Rowley Regis BTec student tells of BTec results delay stress as thousands left waiting for grades

A teen from West Midlands has been left in limbo as he is among thousands waiting for their Business and Technology Education Council (BTec) results.

Ramandeep Johal, 18, from Rowley Regis, said he was still waiting confirmation of his overall grade, just like many others.

Johal, who has chosen Birmingham City University as his first choice and the University of Wolverhampton as his second choice to study video games design, described the situation as “demoralising”.

“(It’s) stressful and I’m not quite happy with it either,” he said. He feels his efforts from the last two years had “gone down the drain basically”, adding: “It’s like saying those two years weren’t worth it at all if the results don’t come out.”

However, both universities he picked told him he still has his place and they would assist him through clearing if he did not meet the grade requirements.

Ramandeep is among thousands of students who could miss out on receiving results on today (Thursday 25 August) as the exam board is still dealing with delays to grades being issued last week. Across the UK, some 7,000 BTec students are “currently ineligible to receive their grade as they do not meet the qualification criteria at this time”, Pearson told PA.

Students have waited for almost a week after not receiving BTec results as planned last Thursday -same day A-levels were published.

What did Pearson say?

A spokesperson for Pearson said on Wednesday (August 24): “Today we sent 235,000 BTec Firsts, Technicals and Tech Awards grades to schools and colleges to be shared with students tomorrow. As of 9am today, there are 7,000 students that are currently ineligible to receive their grade as they do not meet the qualification criteria at this time.

“We have a dedicated team in place to work with schools and colleges to obtain and validate any outstanding information. Our focus is on running those eligibility checks and providing any results as quickly as possible to students. As always, we are grateful to the partnership of schools and colleges who are tirelessly supporting us in this work.”

They added that the changes this year take into account disruption to teaching and learning during the pandemic but have “added more complexity to the process.” They said they are unable to award results without the full information.

Pearson added that not all of the 7,000 students who are waiting would see their results on Thursday since they have not completed all modules. However, they added that their is flexibility built into the modular course.

Head teacher’s union’s response

Sarah Hannafin, senior policy adviser for school leaders’ union National Association of Head Teachers, called the situation “unacceptable.”

She said: “Despite the differences in the arrangements for unit assessments due to the pandemic and the complexity this has created, the exam boards have a responsibility to ensure that results are issued on time for all students, whose next steps may depend on their result.

“It is an unacceptable situation for potentially 7000 students to be without their BTEC results this week. This will cause unnecessary anxiety and stress as young people seek to confirm their places with sixth forms, colleges and training providers. And with no result, how can they celebrate their achievements with family and friends?”

What other results are pending?

As of Tuesday, there were about 1,100 outstanding claims for BTec Level 3 qualification results required for students’ Ucas applications, the exam board said.

There are delays with other exam boards as well as some students await Cambridge Technical results. Exam board OCR said on Wednesday morning that 692 students are still waiting for their results a week after others received theirs.

Students in England are waiting for GCSE grades and BTec results on Thursday.

What to do if you don’t receive BTec results today?

If students don’t receive their BTec result today, parents and students are advised to talk to the school or college or contact Pearson on 0345 618 0440.

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