Page 28 - StudyTravel Magazine August 2019 Issue

SECONDARY FOCUS STUDYTRAVEL MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019

are assessed. Since 2017, A-levels follow a more lin- ers,” reports Lilla. “Our BTEC students have recently
ear system with fi nal exams taken at the end of the worked with Ticketmaster, the British Film Institute
second year of study, while the BTEC assessment (BFI) and Harrods. The opportunity of engaging with
is a more fl exible modular system. “Assessments real-world employers is an element that separates
are continuous and students receive grades for each out BTEC courses from traditional study.” She adds,
module they do and so build up their credits over the “This provides students with an insight into the real
two years,” explains Liz Hird, Admissions Manager world and it prepares them for university and em-
UK & International at Shrewsbury Sixth Form College ployment alike.”
www.scg.ac.uk in Shrewsbury. “They lead to recog- Lucy Storey at Oxford Sixth Form College www.
nised qualifi cations and carry UCAS points to enable oxfordsixthformcollege.com points out that as the
students to use them for university entry.” BTEC is so fl exible international students can study
As BTECs do not involve external exams, Yong IELTS or English for Academic Purposes alongside
Fang at Broadway Education www.broadway- it. In addition, she says, “The [BTEC] programme is
education.com, a group of four independent schools coursework based and can be taken at a student’s
in the UK, points out that they work well for students own pace with no exams at the end of the course,
who may not excel in an exam situation but are good meaning that students can check the quality of their
at research and assignments. Liz agrees. “If students English before submitting their work.” It can also be
prefer a more hands-on practical course they may be studied together with an A-level “to top up a stu-
a better option than A-levels.” dent’s grades”, she adds.
Lilla Somogyi at Alpha Plus Group, whose DLD In terms of nationality, Chinese, Russian and Thai
College London www.dldcollege.co.uk offers students seem to be the most prevalent international
BTECs in business, digital media & production, BTEC takers. However, Lucy also notes an increase
and music technology, says the way in which a in “European students in recent years, as the pro-
BTEC is assessed enables students to build on gramme is increasingly recognised by universities as
their strengths. “Each course provides students a viable alternative to A-levels”.
with a mix of project-based assessments which Looking to the future, most sources are unani-
typically involve employer links, as well as written mous in their view that BTEC qualifi cations will
tests, online assessments and examinations. BTECs grow in popularity among international students.
have grown in popularity in recent years because “If we can get the message across that they are
they allow students to express their understanding worthwhile qualifi cations and can still lead to univer-
practically, as well as theoretically.” sity entry they will become more popular for those
BTECs are studied with close links to industry students who prefer the more practical and enjoy
with most courses including a period of employment. doing coursework compared to fi nal examinations,”
“We are incredibly proud of our links with employ- concludes Liz. gillian@studytravel.network

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