About 7,000 students across England may not receive their BTec level 2 results as planned on Thursday, an exam board has said.
Pearson said it was attempting to provide any missing results “as soon as possible” to the affected students.
It comes after Pearson apologised last Thursday for BTec level 3 students not receiving their grades as planned on the day A-level and T-level exam results were released.
Pearson said problems regarding “qualification criteria” were behind the further delays. In a statement, it said results for the 7,000 students who were at risk of not receiving their grades on time were delayed because they were “currently ineligible” and “did not meet the qualification criteria”.
Regarding last week’s hold-up, Pearson previously said the problem was not a “systemic issue” and that only a small percentage of students had been affected.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Pearson said: “Today we sent 235,000 BTec Firsts, Technicals and Tech Awards grades to schools and colleges to be shared with students tomorrow.
“As of 9am today, there are 7,000 students that are currently ineligible to receive their grade as they do not meet the qualification criteria at this time. We have a dedicated team in place to work with schools and colleges to obtain and validate any outstanding information.
“Our focus is on running those eligibility checks and providing any results as quickly as possible to students. As always, we are grateful to the partnership of schools and colleges, who are tirelessly supporting us in this work.”
The BBC reported that the affected BTec students could be deemed “ineligible” because some of their marks were not logged in the system.
Pearson previously said the delays to last week’s BTec results were because overall grades could not be issued owing to missing modules.
In a statement last week, Pearson 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.”
Sarah Hannafin, senior policy adviser for the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said that the delays were unacceptable.
Hannafin said: “Despite the differences in the arrangements for unit assessments due to the pandemic and the complexity this has created, the exam boards have a responsibility to ensure that results are issued on time for all students, whose next steps may depend on their result.
“It is an unacceptable situation for potentially 7,000 students to be without their BTec results this week. This will cause unnecessary anxiety and stress as young people seek to confirm their places with sixth forms, colleges and training providers. And with no result, how can they celebrate their achievements with family and friends?”
Ofqual, the exam regulator, said students “have shown so much resilience in preparing for and taking their qualifications during the pandemic”, and added it had “every sympathy” for those affected.
Parents and students who have been affected by the delays have been advised to speak to their school or college, or contact Pearson on 0345 618 0440.
