The BTEC qualifications in this specification are NQF Level 3 qualifications designed to provide highly specialist, work-related qualifications in a range of vocational sectors. They give you the knowledge, understanding and skills that you need to prepare for employment.

Exam/coursework breakdown:

The Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Health and Social Care consists of two mandatory units that provide for a combined total of 180 guided learning hours (GLH):

Unit 1: Human Lifespan Development (90 GLH), assessed through a 90 minute exam.

Unit 5: Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs (90 GLH), assessed through a series of coursework tasks.

The Edexcel L3 Extended Certificate includes the two units above, and two extra units that result in a total of 360 GLH:

Unit 2: Working in Health and Social Care (120 GLH), assessed through a 90 minute exam.

Unit 14: Physiological Disorders and their Care (60 GLH), assessed through a series of coursework tasks.

The qualification is assessed through a mixture of coursework based assignments and externally assessed exams. Coursework is submitted and marked by your teachers. Exams are available from May 2018 and can be sat in January or June with a maximum of two attempts each.

Entry requirements:

You must have achieved a Level 2 pass in Health and Social Care plus 5s in Maths and English and three other GCSEs A*-C/9-5.

You need to be:

Happy to study in a range of ways; a problem solver and happy to work things out for yourself; confident with and happy to use many transferable skills to solve problems; determined to succeed. The course combines classroom based lessons, practical workshop sessions and computer based learning.

Progression possibilities

Health and Social Care qualifications are recognised by both universities and employers and can lead to careers in nursing, social work, probation service and many more careers.