Please see the below update from our Vice Principal Jade Otty regarding the status of BTEC exams with Exeter College.  

Dear Learner,  

Firstly, on behalf of the College we are very sorry for the late changes and confusion around the status of the planned January exams. We did not take the decision to cancel them lightly; we know that you have worked hard to prepare and that every previous statement from the government was that these exams should go ahead. However late on Tuesday 5th January, the Department for Education decided that each College should make an individual decision about whether it was right to proceed. Given this, we had no choice but to prioritise your safety by cancelling the exams.  

In addition, Pearson, your awarding body that oversees BTEC, have provided reassurance that cancelling the exams will in no way disadvantage you. Pearson’s guarantee to you late last night was as follows:  

• We will award a grade for any learner who is unable to take their exams and has enough evidence to receive a certificate that they need for progression.  
• Learners unable to take their assessment this January may be able to take their assessment at a later date. If that is not possible, we will put in place arrangements to ensure you are not disadvantaged.  
• We are working closely with the DfE and Ofqual on all of this and we will share more detail with you in the coming days. 

We therefore felt confident that making a late decision to cancel was in the best interest of all our learners. We will now work closely with Pearson and will update you when we know any further detail.  

We appreciate that this will have been a really difficult time for you. We are so sorry that our BTEC learners have been hardest hit by the uncertainty surrounding assessment due to the timing of the new national lockdown. Please remember that although we can’t be together in person, your College is still here for you. Get in touch with your personal tutor if you need any support, and keep engaging with your teachers in your online lessons so that we can make sure that you are best placed for whatever assessment process replaces exams this year.  

Jade Otty, Vice Principal.

Find out about Exeter College’s ongoing online learning for learners.