VQ Bulletin - Issue 20
Welcome to the latest issue of the VQ Bulletin.
Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the latest VQ Bulletin.
We hope that those of you who had half term last week had a restful and restorative break. As you will be aware the Q-TAG portal is now available with full functionality so that you are able to submit learner Q-TAGs and Head of Centre declarations for learners due to certificate on an eligible BTEC qualification this summer. Thank you to those who attended the Q&A sessions, we hope you found them useful. We have updated our FAQs to reflect some of the most common questions from the sessions.
Should you need any further support on using the portal, please refer to our User Guide or video walk-through. We are confident everything you need to know about using the system can be found in these guides, which can also be accessed via our dedicated Awarding Results in 2021 webpage.
This edition has important information about the Appeals process following the JCQ announcement this week, as well as important updates about EQA checks and mid-flight learners.
As a quick reminder, the processes and mitigations in place vary this year, depending on the qualification. This is in line with Ofqual’s guidance, and this week’s bulletin continues to reference the category to refer to a range of vocational qualifications:
- ‘B1’ BTECS – those most similar to GCSEs and A-Levels (Firsts, Technicals, Tech Awards and Nationals)
- ‘B2’ qualifications – those not similar, including Functional Skills, and BTEC shorter courses.
You can find a full list of qualifications and the category they have been placed in here.
We understand how much you are doing at the moment, and want to thank you for your continued support. You and your team may notice that we are in touch with you directly more frequently from this week. This is because we want to ensure that you have all of the information you need, that you are confident with the processes we have put in place, and that all of your learners receive their results on time. We are grateful for your time, support and collaboration to make sure that this year is a success.
As always, you are welcome to contact us with any queries or concerns, keep informed by following @teachBTEC, or access our FAQ page, which is updated frequently.
Our social media is monitored from 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday and we welcome, and will respond to, any suggestions or feedback you have for us. You can also review past bulletins if you’ve missed any or sign up to receive future updates (if you have not already done so).
Thanks as always for your ongoing support and collaboration.
Jo Fowler
Assessment Director