BTEC Student Handbook Business 2016

Introduction This document contains the new rules and regulations regarding deadlines in BTEC courses at the JCB Academy. The exam board has changed how BTEC courses will be assessed and the rules students must follow in order to be awarded qualifications. The JCB Academy will be expected to comply with these changes.

What Will Teachers Expect Of Me? • • • •

• • • •

Take responsibility for your learning Complete homework, classwork, and controlled assessments according to the time frames given by your teacher Organise yourself effectively (using diaries, planners, or electronic devices) so you can manage submission dates and important events in your course Develop the ability to work independently, and produce the evidence required, to ensure you can be credited with meeting all the assessment criteria that applies to your course Submit work/evidence (and complete tasks) by the required deadline Be present at school the day of your assessment/deadline Maintain good attendance throughout the course Tell your teacher well in advance if there is any reason you may not be able to submit your work by the required deadline (must be exceptional circumstances)

What Can I Expect From My Teachers? You can expect that your teachers will…. •

• • •

• • • • •

Teach you the skills and knowledge necessary to help you undertake each assignment • Structure the course as required by the exam board (in relation to the Guided Learning Hours, assessment windows, external assessments, units required, etc.) Set deadlines and time frames for work Make connections between what you are learning and the world of work (industry links) Formally assess your work (using an Assessment Record) within one month of the submission date. You will be told which of the grading criteria (ie. Pass, Merit, Distinction) you have achieved and why Assess your work accurately in relation to the exam board specification and national standards Scrutinise your work for issues of plagiarism and ensure the work you submit is entirely your own Follow-up any issues regarding deadlines or classwork with relevant people (Parents, Form Tutor, BTEC Quality Nominee, Lead Internal Verifier) Not grant any deadline extensions, re-submissions, or re-takes (unless under exceptional circumstances) Put sanctions in place in accordance with this policy, if necessary, to ensure students complete work and meet the required deadlines

Which Units will you be studying? Unit 1 – Exploring Business Unit 2 – Developing a Marketing Campaign (externally assessed) Unit 3 – Personal & Business Finance (externally assessed) Unit 4 – Managing an Event Unit 5 – International Business Unit 6 – Principles of Management (externally assessed) Unit 8 – Recruitment & Selection Process Unit 9 – Team Building in Business 8 units Unit 1 – Exploring Business Unit 2 – Developing a Marketing Campaign Unit 3 – Personal & Business Finance Unit 4 – Managing an Event Unit 5 – International Business Unit 6 – Principles of Management Unit 7 – Business Decision Making Unit 8 – Recruitment & Selection Process Unit 9 – Team Building in Business Unit 16 – Visual Merchandising Unit 19 – Pitching for a New Business Unit 20 – Investigating CSR Unit 22 – Market Research 13 Units in total

Submission and Assessment Policy The Importance of Meeting Deadlines Meeting deadlines is one of life’s most important skills to acquire. All of us, no matter what job we will do in our life, will need this skill in order to be successful. BTEC courses are designed to reflect and acknowledge real-world employment conditions and, as such, teaching students how to meet deadlines is a top priority. Therefore, at the JCBA we intend to equip students with the professional qualities and time-management skills needed to meet deadlines. From September 2014, BTEC decided that students will have one submission opportunity only for their work. Once submitted, the work will be graded. It is, therefore, absolutely crucial that you develop good working habits as soon as you begin the course.

Resubmission If you do not achieve the targeted assessment criteria on the first submission you may be given one opportunity to improve and resubmit your work, either to gain a Pass or a higher grade. The school has a nominated Lead Internal Verifier for the course. Your teacher will need to ask the Lead Internal Verifier to give authorisation to allow you to resubmit your work, but will NOT be granted automatically. This will only be authorised if: 1.Your coursework was handed in by the original deadline date 2. The work submitted is credible 3. The work was signed and dated by you confirming it to be your own work 4. The teacher feels that you are capable of improving your work without further guidance 5. It is not a Pass presentation task If you are allowed to resubmit a piece of work you must improve/add to the original piece without further guidance and must hand this in on the date agreed with your teacher (usually within 10 working days). If you miss initial deadlines the following will take place: Strike 1: Letter to parents and meeting with Head of Department and teacher Strike 2: Phone call home to parents and the Head of 6th Form will be notified. Strike 3: Meeting with Parents and HOD Strike 4: Meeting with Parents, HOD and Head of 6th However, in exceptional circumstances, there may be a legitimate reason for not being able to meet the deadline. You can request an extension by completing an Extenuating Circumstances Form and hand this to your teacher (a copy is in the handbook which you can photocopy). This gives you an opportunity to explain the reasons why you cannot meet the assessment deadline and agree a new deadline date. This must be done at least 5 days before the deadline date wherever possible, not

afterwards. You will also be interviewed by the Head of Department. The submission diagram on the following page is useful tool to help understand the process.

