New UCAS figures show at least 26% of accepted applicants to HE took a minimum of one BTEC last year. Just 63% of UK 18 year old applicants studied the traditional set of three A levels, and the newly-released report claims that if universities assume applicants have have experienced A-level style teaching and assessment, students may struggle.
Paul Teulon, Director of Admissions and Registry Services at King’s College London, said “It is crucial that universities have a good understanding of the structure, content, examination method, grades and grading distributions for all qualifications which they accept. At King’s last year we reviewed the performance of our BTEC students on programme and this lead to a strengthening of our entry requirements, which now focus more on the number of units at distinction level, rather than the overall grade.”
88% of Sixth Form Colleges now offer BTEC qualifications.