Help with post-16 choices

Vocational courses have a mixture of practical and theory learning about a specific industry and will involve work experience where possible.

This means that you will have a mixture of practical and theory learning about a specific industry and will involve work experience.

In the same way there are different exam boards for GCSE’s, there are also other exam boards that offer vocational courses such as UAL, OCR Cambridge Technical and City & Guilds.

BTECs have different levels from Entry Level up to Level 5 and can take a different amount of time to complete.

Level 1 – a one-year course, an introduction to working in a particular vocational area.

Level 2 - a one-year course, similar standard to 4 GCSE’s.

Level 3 – a one or two-year course, similar standard to A-Levels.

Level 3 Extended Diplomas are the equivalent of 3 A-Levels and take 2 years to complete.

The different levels and courses have specific entry requirements so please read these carefully and apply for the level which best suits your predicted grades.

You will be assessed regularly by completing different units as part of each course.

You will have coursework to do to show what you have learned.

There will be a variety of practical tests as you go along, for example, you could be putting on a dance performance, presenting a business plan or coaching a sport session.

You may complete some tasks individually or as a team.

Some courses also have written tests, similar to exams.

To find out more about each of our courses, look at our website and come to our open events.

Although we have a team of work placement officers who will help you find and set up a work placement we would recommend that you think about who or where you would like to gain experience and strongly encourage you to approach local companies for opportunities.

For more information, visit our Work and Industry Placements page.

A BTEC is more focussed on a particular area, you will only study ONE subject. It is more hands- on and you will be working hard continuously through the whole course.

A Levels allow you to learn about subject based topics and theories and you can choose to study 3 subjects at most sixth form colleges. They are assessed differently with exams at the end of the two years.

Research the options available to you to find out more.

Think about the following questions:

• What will your predicted grades allow you to apply for?
• Think about which type of assessment you do well in- are you better at coursework and practical assessments? Do you perform well in exams?
• Are you ready to specialise on one subject or would you like to study several?
• Do you have a particular career aim? If so, what are the entry requirements for this?

If you are unsure and would like to discuss your options, please email your questions to us, or book an appointment to speak with one of our careers advisors.

Yes- most university courses will accept a Level 3 Extended Diploma as the equivalent of 3 A Levels.

You will achieve Pass, Merit or Distinction in your units which will add up to give you an overall grade at the end of the 2-year course.

Universities use UCAS tariff points to compare qualifications:

BTEC grade	UCAS points	A Level grades
D*D*D*	168	A*A*A*
DDD	144	A A A
DDM	128	A B B
DMM	112	B B C
MMM	96	C C C
MMP	80	C D D

For more information on T Levels available at West Suffolk College, visit our dedicated T Level page, where you'll be able to easily access links to apply for our T Levels.