BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business › assets › Uploads › Sixth...Welcome to the BTEC...

Heathcote School and Science College

Heathcote School & Science College

Business Studies Department

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business

Transition Guide Handbook 2018-19

Name:

Teacher/s:


Course Introduction Welcome to the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business course. The course is a two year business qualification course, which prepares you for employment or higher education in this area. The course is divided into 13 units over two academic years. The course is a mixture of externally assessed examinations, which hold 42% of the total qualification. 58% of the course is internally assessed coursework. The nature of the course will enable you to develop other skills and personal qualities such as: personal time management, organisational and prioritising skills, team working skills, independent research skills, as well as key skills such as communication, numerical, and ICT The vocational nature of the course means that you will be required to investigate and apply your knowledge to real businesses situations and gain appropriate work experience. The purpose of the handbook is to guide you through the course and answer any questions that you may have had. The handbook is also important to you as it contains many important details that will help you as you progress through the course. You will find that you will always be encouraged to achieve the highest possible grade and to accomplish more than you believed that you are capable of achieving. Please read through the handbook to familiarise yourself with the requirements of the course. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask your teacher. Once again we welcome you to the course and hope you find it enjoyable. We wish you every success!

The Business Studies Department


Prior attainment GCSE grades

Subject

Grade

Target grade:


About the course

What are BTEC Nationals? BTEC National qualifications are undertaken in further education and sixth-form colleges, schools and other training providers, and have been since they were introduced in 1984. Their purpose, approaches to teaching, learning and assessment are established and understood by teaching professionals, employers and learners alike.

Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma – 1080 GLH The 1080-GLH BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma extends and deepens the specialist work-related focus from the BTEC Level 3 Diploma. There is potential for the qualification to prepare learners for appropriate direct employment in the vocational sector and it is suitable for those who have decided that they clearly wish to enter a particular specialist area of work. It is broadly equivalent to three GCE A Levels. Some learners may wish to gain the qualification in order to enter a specialist area of employment or to progress to a higher education foundation degree, HND or other professional development programme. Other learners may want to extend the specialist nature of the subjects they studied on the BTEC Level 3 Diploma or another programme of study.

Key features of the BTEC Nationals in Business The BTEC Nationals in Business have been developed in the business sector to:

provide education and training for employees in the business sector

provide opportunities for business employees to achieve a nationally recognised Level 3 vocationally-specific qualification

provide full-time learners the opportunity to enter employment in the business sector or to progress to vocational qualifications such as the Edexcel BTEC Higher Nationals in Business

provide learners the opportunity to develop a range of skills and techniques, personal skills and attributes essential for successful performance in working life.


How The Course Will Be Run

The BTEC National Certificate in Business will be run by the Business Studies department at Heathcote School.

Name Role

Mr Oran Lead Internal Verifier, Course Assessor and Quality Assessor

The principal activities of the course team are:

Planning, monitoring and reviewing of all aspects of course delivery; Assessment, giving feedback and verification of all students assignments; Reporting information to College management e.g. student attendance; Advising and informing parent(s)/guardians and tutors on the progress of students; Providing information to the examination board (Edexcel).

The Roles Of Your Teachers

Monitoring your attendance and punctuality in lessons; Monitoring your organisation on the course with spot checks on work files Checking on your academic progress at all stages and units; Liasing with regularly within the department, quality assessor and, where necessary, your

parent(s)/guardian; Providing references to prospective employers and other academic institutions when

requested; Providing you with information regarding the course from Edexcel; Providing you with information relating to all of the units.

You are entitled to meet with your teachers on an individual basis to discuss your assignment feedback or with the course leader to discuss your progress. This will lead to agreed actions to improve your coursework, which may be reviewed in a later session. Although your teachers will try their best to accommodate your requests for a meeting with you they may not always be available when you want. The course team have other teaching responsibilities. It is therefore advisable that you consult with your teacher as to the best time to arrange a meeting with them and arrange a convenient appointment. However, please be aware that your teacher may request to see you after school to discuss progress as this may be the most convenient time to them, so be prepared for this. Should you require them, you are welcome to invite your parent(s)/guardian, course leader or quality assessor to the meeting.


How Many Lessons Will You Have Every Week? Your formal timetable commitment will be 18 hours per week. You will need to schedule your personal time for research, planning and writing your assignments. Lessons will be taught in class. This will also include the assigned time that has been directed for independent research. This will be given in the form of homework, to be completed during your free lessons and as homework. Your coursework deadlines will be set by your teacher. They will decide this on the reasonable length of time that they believe students will need to produce a piece of coursework that meets the highest standards.