Submission Diagram Example: You have been set a deadline for the 29th September 2016- the diagram below will outline the submission and resubmission guidelines: Did you submit Task 1 by 29th September 2016?

No

If an extension date was NOT agreed between you and assessor- NO resubmission allowed

Yes Yes Have you met the all the criteria within the task?

No further work is required to be completed for this task, criteria has been achieved- well done

No

Did you meet initial deadlines set in the assignment, or has met an agreed deadline extension? Will you be able to provide improved evidence without further guidance? Has the assessor authenticated the evidence submitted for assessment and the evidence is accompanied by a signed-and-dated declaration of authenticity by you?

Yes

Assessor and Lead I.V authorise a re-submission for specific task. You have 10 school days to resubmit the task in order to achieve all criteria for current task

No

You are NOT entitled to a re-submission due to the agreed conditions not being met. If PASS criteria not achieved you will have to RETAKE the ta

Assessment Rules (Instructions for both teachers and learners) Submission of evidence Only one submission is allowed for each assignment. The assessor must formally record the assessment result and confirm the achievement of specific assessment criteria. Assessment criteria in each unit are assessed once only. The assessor must: formally record and confirm the achievement of specific assessment criteria complete a confirmation that the evidence they have assessed is authentic and is the learner’s own work.

Each learner must submit: an assignment for assessment which consists of evidence towards the targeted assessment criteria a signed-and-dated declaration of authenticity with each assignment which confirms they have produced the evidence themselves.

The assessor must not: provide feedback or guidance on how to improve the evidence to achieve higher grades. The learner must formally authenticate every assignment that they hand in to: confirm that the evidence they are presenting is their own recognise that they understand the impact and consequences of submitting plagiarised work.

Internal Moderation and Sampling Procedure Every time a class completes a unit it will moderated by the Internal Verifier. This is concerned with monitoring the quality of the outcomes. Your work will be moderated to check that the criteria are being met and that standards are being applied. Internal verification / moderation are integral parts of the course. This on-going process requires sufficient time for: •

Looking at assignment briefs

•

Sampling assignments

•

Monitoring assessment practice

•

Standardising assessment practice.

For each unit a minimum of three students will be selected at random for sampling. The unit teacher will mark the work. The selected students work will then be passed on to the internal verifier. The work will be marked independently of the unit teacher.

Plagiarism Authenticity of your work You are encouraged to read around the units of work that you study and to use a range of resources. Assignments that are thoroughly researched are of a higher quality. You will need to quote from your sources and be able to site examples that illustrate your ideas. Teachers will explain how to quote and reference work in your units. There will be a lesson on referencing your work at the start of the unit. However, if you take another author’s work as your own and do not reference it, you will be plagiarising. The following forms of plagiarism are: • • •

Copying from texts or journals. Copying from other students. Wholesale downloading from the internet.

Assignments will be held by teachers until the unit has been completed by all students. The teaching team will monitor the progress of assignments as they are being undertaken and will discourage plagiarism. If your teacher feels that you have plagiarised then a meeting will take place to consider the case and the outcome. There is a high chance that you will fail the unit if found plagiarising.

Group Work Some tasks will be completed in groups. You can work in groups to prepare fully for the assignment but you must complete and submit the work individually. What happens if I fail to achieve a PASS standard when work is resubmitted? With authorisation form the Course Lead Internal Verifier you can retake the Pass criteria, however you will need to take a new assessment which will only cover PASS criteria and will not get the opportunity to attempt Merit or Distinction criteria.

Appeals Procedure What happens if I disagree with the assessment decision made? If you disagree with an assessment decision which has been made you have the right to Appeal. This is done by following this Appeals Procedure:

Stage 1: You disagree with the Assessors decision and wish to appeal. Record your decision to appeal in the Student Feedback space provided on your assessment sheet. Show the Assessor your comment and ask for the work to be remarked. This needs to be completed within 3 days of receiving your feedback. The Assessor then has 7 days to review their decision and communicate the decision to you. If you are still unhappy with the decision go to Stage 2.

Stage 2: Appeal in writing to the Course Lead IV Record your decision to appeal in the Student Feedback space provided on your assessment sheet. Show the Course Lead IV your comment and ask for the work to be remarked. This needs to be completed within 3 days of receiving your Stage 1 feedback. The Course Lead IV then has 7 days to review their decision and communicate the decision to you. If you are still unhappy with the decision go to Stage 3.

Stage 3: Appeal in writing to the BTEC Quality Control Record your decision to appeal in the Student Feedback space provided on your assessment sheet. Show the BTEC Quality Control your comment and ask for the work to be remarked. This needs to be completed within 3 days of receiving your Stage 2 feedback. The BTEC Quality Control then has 7 days to review their decision and communicate the decision to you. If you are still unhappy with the decision go to Stage 4

Stage 4: Appeal in writing to the Awarding Body Write to the Awarding body describing your appeal and the decisions and process followed. The course staff will support you with this. This needs to be completed within 3 days of receiving your Stage 3 feedback.

