Btec results delay leaves students ‘in limbo’ and unable to confirm university places

Hundreds of students still yet to receive results, exam board confirms

It’s “not good enough”, said education leaders (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Archive)

Hundreds of students remain in “limbo” and in the dark about whether they have secured a university place due to delays with exam results.

Some pupils who sat Btec (Business and Technology Education Council) exams are still waiting for results, which they should have received on Thursday alongside hundreds of thousands of their peers.

Exam board Pearson has apologised for the disruption, which an education leader said had caused great anxiety for students.

Students across the country received A-level, Btec and T-level exam results last week, but some Btec students faced delays which have dragged on through the weekend.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the delays are “not good enough.”

He told BBC Breakfast: “They’ve missed out not just on being able to celebrate with their friends last Thursday how they’ve done, they’re then in this kind of limbo as to whether they’re going to get their higher education course, and then they’re still worrying about whether they’re going to get the accommodation they need.

“Frankly it’s not good enough.”

Some BTec students have been left in limbo about their results, an education leader said (David Davies/PA) (PA Archive)

Mr Barton said numerous conversations with those involved in the system had resulted in “a weekend of obfuscation”, with officials claiming the number of students waiting was “hundreds fewer” than the figure of 2,000 reported by the BBC.

A spokesperson for Pearson told The Independent less than one per cent of Btec students were still awaiting results on Monday, and said the delay was not a systemic issue but to do with school or colleges.

They said: “We are very sorry that some students are still waiting for their results. Btecs are a modular qualification and in order for us to award an overall result, we require grades to be provided for each unit and a claim made to receive the qualification.

“We are grateful to the schools and colleges that are working with us around the clock to resolve any remaining issues. Our team has delivered hundreds of results over the weekend and we are working to deliver more results as soon as we can.

“We urge any student waiting for their results to please call us on 0345 618 0440. UCAS has told us that the best thing a student can do is contact their university of choice directly, so that they know they want the offered place and can hold it. Or we are happy to call their university for them to explain the situation.”