Pupils in Newport can't join college as BTec grade withheld

The parent of one BTec student said the decision to withhold final grades has left his son feeling like a “second-class student”.

Hundreds of thousands of BTec students are still waiting for their final grades after the exam board told schools and colleges not to release the results to pupils on Thursday.

Caleb Taylor, 19, is waiting for the results of his level three Btec in computing and business.

His father, Richard, said he has been unable to enrol at his college in Gwent for next year without knowing his final grades.

He told the PA news agency: “I think it’s a disgrace. He feels like he is a second-class student, and Btecs are seen as less important than A-levels because they have been sorted out last.

“Technical qualifications shouldn’t be seen as less than. My son is really anxious because he doesn’t know what he will be doing next year.

“He plans to go to university but it is a good thing he didn’t want to go this year because he would have missed out on his space.

“There has just been no communication, we just don’t know what is going on.”

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Schools and colleges were told not to issue BTec results to students on Wednesday after another last-minute U-turn on grading.

Exam board Pearson said it would recalculate results based on centre-assessed grading and provide them the following week.

Plaid Cymru shadow education minister, Sian Gwenllian MS said: “Once again students following vocational courses are being made to feel like the Cinderellas of the Welsh education system.

“The news that the exam board Pearson was not going to be releasing its BTec results as a result of their decision to regrade will have serious repercussions for thousands of students across Wales, with many still not knowing what the future holds for them. Young people are being let down again and this is simply not good enough.  

“Thousands of BTec students will have already received their grades last week, with the rest due this morning.

"Now there is more waiting, more uncertainty and once again students following BTec courses are being treated as second class citizens.  

“Pearson needs to announce when the grades will be available. 

"Some Level-3 BTec students may now be able to access university courses after all but will miss out because places are already being given to A-level students who already know they have improved grades and are in a much better position to move forward."