Your Responsibilities On The Course You made a conscious and active decision to enrol on the BTEC Extended Diploma in Business. Your course will provide access to new learning opportunities and skills. Your previous knowledge from GCSE Business Studies or gained from observation and experience will help you. Attendance Success on the course is strongly linked to full and punctual attendance to all classes. A class register is taken at every class. The register is open to the inspection of the course leader, quality assessor, your parent(s)/guardian and school management at any time. Occasionally your teacher may be requested to comment on your attendance. This could be for the purposes of report writing, a reference request and school inspections. Punctuality Any student arriving late for class will be registered as late. Late arrival to class will be highly disruptive to the lesson and upset the learning others. Should you find yourself delayed you should first contact the school to let to pass the message to your teacher. What else is expected of you? You will be required to attend all of your lessons and complete all of your coursework on time. This will allow you to get the most out of your course and give you the best chance of success. This will also allow you seek assistance from your teachers. You will be expected to adopt a mature attitude and accept responsibility for your own learning. You will be given plenty of opportunities to conduct your own independent research. This is an integral part of the course. You will also be responsible for your own discipline and self-management.


You will be also expected to be prepared for all of your lessons with the appropriate resources. These will include:

o A4 File with sections divided for the work of each teacher

o A4 Ring binder to store notes/ copies of coursework in at home

o Paper to write on

o Pens & Pencils

o Notes from previous lessons

o Assignment briefs and assessment criteria

o USB for saving and storing work

o Calculator for any calculations

o Text books It also will be your responsibility to;

o Back up any work by saving it on your USB and school computer o Keep a spare copy of all printed out notes o Look after and keep your file organised o Look after coursework that has been returned to you to improve.

Other things your teachers will expect from you Students-

o are advised to read a broadsheet paper at the weekend, news and business/finance sections

o are advised to watch the news at least three times a week, BBC1/ITV1/Newsnight

o will be advised of relevant reading material

o must sign up for a yahoo email that is used exclusively for subject work

o must meet all homework and coursework deadlines.


Programme of study The Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business is a 1080-guided-learning-hour (GLH) qualification that consists of 7 mandatory units plus 6 optional units.


Assessment and grading

Assessment is specifically designed to fit the purpose and objective of the qualification. It includes a range of assessment types and styles suited to vocational qualifications in the sector. There are three main forms of assessment that you need to be aware of: external, internal and synoptic. Externally-assessed units Each external assessment for a BTEC National is linked to a specific unit. All of the units developed for external assessment are of 90 or 120 GLH to allow learners to demonstrate breadth and depth of achievement. Each assessment is taken under specified conditions, then marked by Pearson and a grade awarded. You must achieve all external units at pass grade or above. The styles of external assessment used for qualifications in the Business suite are: • Examinations – all learners take the same assessment at the same time, normally with a written outcome • Set tasks – learners take the assessment during a defined window and demonstrate understanding through completion of a vocational task. Some external assessments include a period of preparation using set information. External assessments are available twice a year and learners can have only one resit attempt during the programme. Internally-assessed units Most units are internally assessed and subject to external standards verification. This means that your teacher will set and assess the assignments that provide the final summative assessment of each unit. You are assessed using a variety of styles to help them develop a broad range of transferable skills. You could be given opportunities to: • write up the findings of their own research • use case studies to explore complex or unfamiliar situations • carry out projects for which they have choice over the direction and outcomes • demonstrate practical and communication skills using appropriate presentations and role plays. Synoptic assessment Synoptic assessment requires students to demonstrate that they can identify and use effectively, in an integrated way, an appropriate selection of skills, techniques, concepts, theories and knowledge from across the whole sector as relevant to a key task. You will apply their learning in realistic contexts using scenarios and realistic activities that will allow you to draw on and apply your learning. For these qualifications BTEC have formally identified units to be a focus for synoptic assessment. Synoptic units may be internally or externally assessed. Students who complete the unit but who do not meet all the pass criteria are graded ‘unclassified’.

Heathcote School and Science College Re-submissions and re-takes

Internal assessments Re-submissions Each internal assignment can be submitted once, within 15 days of the original work being returned to the student. You can improve their grade, whether that’s to reach the Pass threshold, or to achieve a narrowly-missed Merit or Distinction. Re-takes If you are till short of the Pass threshold, then they can re-take the assessment for that unit, against a new assignment brief which covers only Pass criteria. External assessments Re-sits Students can re-sit externally assessed units once, in the next available assessment window. Because you will take a new paper or task brief, grades aren’t capped in re-sits, and you can improve your unit grade. Grading for units and qualifications Achievement in the qualification requires a demonstration of depth of study in each unit, assured acquisition of a range of practical skills required for employment or progression to HE, and successful development of transferable skills. Students achieving a qualification will have achieved across mandatory units including external and synoptic assessment. Units are assessed using a grading scale of Distinction, Merit, Pass and Unclassified. All mandatory and optional units contribute proportionately to the overall qualification grade, for example a unit of 120 GLH will contribute double that of a 60 GLH unit. Qualifications in the suite are graded using a scale of P to D*, or PP to D*D*, or PPP to D*D*D* Eligibility for an award In order to be awarded a qualification you must complete all units and achieve a pass or above in all mandatory units unless otherwise specified. To achieve any qualification grade, you must: • complete and have an outcome (D, M P or U) for all units within a valid combination • achieve the required units at pass or above and for the Extended Diploma achieve a minimum of 900 GLH at pass or above • achieve the minimum number of points at a grade threshold. Points available for internal units The table below shows the number of points available for internal units. For each internal unit, points are allocated depending on the grade awarded.


