Find out more about your BTEC First, National and Higher National assessment and results, and read the answers to some frequently asked questions.
How are BTECs marked and graded?
Our BTEC qualifications are made up of units and you complete assignments and tests to link theory work with practical exercises.
All of our BTEC Firsts, Nationals and Higher Nationals contain some internal assessment where assignments are set and marked by your teacher, tutor or training provider.
Internally assessed assignments are set and marked by your teacher, tutor or training provider. We then verify the marks are correct, through a sampling process called standards verification.
Standards verification is necessary to make sure that all students have their assignments assessed according to the national standard. Most of the time, we will approve and accept the marks you've been given and issue certificates when you complete the course.
However, if we find that work hasn't been marked in line with our expectations, your school, college or training provider may need to adjust your marks or ask you to complete additional work before we'll issue a certificate.
The grade you can achieve for each unit depends on the BTEC qualification you're completing. The table below shows the possible unit grades from highest to lowest.
| BTEC Level 1/2 Firsts | BTEC Level 1/ 2 Tech Awards | BTEC Level 2 Technicals | BTEC Level 3 Nationals (teaching from 2014) BTEC (QCF) qualifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 Distinction (D) | Level 2 Distinction (L2D) |
Distinction (D) |
Distinction (D) |
| Level 2 Merit (M) | Level 2 Merit (L2M) |
Merit (M) |
Merit (M) |
| Level 2 Pass (P) | Level 2 Pass (L2P) | Pass (P) | Pass (P) |
| Level 1 Pass (L1) | Level 1 Distinction (L1D) | Near Pass (N) | |
| Level 1 Merit (L1M) | |||
| Level 1 Pass (L1) |
If the work you produce doesn’t meet the grading criteria for the lowest passing grade available for your qualification (P, L1 or N), you will be awarded a U, which means ’unclassified’.
How do you calculate my overall grade?
Once you have completed your BTEC, all of your unit grades are converted into a points score, which are added together to calculate your overall grade.
How to calculate point scores and your overall BTEC grade
When will you send my results to UCAS?
We start sending results to UCAS in July and continue to keep UCAS updated. For the BTEC Nationals from 2016, if you have achieved the required grades needed to get an overall qualification grade and you have made an application for a University place via UCAS, we will share your result with them in advance of results day. This happens in the same way that A level results are shared with UCAS.
If you've received your certificate but UCAS doesn't yet have your results, please speak to the exams officer or administrator at your school, college or training provider. They'll be able to get in touch with their Pearson account specialist to resolve any issues preventing your results from being passed on.
Clearing is a UCAS service that matches students to courses that still have places available. It runs from mid-July until September and is a real option if you didn’t apply for university, or if you want to go but didn’t get the grades you needed.
For more information on whether you can apply through clearing, speak to your careers advisor or visit the UCAS website.
Lists of courses with places available are published on the UCAS website and in national newspapers after results day. Not all universities, colleges or courses have vacancies in clearing, but you don’t have to stick with the subjects you originally applied for – you may find something you are better suited to or that you are more interested in.
For more information on the clearing process, check out the UCAS website.
Understanding marks and grades
- 9-1 awarding FAQs
- Calculating your overall BTEC grade: Information for students
- Using the BTEC grade calculator
- GCSE and A level marks and grades
- Converting marks, points and grades
- Onscreen, on-demand test results
-
Understanding your results
- GCSE results explained
- A level results explained
- Edexcel Certificate results explained
- Digital Applications (CiDA and DiDA) results explained
- International GCSE results explained
- International Advanced Level results explained
- Functional Skills results explained
- Project results explained
- BTEC results explained
- Special requirements: Information for students and parents
- Edexcel International Primary and Lower Secondary Curriculum results explained
