BTEC

Standards
Verification
Training
Engineering:
Levels 1 to 3
(Module 3)
October 2020
Module 3

Specific
qualification
training

Mark Shenton - Senior Standards Verifier

BTEC
Level 3
Nationals
(RQF)
Agenda
By the end of this training session, you
should:
• Know the basic structure of the
Level 3 Nationals (RQF)
qualifications and where you can
find key documentation
• Be aware of some specific
priorities and requirements for
these qualifications
• Have reviewed an Assessment Plan
• Understand how to interpret a
Level 3 Nationals (RQF) unit
specification
• Have looked at a sample of learner
assessment evidence to verify
whether the assessment decision
can be supported
• Have considered the suitability of
Assessor feedback
L3 Nationals (RQF)
The basics

• All required documentation is available at:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-
nationals/engineering-2016.html
• Range of sizes - 180 GLH, 360 GLH, 540 GLH, 720 GLH, 1080 GLH
• Range of sectors at 720 GLH and 1080 GLH sizes
• 53 internally assessed units, including a recent addition - Unit 56: Industrial
Robotics
• Unit 2: Delivery of Engineering Processes Safely as a Team is the mandatory
internally-assessed unit for all sizes/sectors
• A full set of Authorised Assignment Briefs (AABs) is available from:
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-
nationals/engineering-2016.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=Pearson-
UK:Category%2FInternal-assessments for all internally-assessed units
• Sample Marked Learner Work (SMLW) is also available for Unit 2 and Unit 4 at:
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-
nationals/engineering-2016.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=Pearson-
UK:Category%2FInternal-assessments
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Evidence formats

For these qualifications, at least one Learning aim per unit is practical and
psychomotor in nature (in the vast majority of cases). The criterion
statements may begin with command verbs such as 'Produce', 'Assemble’,
‘Build’, ‘Conduct’ or 'Test' and they are often qualified with terms such as
'safely', 'accurately' or ‘effectively’.

In addition, within each unit specification there is a table entitled

‘Summary of unit’ that contains a column headed ‘Recommended
assessment approach’, and each AAB also includes a ‘Checklist of evidence
required’.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Evidence formats

To illustrate, Learning aim B in Unit 19 (Electronic Devices and Circuits)

requires the learner to ‘Explore the safe operation and applications of
digital logic devices and circuits that form the building blocks of
commercial circuits’.

Both the ‘Recommended assessment approach’ (in the unit specification)

and the ‘Checklist of evidence required’ (in the AAB) are consistent in
stating that the assessment evidence should contain ‘circuit diagrams,
photographs, tables of results, sketches, screen shots, calculations and an
evaluation of the physical and simulated circuits, supported by
Observation Records and/or Witness Statements’.

Whilst the learner could still achieve the Distinction standard without
some of these forms of evidence, it is remiss for a centre to not at least
offer the opportunity to generate them.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Suitable use of contextual products/drawings

As noted above, there are a full set of AABs available for this qualification;
however, many units still require the centre to, for example: a) choose a
product/s as the focus for the assessment tasks; or b) provide an
engineering drawing/s so learners can demonstrate their practical skills.

In general, the AABs do not contain, for example, product/s or drawing/s,

as the BTEC Engineering team have no way of knowing what
resources/equipment/tools each centre has. Focusing on inappropriate
engineering products/drawings that are either too simple or unnecessarily
complex often leads to inaccurate assessment decisions, as the learner
has not been provided with a suitable opportunity to achieve before they
generate any assessment evidence, and this is a key area for development
in many centres.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Assessment Plan

As a Standards Verifier, you need to see an Assessment Plan for

each of your allocations as soon as possible so that you can:

• control the sample

• sample as early as possible
• decide what units you want to sample
• try to sample across different Assessors (if possible)
• try to sample across different types of units (if possible)

You should also provide advice to the centre if the Assessment

Plan highlights potential issues.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Unit interpretation
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Unit 2, Learning aim A - Assessment criteria
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Unit 2, Learning aim A - Essential information for assessment
decisions (EIAD)

Pass

Merit

Distinction
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Unit 2, Learning aim A - Essential information for assessment
decisions (EIAD)

Pass

Merit

Distinction
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Learning aim A (LA A)

• The assessment evidence should centre around three processes that

are probably used when manufacturing the product/delivering the
service, not what might be used - hence, if the context is a product, it
must be reasonably simple and made using at least three processes.

• The pass standard requires actual/consistent explanations of how the

processes are used safely, so reasonable detail.

