Engineering (Single Award) BTEC National Extended Certificate Level 3

Applications Open: 21st November 2025 (9.00am)

Applications Close: 13th February 2026 (4.00pm)

How to apply:

- All INTERNAL applicants MUST apply via Applicaa using this link (coming soon!)

- All EXTERNAL applicants MUST apply via Kent Choices using this link https://www.kentprospectus.co.uk/login

- All correspondence between learners and the school after an application is made will be via Applicaa.

- All applicants (internal and external) will be invited in for a 1-1 guidance meeting.

- Those who have a successful guidance meeting will be offered a place to study at St John's Sixth Form from September 2026.

Why choose Engineering?

Because Engineers are creative problem solvers....

Engineering is an art form where you use your imagination to solve a problem or create something; maths and science are the building blocks to make the figments of your imagination come to life.

The BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Engineering is a Technical qualification. It provides the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in the design, development, manufacture and maintenance of engineering products and systems. The course is both practical, and work related and follows a manufacturing pathway developed by BTEC. Learning is achieved through the completion of projects and assignments based on realistic workplace situations, activities and demands. The course will require elements of home study and some assessments will take the form of tests.

The BTEC National Extended Certificate in Engineering is a single award equivalent to an A Level, the BTEC National Diploma in Engineering is a double award equivalent to 2 A levels

• Unit 1 – Engineering Principles (Mandatory – written exam)

• Unit 2 – Delivery of Engineering Processes safely as a team (Mandatory – assignment)

• Unit 3 – Engineering Product Design & Manufacture (Mandatory - assignment)

• Unit 10 – Computer Aided Design in Engineering (Optional)

The new BTEC Nationals use a combination of assessment styles – both internal and external.

External assessment

• Unit 1: Engineering Principles (Mandatory unit) two-hour examination including a mix of short and long-answer problem-solving questions.

• Unit 3: Engineering Product Design and Manufacture (Mandatory unit)

A supervised written assessment task completed within 10 hours over a three-week period. Learners will be provided with a case study in order to carry out research for a two-week period, during the task and they will be required to follow a standard development process of interpreting a brief, scoping initial design ideas, preparing a design proposal and evaluating their proposal.

Internal assessment

The remainder of the course will be assessed by coursework units internally verified by your teachers and externally moderated by the examination board.

A minimum of 5 subjects at GCSE Grade 4/BTEC Level 2 Pass or higher:

Including

- Grade 4 in GCSE English Language or Literature.

- Grade 4 in GCSE Mathematics

The BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate/Diploma in Engineering has primarily been designed for those who want to pursue a career in engineering. They can either progress directly to an apprenticeship or employment as an engineering technician, or can choose to progress to higher education to study for an engineering degree (or specialist engineering subject, such as aeronautical engineering).