Points available for external units Raw marks from the external units will be awarded points based on performance in the assessment. The points scores available for each external unit at grade boundaries are as follows.

Calculation of qualification grade

Heathcote School and Science College Below are examples of calculation of grades


Assignment information When you are given a new assignment you will receive:

a Unit Title – telling you which unit you are studying and the title of your coursework;

a Unit Description – giving you a brief description of the purpose of the unit;

the Assessment Criteria – this is a statement of evidence that you need to produce in order to receive a pass, merit or distinction grade;

the Assignment Brief – this is the coursework task that you have given that enables you

to meet the assessment criteria;

a Deadline – this deadline must be strictly observed.

When you have completed your assignment you coursework will be marked and you will receive:

an Assessment Feedback sheet – this tells you which assessment criteria has been achieved and which you have not.

Each task from your coursework will be marked by your teachers once it is handed in by the deadline. As each task is completed and marked, it will be held by your teacher until the complete assignment is finished. The completed assignment will be returned to you. Any resubmissions have a 15 day resubmissions deadline. Your teachers will mark and internally verify the coursework, by checking it to see whether the assessment is correct, to ensure that it reaches national standards. You will then be given detailed written feedback about your coursework and the grade.


Check list for submission of work Here is a check list for the final submission of your work.

YES NO

1 Does my assignment have a clear front page which gives details of My name, candidate number, assignment title, unit title and unit number

2 Does each piece of work have a header with my candidate name and number on it and unit number being assessed?

3 Does each piece of work have a footer with my task number and assignment title and page number on it?

4 Are quotes from text books, magazines, newspapers and websites clearly labelled?

5 Are diagrams, charts, etc clearly labelled with titles?

6 Are pages numbered and placed in order?

7 Have your proof read your work to check for any spelling or grammar mistakes, errors, or omissions in order to ensure quality?

8 Is there a bibliography present which states: Names and authors of text books, newspapers, magazine articles, as well as website addresses

9 Is the assignment presented in an appropriate soft wallet?

10 Does the resubmitted work come with previously marked and corrected work?

11 Is the assignment returned with the assignment brief and assessment criteria?

12 Have you included and signed your confirmation stating that the work submitted is your own work?

Submitting your Coursework Whenever you are set a new assignment you will be given a coursework deadline. Your coursework must always be submitted on or before the deadline date and time. More often your coursework will be divided into tasks, and each task will have its mini deadline. The deadline will be indicated on your assignment front sheet and your feedback sheet will also reveal whether you did submit your coursework on time. This is a requirement of the centre and failure to meet the stated deadlines may result in your grades being withheld to allow time for the assignment assessor and internal verifier to grade your work. Students must word-process all of their coursework and submit the hard copy print out. However, we are working toward electronic submission of coursework. This method ensures that your coursework is protected and that your teacher is able to a save a copy of your coursework themselves in case you lose the original version.


STUDENT APPEALS PROCESS

Plagiarism

Student receives assessor’s feedback

Stage 1 – Student Appeal Student appeals grading discusses their grade

with the assignment assessor

Stage 2 – Internal Verifier’s Assessment Student and assignment assessor fail to reach an

agreement. Case is referred to the Internal Verifier

Stage 3 – Quality Assessor’s Decision Student and Internal Verifier fail to reach an

agreement. Case referred to Quality Assessor who will make the final decision

Internal Appeal Closed Student accepts the grading

No agreement reached



Agreement reached

Agreement reached

Agreement reached

Student Appeals to Edexcel Student accepts the grading



The above is Heathcote School’s appeals procedure. It should be noted that students have the right to further appeal to the awarding body if they are dissatisfied. This appeal would normally be made via the centre.

Plagiarism In line with the policy of the Centre, all work submitted in your assignments must be your own and not copied. This includes copying from the internet, other students, books, journals, newspapers and magazines. If there is a suspicion that this has occurred you will be required to explain this to your assignment assessor in the first instance. Should it subsequently be proved that you have copied work from another source the examination board, along with your parent/guardian, will be notified. You may be required to completely redo the piece of work. To avoid the suspicion of plagiarism you should reference all sources of information that you have used. If you need to quote an extract of another person’s work, you must identify the author, where you obtained it from and it year of publication. A correct example of this is: In the academic world, plagiarism by students is a very serious academic offense which can result in punishments such as a failing grade on the particular assignment (typically at the high school level), or a failing grade for the course (typically at the college or university level). For cases of repeated plagiarism, or for cases where a student has committed a severe type of plagiarism (e.g., copying an entire article and submitting it as their own work), a student may be suspended or expelled, and any academic degrees or awards may be revoked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism, March 8, 2007

This example clearly shows that the text has been quoted. However it also highlights that it has been clearly referenced. Referencing can be in the form of the source in brackets or as a footnote. All references should also be included in the Bibliography at the end of your assignment. To further avoid any suspicion of plagiarism, it is best to interpret what the quoted text means to you.

Please note! It should be noted that should plagiarism be proven, then the students will be asked to resubmit the assignment. It may also be the case that if a student is caught copying work from another student then both students may be asked to resubmit the work. Students should be aware of this when allowing others to ‘look at’ their work.


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