I�m very glad to hear that ESF are offering an alternative to the IB. IB is not for everyone and it is time that the international schools in Hong Kong recognized this.
Both my sons were not suited to studying IB. The elder one we sent to an English boarding school where he took double maths and physics A levels. He is now studying mathematics at Sheffield University.
The younger one has just finished Year 12 studying at West Island School. He is taking a BTEC in engineering (equivalent to 2 A levels) and in Sport Science (equivalent to 1 A level). He is also taking one mathematics IB subject. He is wanting to study civil engineering at university.
Last summer we contacted a number of universities in northern England and asked how they viewed the BTEC in engineering. All of the universities told me that the BTEC which was equivalent to 3 A levels was fine to enter university but they strongly recommended adding mathematics A level if only studying the BTEC equivalent to 2 A levels. I discussed the difference between studying higher mathematics and standard mathematics at IB with the BTEC. Most of the universities had never heard of taking a single IB option (this seems to be an ESF idea). So my son is also studying A level mathematics outside of school with a tutor to make sure he has the qualifications he needs to get to university.
I am not particularly happy that I�ve had to make extra arrangements outside of school as I think the school fees are high enough that I shouldn�t have to do this. However, I had to do the same for my elder son, who took both mathematics and physics at GCSE outside of school in order to qualify to get into sixth form at the boarding school � he was originally at the Canadian International School and their qualifications weren�t considered the equivalent to GCSE in these subjects.
Since that time I�ve been researching BTECs. My daughter who is now 24 and lives in London knows quite a few people who studied BTEC for university entrance.
There are certain subjects where BTEC is it actually preferred. The ones I know of are midwifery, nursing and dance. It is quite common for engineering students to have come up through BTECs at technical colleges rather than A levels at sixth form colleges. One of my sister-in-law�s brothers did this (but in those days it was called Ordinary National Diploma instead of BTEC). When we talked to him about coping at university, rather than getting into university, he told us that his biggest problem was the maths and recommended that my son study A level maths with his BTEC.
If you want to see what sort of qualifications are acceptable to universities in the UK have a look at the UCAS website. You can do a search by subject at
UCAS - Course Search and it will give you an idea of what qualifications you need to get into any university for any subject.
e.g. to study civil engineering at Liverpool University you need one of:
- BBB at A level - including mathematics
- BTEC National Certificate (12 units) - Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications (i.e. A level mathematics)
- BTEC National Diploma (18 units) - Pass BTEC National Diploma with grades DDD including D in Level 3 Further Mathematics. Students must attend interview and take Mathematics assessment.
- International Baccalaureate - Pass International Baccalaureate with 32 overall, including 5 at Higher Level Mathematics and Standard Level English.
I would recommend that students look fully into what is needed to get into the university and course they wish to study. This will make sure that they take the correct options, whether that be BTEC or IB.
I have known too many students rely on the school to advise them and be told the wrong information. These days it is easy to look up what you want on the internet and maybe telephone the university admissions to double check.