The Awarding Body on receiving your appeal will contact you with a decision

Submission Checklist When you feel that your work is complete and ready to be handed in, it is important that you follow the checklist below to ensure that your work is completed to the highest standard. 1. All work must have your name on every page using either a header or footer 2. All written reports to contain page numbers 3. Clearly mark on your work using headings & subheadings, where appropriate, which Unit and task(s) you are submitting work for 4. If you include more than one task in a word document always insert a page break between the end of one and the beginning of another 5. The main body of text should be in font size 11 with 1.15 line spacing 6. Read your work through to ensure it makes sense (always leave some time between finishing and reading it through as this process is more effective) 7. Check work against the assignment brief, have you included all requirements? 8. Print the assignment brief and sign to declare it Is your own work, submit this with your work 9. Once you have done points 6 & 7 ask a friend to do the same for you 10. Any diagrams, charts, quotations must be properly referenced 11. Make sure you know when your work is due to be handed in, remember this is your responsibility

GLOSSARY OF BTEC TERMS This glossary lists the most common B-Tec directive terms that are used in unit assessment criteria together with indicative definitions.

Requires more than a description. An explanation of the

ACCOUNT FOR topic is needed, giving reasons why. ANALYSE ASSESS COMPARE CONTRAST DEMONSTRATE DESCRIBE DISCUSS EVALUATE

Break down a complex topic into simpler parts, exploring patterns and explaining significance. Examine the strengths and weaknesses or opposing viewpoints Identify and explain the similarities and differences. Identify and explain the differences. Show awareness and understanding. Give a description of the major features. Present and examine clearly the various views on a topic or issue. Examine the strengths and weaknesses (just like Assess) and judge the merits of particular perspectives. Lay out the essential elements of an issue and investigate

EXAMINE in detail. EXPLAIN Show clearly knowledge and understanding of a topic. EXPLORE IDENTIFY ILLUSTRATE INTERPRET INVESTIGATE JUSTIFY OUTLINE RESEARCH REVIEW SIGNIFICANCE SPECIFY STATE SUMMARISE

Examine or investigate a topic or issue, often in an imaginative way. Pick out and describe the main points. Give examples to clarify the argument or answer. Clarify or explain the meaning. A careful and systematic inquiry into a topic or issue. Provide reasons why something is valid. Identify the main features. Use a variety of sources to establish facts or collect information. Write a critical assessment. Consequence or importance. Identify clearly and definitely. Provide information in a brief uncomplicated form. Give an account of the main points.

GRADING Points per Internal unit: Pass

Merit

Distinction

60 GLH

6

10

16

90 GLH

9

15

24

Points per External unit: Pass

Merit

Distinction

90 GLH

9

15

24

120 GLH

12

20

32

Diploma Total points

Grade

UCAS points

Equivalent to:

72-87

PP

32

EE

88-103

MP

48

DD

104123

MM

64

CC

124143

DM

80

BB

144161

DD

96

AA

162179

DD *

104

AA*

180

D*D*

112

A*A*

Extended Diploma Total Grade points 108PPP 123

UCAS Equivalent points to: 48

EEE

124139

MPP

64

DDE

140155

MMP

80

CCE

156175

MMM

96

CCC

176195

DMM

112

BBC

196215

DDM

128

ABB

216233

DDD

144

AAA

234251

D*DD

152

A*AA

252269

D*D*D

160

A*A*A

270

D*D*D*

168

A*A*A*

Requests for Extenuating Circumstances 1

Full Name:

2:

Tutor:

3

Course:

4

Year Group:

5

Date:

6

Dates over which circumstances apply:

8

Units & Assessment affected (please list and tick the form of assessment and ensure you have listed the exact Unit title). Please note it is your responsibility to ensure you have listed ALL Units and criterion that are affected. Unit Number

9

10

From:

To:

Unit Title

•

Original Submission Date

Assessor

Please describe the circumstances and how they affected your work in more detail (continue on a separate sheet if necessary): Please not unacceptable circumstances include the following: Holidays, Weddings, Family celebrations, Technical problems – printing problems, Computer failure / corrupt USB sticks etc.

Please indicate the nature of evidence attached:

I confirm that the detail on the form and attached evidence provide a true record of why I cannot meet the Submission Deadline Learner Signature:

Date:

I support fully the Learner’s request for additional time to complete the Unit assessment Course Leader Signature:

Date:

Please ensure all boxes above are completed and that you have attached evidence of your circumstances to this form. Once completed please submit the form to the Lead IV.

For office use: Extension Granted – Please indicate new assessment date, per Unit stated in section 8 above

Extensions Only

a) b) c) d) If an extension has not been granted, please indicate why:

Lead IV Signature

Date