Uptake and Results in the Extended Project Qualification. Research Report

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is available for students to take in Key Stage 5 (KS5) alongside other qualifications, such as A levels. It differs from most other academic qualifications at KS5 in that it is not examined, but instead involves students undertaking an in-depth project in an area of their choosing. Students are required to plan the project, research and analyse sources of information, write up their analysis, draw conclusions and produce an evaluation of the processes involved. As such, it is promoted by exam boards as providing the skills required for university study or for work. A previous Statistics Report from Cambridge Assessment (Gill, 2016) investigated the uptake of EPQ in 2014/15 by various students' background characteristics such as school type, prior attainment or deprivation. It also looked at the number of A levels taken by EPQ students, most popular A level subjects taken, and correlations between EPQ grade and A level grades. The EPQ is a popular qualification which has had increased uptake in recent years. Between 2008 and 2016, the number of students taking it increased from 1,706 to 38,548 (He & Black, 2018). It is therefore of interest to take an updated look at the background characteristics of students who take the EPQ and how its grades relate to grades in A level subjects. [For the 2016 report, "Uptake and Results in the Extended Project Qualification 2008-2015. Statistics Report Series No. 101," see ED626087.]