Hello, we are delighted to share with
you the new BTEC Tech Award in Sport.
My name is Penny Lewis and I'm the
Subject Advisor for PE and Sport
and I've been involved with the
development of the new Tech Award.
I'll update you briefly on each component
that makes up the qualification and what
changes have taken place to content and
assessment from both the existing Tech
Award and the BTEC First Award in Sport.
The new Tech Award in Sport has
a three component structure.
Component one and two are each 36
guided learning hours and worth
30% of the qualification grade.
They are assessed using the new Pearson Set
Assignments or PSAs marked internally by you,
the teacher, assessor,
and moderated by Pearson.
The PSAs are released in January of each year
and assessed in May stroke June from 2023.
So you have plenty of flexibility
within your programme to prepare for,
administer and mark the assessment.
The final component is component 3,
which is 48 guided learning hours
worth 40% of the qualification grade
and is externally assessed by Pearson.
It is a 90 minute written examination
available twice a year in the January,
February,
and May June assessment series.
Each assessment in the qualification
is marked out of 60 available marks.
From your feedback,
the new Tech Award in Sport has been
developed primarily based on the excellent
content of the First Award in Sport,
with some additional practical
content taken from the Tech Award
in Sport, Activity and Fitness.
We've selected the areas of
content that our focus groups
and current practitioners have
confirmed were the most interesting
and engaging for their learners,
and we've taken this opportunity to
enhance and expand on those areas.
In addition,
employers have supported the development
in giving us insight into key skills
and areas of knowledge learners
required to prepare them for work
effectively in the sports industry.
This has been taken on board and
incorporated into elements of the content
and assessment process of this qualification,
helping learners to have an understanding
of what it will be like to work in
the sports industry and preparing
them for work opportunities as well
as preparing them for progression
onto Level 3 vocational courses.
You'll also notice we have provided
greater detail in the qualification
content to give clear direction as
to the depth and breadth of key
areas that need to be explored.
Components one and two are assessed
through non examine internal
assessment which have been designed
to demonstrate application of the
conceptual knowledge underpinning
the sector through realistic tasks
and activities and in doing so,
to deepen learning by connecting
knowledge and practise.
Due to the new technical requirements
from the DfE,
there are some changes to the
assessment of those components that
will be slightly different to what
teachers are of the current tech award
have been used to assignments used
for summative assessment must now be
set by the awarding organisation,
so the old assignment briefs
have been replaced by the
Pearson set assignment or Psas.
Is it, as I've already said,
these will be released in January each year
Additionally, under the new requirements,
all assessments must be marked through
numerical means using a mark scheme.
In the new mark scheme,
students can gain up to 12 marks across
four bands ranging through limited,
adequate good and comprehensive
knowledge of understanding.
A consistent set of descriptors
to help you understand which band
fits the quality of the evidence.
Overall, with three marks available
in each band to give you more
scope for differentiation.
The component one the assessment is
comprised of three tasks that will take
approximately 5 supervised hours to complete,
requiring students to select physical
activities appropriate for a case
study with regard to available
provision technology and warm up for
component to the assessment consists
of four tasks through which students
will demonstrate their understanding
of components of fitness and the.
Roles and responsibility of officials.
This assignment will take approximately
4 hours to complete.
Component one is called preparing for
participation in sport and physical activity.
We have updated content from the
Tech award and the BTEC first with
some additional content related to
different types of participants,
barriers to participation and methods
to address these barriers to bring
content in line with current practises.
This helps learners to understand
ways in which they can be more
inclusive when volunteering or
working in the sports industry.
This component explores the
equipment used in sport,
physical activity and outdoor activity,
and aligned to some extent with
the content from the tech award
relating to technology in sport.
The content is presented in a more
holistic way and allows learners to
explore the equipment and technology
used for a much wider range of sports,
which also includes physical
activities and outdoor activities.
You've told us that learners on
both the Btech first award and
the Tech award found some content
related to anatomy and Physiology.
To support student progression
into the sports industry and Level
3 sports related qualifications,
some underpinning anatomy and Physiology.
Knowledge is required.
We have therefore taken this
feedback on board and incorporated
an applied approach to teaching
anatomy and Physiology content.
It has been incorporated into the
warmup where learners learn how the
body responds to different parts of
a warmup in relation to the cardio
respiratory Musco skeletal systems.
In addition,
assessment of this area of content
is assessed in a practical manner,
with learners planning and leading a
warmup to demonstrate their knowledge
rather than in the theoretical
approaches that were taken previously
for anatomy and Physiology.
This application of knowledge supports
and informs the learning process in a
way learners can truly contextualise.
In addition,
learners will explore adaptations that
can be made to warm up to support
different types of participants
that have different needs,
which again supports the importance of
inclusivity in physical activity sessions.
Component two is taking part and
improving other participants.
Sporting performance.
Again,
feedback was very clear that
learners enjoyed
the practical elements of
participation in sport and this has
been retained in this component.
If you teach the current BTEC in sport,
most of the content will be familiar
to you with appropriate updates.
The focus of this unit is for learners
to demonstrate the ability to perform
in one sport of their choice.
As feedback has indicated that many
learners are starting to specialise in
just one sport at this age in a coaching
or performance or officiating role,
we've taken this on board and have
just once and just one sport is focused
upon rather than two which is in the
current BTEC first qualification.
We have provided more clarification
on the content related to rules and
regulations and focused on a more
applied approach for the assessment
of this area of content.