• The criterion statement for A.D1 states ‘…the effectiveness of using

different engineering processes…’ and it is acceptable for the learner to
consider, for example, manual versus CNC turning or TIG welding versus
MIG welding; however, the centre should be given a recommendation to
encourage learners to consider completely ‘different’ processes, rather
than processes that are different due to automation/tooling only.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Learning aim A (LA A)

• Watch out for brief evidence for A.P2 - consider the scope of the unit
content.

• Accurate contextualisation is also required for merit/distinction - for

example, why the processes have been chosen in preference to others
considering the given product/service.

• The assessment evidence associated with how human factors (as an

individual and a team) could affect the performance of the processes
should also be contextualised at merit/distinction.

• You must consider the assessment evidence in a holistic fashion; for

example, weaker explanations of how the processes are used should
not prevent a learner from gaining a merit/distinction if there is an
appropriate contextualised analysis/evaluation of why the processes are
used in comparison to others.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Sample - Unit 2

The centre has used the AAB for Learning aim A.

The product under consideration:

The Assessor awarded A.P1, A.P2 and A.M1 (please see the Assessment
Record Sheet).

Can the assessment decision be supported or not? Why? If no, what

should the assessment decision be? Why?

Is the Assessor’s feedback to the learner accurate and suitable?

L3 Nationals (RQF)
Sample

The learner has provided assessment evidence that covers several

engineering processes; these include casting, welding, drilling and reaming.
It is likely these processes were used when making the stator shell. The
learner has provided text and diagrams to explain the engineering
processes in a brief but accurate manner and has then compared the main
pros and cons of using TIG and MIG welding, sand, centrifugal and die
casting and hand and pillar drilling when making a product.

In addition, under the headings ‘Welding use’, ‘Casting use’ and ‘Drilling use’
the learner has also provided some sensible and justifiable reasons as to
which of the processes will be the most effective, in comparison to the
others, by referring to the stator shell in context and aspects such as the
achievement of accuracy, scale of manufacture etc.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Sample

The learner has also provided several sections that relate to health and safety
for each of the processes, although the comments here are more generic, for
example, by just referring to welding rather than TIG or MIG welding. The
content is mainly accurate, focuses on the specific requirements of and issues
related to each process and mentions legislation/how to report a dangerous
occurrence.

There are also several sections relating to human factors in the assessment
evidence that are specific to the engineering processes; the impact that, for
example, attitude, consideration for others and a professional approach can
have on the performance of the three engineering processes are covered, and
there are references to both individual and team-based human factors. It
should be noted here that the learner’s assessment evidence includes limited
use of the word ‘teamwork’; however, the learner has covered the teamwork
aspect of human factors in sufficient breadth and depth towards the end of
their assessment evidence, and in particular under the sub-headings ‘Human
factors within the workshop’ and ‘Fatigue’.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Sample

The assessment evidence reads well, is logically structured and makes

suitable use of technical terms.

The EIAD section of the unit specification for Level 2 Merit (Learning Aim A)
states that ‘learners will produce evidence that shows they can give detailed
reasons as to why three common engineering processes have been chosen
to manufacture a given product or to deliver a given service.’ The learner
has gone beyond this as they have compared the main pros and cons of
using TIG and MIG welding, sand, centrifugal and die casting and hand and
pillar drilling when making a product, and have provided some sensible and
justifiable reasons as to which of the processes will be the most effective in
comparison to the others. The learner has met the assessment
requirements of A.D1 and therefore this criterion should also have been
awarded by the Assessor for this assignment.

The overall assessment decision is therefore inaccurate and cannot be

supported.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Sample - Assessor feedback

The Assessor has provided the learner with inaccurate feedback related to
a criterion that should have been awarded.

In addition, the Assessor has simply indicated, with ticks on the learner
work, where some evidence that may relate to the awarded criteria could
be found; however, they have not made any further comments within the
learner work.

Furthermore, the summative feedback is minimal in places

(‘Achieved’/’Not achieved’) or simply makes direct reference to the
assessment criterion statement, with no comments that are specific to the
work of the individual in question. In addition, the comment ‘You should
be using Harvard referencing and provide a full bibliography with citations
for this type of assessment evidence’ is inappropriate for Level 3 and only
expected at Level 4 and above. Hyperlink-based sources are acceptable
for Level 3.
L3 Nationals (RQF)
Sample - Assessor feedback

In this case, as a SV you could provide guidance that the Assessor should:

• annotate the learner work to indicate where the evidence for each
criterion can be found

• provide more detail on the Assessment Record Sheet, in order to

justify their assessment decisions in relation to the Learning Aim A
assessment requirements in the unit specification.
You have now completed
the BTEC L3 Nationals
(RQF) module.
Thank you!

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