If you wish to enrol at KESH Sixth Form, you will receive a one-to-one guidance meeting to help you make informed decisions. Choosing your Sixth Form subjects is one of the first significant decisions in your life where you have a major say – enjoy this taste of responsibility! Don’t just take a subject so you’ll be in a class with your friends, nor be influenced because of what others think of it. Equally, do not choose a subject because a certain teacher is teaching it – they may not teach the course for the next two years! When making your course choices, it’s worth keeping the future in mind– what subjects or careers might you want to pursue? Remember, you need certain subjects for some degree courses, while some universities have preferred subjects.
Whether you’ve already decided your courses for next year or you’re struggling to decide, here is some advice to help you make the right choices:
- A-levels are a lot tougher than GCSEs, so be prepared for a big jump in the level of difficulty. There are also big differences in the way you will be taught and what will be expected of you.
- Keep your future options wide open by selecting a smart mix of the most commonly asked-for subjects in university entry requirements.
- Separate “facts” from “myths”– don’t take everything you hear at face value or based on what a friend/older sibling says. It’s always worth investigating things yourself so you get the full picture.
Why a BTEC Course?
BTEC courses are career-based qualifications designed to give students the skills they need to move on to higher education or go straight into employment. A BTEC course develops a range of practical knowledge and skills which help students to prepare for – and progress in – their chosen career. More employers and Higher Education institutions than ever before are choosing BTEC-qualified candidates for their academic and practical knowledge and skills.
Since BTEC courses are designed with employment in mind, BTEC teaching focuses on teaching the specific skills needed in a particular subject area to succeed in the industry – something which is highly attractive to employers. Furthermore, BTEC courses are largely assessed via coursework and practical projects, unlike A-Levels, which are assessed through a large number of exams at the end of the course.
BTEC courses offer a great route into university; 95% of universities, including Russell Group universities, accept BTEC students. In fact, a study by London Economics found that:
- A higher proportion of learners completing university degrees through the BTEC route achieve a first class honours degree (12.2%) compared to individuals following the A-Level route (11.4%)
- The employment rate for graduates on the BTEC route were higher than for those graduates who followed the ‘A’ Level route because they better understood the labour market.
- BTEC qualifications are strong and established progression routes onto those university degree courses that are also acknowledged as being vital for economic growth.
- Specifically, graduates on the BTEC route are more likely to be employed, and amongst those that are employed, more likely to be employed on a full‐time basis.
- Graduates on the BTEC route were on a par with their A-Level peers in terms of the jobs they subsequently secured. More BTEC only graduates were found to be working as managers, senior officials, or in associate professional roles, compared to A-Level only graduates.