This has moved away from the more
theoretical and less applied nature
of the rules and regulations in sport.
In the assessment process for the
previous BTEC qualifications,
we've added content related to
working with other participants in
a practical manner to help improve
their sporting performance,
which they explore.
This incorporates content related to
the sports leadership units from both
the BTEC first and the Tech Awards,
which is something you told us you
enjoyed delivering and learners
enjoyed and fully engaged with.
Additional content has been added to
support learners to know how to develop
sporting skills through the use of planning.
Progressive drills,
conditioned practises and
practical application of delivery.
This supports the development of a
wide range of transferable skills
which can be used in both educational
related contexts and employment
for the sport sector and beyond.
The assessment for this component
will be largely practical as we
know beat at learners.
Excel in practical assessment.
This reduces the amount of written
work for the qualification,
which also helps to reduce the
marking load on tutors and diversify
the assessment methods used and
the learners are exposed to.
We have also provided great clarification
on how to assess practical ability
and have retained the requirements
for the learners to demonstrate their
skills in competitive situations,
but removed the hurdle of full
competition requirements to be met.
So a summary of component to is
that in this component learners will
investigate the components of fitness
and their effects on performance,
take part in practical sport,
explore the roles of officials in
sport and learn about methods and
applications of sporting drills to
improve other participants sporting
performance.
And this component aligns to the
content of the practical participation
and leadership units in the BTEC
first in sports.
And include some elements of leadership
from the tech award component.
Three is developing fitness to
improve other participants performance
in sport and physical activity.
The overall focus the most of this
content is based on the BTEC first
award unit that is externally assessed.
We know you enjoy teaching this unit
and are familiar and comfortable
with the content.
Learners achievement in the external
assessment for the BTEC first
also confirms this content is
engaging and accessible to learners,
as well as being suited to the
requirements of external assessment.
Through the redevelopment
of the BTEC first award,
we've taken the opportunity to enhance
some areas of content to ensure
this component can be delivered
practically through resources
that are available in schools.
We've updated the range of fitness
tests to incorporate both physical
fitness and skill related fitness
using easily accessible equipment
and up to date fitness tests.
Training methods has also been updated to
include skill related training methods,
whereas previously it was just physical
fitness components that were included.
You asked us to clarify some of the
content around reliability and validity
of fitness tests and advantages and
disadvantages of fitness training methods,
which we've addressed through this
redevelopment to make it clear what these
terms mean and how they can be applied.
Some additional content has been
added into this content from content
in both the first award and Tech
award based on feedback from centres.
Fitness programme design and
sports psychology have been shown
to be very popular,
so we have retained this content
and incorporated it into an you
learning game which explores
fitness programming and motivational
techniques to support participants.
Adherence to a fitness programme.
As this is a synoptic component,
content from the previous two
components does come together and
is built upon in this component.
Additional content has been added
related to the provision of fitness
training across the three different
sectors and long term adaptations
that occur from fitness trading.
This will help learners to understand
why performance in fitness tests
improves as a result of fitness training.
So a summary of this component
three is that it explores fitness
and different types of fitness for
performance in sport and fitness.
Physical activity.
It looks at fitness tests for
physical and skill related components
of fitness will be investigated,
as well as ways to improve fitness
through different training methods
and training principles.
It look at how the body adapts to this
training and to complete the component.
Fitness programming is covered which
includes fitness programme design and
motivational techniques to support
people taking part in fitness programme.
This component allies to the externally
set unit and synoptic unit of the BTEC,
first in sport and some content in the
externally set unit in the Tech award.
The external assessment the external
assessment will be an assessment
window based rather than on dim,
and while some benefits of being able to
sit at the external assessment at a time
when the teacher determined best was seen
as an advantage by many practitioners.
However, there were a number of concerns
that were noted due to the nature
of undemanding external assessments.
The assessment window based approach
allows us to provide past papers and
lead examiners reports after each series,
which was not possible with the
on demand assessment.
This provides greater transparency
and support.
The teachers and learners as the paper
can be made available in an allocated
time frame after the exam has been set.
This also allows us to provide you
with additional resources such as
past papers that can be used as mock
assessments to help you to determine
when your learners are ready to sit.
The external assessment and help learners
prepare for their external assessment.
In addition,
we will be able to offer the same
level of support after each external
assessment window in terms of the lead
examiners report release of learners,
mark scripts and exam grade boundaries.
So in summary,
the external assessment is a written
assessment that requires learners to
demonstrate that they can identify
and use effectively an appropriate
selection of skills, techniques,
concepts,
theories and knowledge from across
the whole qualification in an
integrated way builds on knowledge,
understanding and skills acquired and
developed from components one and two,
and it includes synoptic assessment.
The supervised assessment window is a
maximum of 1 1/2 hours and should be
arranged in the period timetable by Pearson.
The assessment availability is January,
February and May, June,
and the first assessment is January,
February 2024.
We encourage you to look through
the draught specification.
The Pearson set assignment,
PSAs,
and the SAM's which are
available on the Pearson website and
if you require any further questions,
preparing to deliver and need
further support,
please don't get hesitate to
get in touch with us.
You can contact myself the subject advisor.
By phone, email, Twitter or Pearson,
contact US portal.
You can also attend one of the upcoming
Getting Started events early next year,
where we'll be covering the qualification
and the assessment in more depth
and answering further questions.
You can book by visiting the training
from Pearson page on the Pearson website.
There's a brief summary of the specification,
but thank you very much and I hope to
see you in one of the coming live events.