Vocational courses equip students with practical skills and a portfolio of work, but some worry that only A-levels will get them into a top university
In the past, the BTec coursework-only qualifications were considered by many to be inferior to A-levels. Most elite universities would not accept them, grammar schools didn’t teach them and many students had never even heard of them.
These days, much has changed. Recent figures from Ucas show that the number of A-level students achieving grades ABB (the average grades you need to get into the top ranked universities) has fallen by 2,500 over the last year, but the number of BTec students achieving the equivalent has gone up by 16%. So, with an increasing number of students taking BTecs, doing well and going on to study at undergraduate level, are top universities finally beginning to take them seriously?
Related: Live Q&A: applying to university as a BTec student
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