You can use the calculator to input unit grades, which will generate a qualification grade based on the information you have provided. 

Use our BTEC Firsts and Nationals Grade Calculator


BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Firsts (RQF)

Please note: In addition to meeting the relevant eligibility requirements and obtaining the total points listed above, candidates need a minimum number of points from the core units in order to achieve either the Level 2 or Level 1 fallback qualification. Please see Section 10 of the specification for more information.

BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Awards

BTEC Level 2 Technicals

BTEC Level 3 Nationals in CPLD (teaching from 2014) 

Please note: In addition to meeting the relevant eligibility requirements and obtaining the total points listed above, candidates need a minimum number of points from the core units to achieve the qualification. Please see Section 10 of the specification for more information.

BTEC Level 3 Nationals (teaching from 2016)

This section explains how to calculate the overall grade for BTEC qualifications accredited on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). This includes BTEC Level 2 Firsts, BTEC Level 3 Nationals and BTEC Level 4 and 5 Higher Nationals started after September 2010.

To calculate your BTEC overall grade we:

  1. Convert all of the grades you received into points score.
  2. Add together the points you scored for all of the mandatory units and select your best scores from any optional units. Any surplus credits will be listed on your Notification of Performance.
  3. Compare your total points score to the grade boundaries.

If you have completed two units with similar content, we may not be able to use points from both units when calculating your overall grade. You can find more information on 'forbidden combinations' in the specification for your course.

This section explains how to calculate the overall grade for older BTEC qualifications that started before September 2010 and are accredited on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

Should my BTEC certificate show an overall grade?

Before 2004, all BTECs were pass/fail qualifications. This means that if you started your BTEC before 2004, you may have been awarded merits or distinctions for individual units but the highest overall grade you could receive was a Pass (P).

We began introducing the additional overall grades of Merit (M) and Distinction (D) for specifications written after 2004.

My BTEC certificate shows an overall grade. How was it calculated?

To calculate your BTEC overall grade we:

  1. Convert all of the unit grades you received into a points score.
  2. Add together the points you scored for all of the core units and select your best scores from any specialist units.
  3. Compare your total points score to the grade boundaries.

If you have completed two units with similar content we may not be able to use points from both units when calculating your overall grade. You can find more information on 'forbidden combinations' in the specification for your course.

All you need to know to deliver BTEC

Read our step-by-step BTEC guide

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