Edexcel BTEC Extended Certificate is equivalent to one A Level.

Are you a good communicator? Do you care about other people and how our society develops? Are you interested in pursuing a career working with children, older people or in the NHS? Health and Social Care can give you these opportunities.

It is a natural progression from the GCSE in Health & Social Care and is designed to further develop you into an independent learner.

Throughout the course you will study a variety of topics and build upon your knowledge and understanding of the world of Health, Social Care and Early Years. The nature of the course not only gives you the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding, it also allows you to improve your research and application skills, organisational skills and time management. You will develop personal skills and attitudes essential for successful performance at university and in working life.

How is the course structured?

The BTEC Level 3 in Health & Social Care is run over two years and content is broken down into four units, with two being externally assessed. The size of each unit is determined by how many guided learning hours (GLH) have been allocated for delivery. To successfully complete the course, you must complete a total of 360 GLH. You must complete the selected four units in order to fulfil the course requirements.

Units studied over the 2 years:
Unit 1: Human Lifespan Development (90 GLH).
Unit 2: Working in Health & Social Care (120 GLH).
Unit 5: Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs (90 GLH). Unit 14: Physiological Disorders and their Care (60 GLH).

Assessment

Units 1 and 2 are externally assessed units.
Both Unit 1 and Unit 2 will be a written examination consisting of a 1.5 hours paper each. All other units are assessed through completion of assignments. Each of these internally assessed units has a number of tasks to complete in order to fulfil the individual unit requirements. Within assignments, tasks will be completed to PASS, MERIT or DISTINCTION level.

Each individual assignment must be completed to at least a pass level in order to pass the whole unit.

On successful completion of a unit, points are awarded depending upon the level of completion and the size of the unit (GLH). At the end of the course, the points will be added from all four units to make a combined total points score.

Overall PASS - Equivalent to E grade.
Overall MERIT - Equivalent to C grade.
Overall DISTINCTION - Equivalent to A grade. Overall

DISTINCTION* - Equivalent to A* grade.

Is there anything else I should know?

The Edexcel BTEC Level 3 in Health & Social Care can be studied with a variety of other subjects to suit the needs of the student. Many students combine with Psychology, Sociology and English. It is widely accepted by universities and during the UCAS application process, students will need to provide details on attainment/ expected attainment within individual units.

Progression Routes

Many students who study Health & Social Care go on to university to study Nursing, Midwifery, Social Work and Teaching. The Level 3 course is excellent preparation for entering university or going directly into Social Care/Early Years employment.