The EPQ as Evidence in University Applications

An Extended Project Qualification carries UCAS Tariff points, yet whether it changes an offer depends on the university and often on the course. UCAS lists the Extended Project in its Tariff tables with points for each grade, and some universities, including Birmingham and Queen Mary University of London, publish alternative offers that include it, whilst others, such as Warwick and the Oxford English and Geography faculties, say it plays no part in offers. Cambridge encourages applicants to take one without normally requiring it.

Beyond offers, the project gives a student specific material for the personal statement and for interview, which is where it tends to do most work at universities that do not count it towards grades. UCAS lists the EPQ among the examples a student can draw on when answering the personal statement question about how their studies have prepared them for the course. Choosing a title linked to the degree, and reading each university's own page before committing, shapes how useful the project becomes.

What is the Extended Project Qualification and how is it assessed?

The Extended Project Qualification is a Level 3 qualification in which a student plans, researches and completes an independent project on a topic of their own choosing, agreed by the school or college. Ofqual's conditions for Project qualifications state that the topic must be chosen by the learner and agreed by the centre, and the AQA specification states that the qualification requires 120 guided learning hours in total. Students draft a title and aims for formal approval, carry out the project, and give a presentation to a non-specialist audience.

According to AQA, a project that consists solely of a written report should be approximately 5000 words, whilst a project that produces an artefact needs a research-based written report of a minimum of 1000 words. Students also keep a Production Log recording the proposal, research, advice received, changes to the plan and a review, alongside a record of the presentation and the supervisor's questions. Results are reported on a six-grade scale, with U for unclassified. AQA weights the four assessment objectives as follows, within ranges that Ofqual sets for Level 3.

Develop and realise carries the largest share in both AQA's weighting and Ofqual's ranges, so the decisions a student takes during the project, and the evidence of them, carry substantial weight alongside the written report. Other exam boards offer the qualification too, and a student can ask the school which board it uses.

• Manage: 20% in the AQA specification, within an Ofqual range of 15 to 25%
• Use resources: 20%, within a range of 15 to 25%
• Develop and realise: 40%, within a range of 35 to 45%
• Review: 20%, within a range of 15 to 25%

How do UCAS and universities treat the EPQ?

UCAS includes the Extended Project in its Tariff tables with Tariff points for each grade, and each university then decides whether to use those points or the grades themselves. The point values for each grade appear in the key-facts table, which links to the UCAS Tariff. UCAS describes the Tariff as a way of allocating points to qualifications, and says a university or college may accept a qualification as an entry route even where it does not attract Tariff points.

In practice this means that a place on the Tariff does not settle how a given course treats the qualification. A UCAS blog post written by a student who completed an EPQ says some courses may lower grade requirements for a good result and some will not, and advises checking with each prospective university. The course page and the university's admissions policy are the places where that position is set out.

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Which universities make offers that include or reduce grades for an EPQ?

Several universities state on their own pages that they make alternative offers including an EPQ, whilst others state that they do not, so the answer differs by institution and sometimes by course. The three pages below illustrate the range, and each describes only that university's own practice.

A student who holds an EPQ offer from one university should not assume that another university will treat it the same way, since the conditions, exclusions and eligibility rules differ. The Tariff points in the key-facts table show how UCAS values the qualification; the offer wording on each university's page shows how that university values it.

• Birmingham: its page says applicants who take the EPQ and meet its offer criteria receive the typical offer, with an alternative offer one grade lower plus a stated result in the EPQ. The page ties this to Birmingham being the firm choice and excludes Medicine (A100) and Dentistry (A200).
• Queen Mary University of London: a dual offer combines its normal three A-level offer with an alternative that includes the EPQ. Applicants should be predicted a high result in the EPQ, the EPQ does not make up a shortfall against minimum A-level requirements, clinical Medicine and Dentistry are excluded, and dual offers are for home fee-paying students only.
• Warwick: its page says it does not take the EPQ into account when assessing applications for offer and does not make reduced offers on the basis of an EPQ.

How do Oxford and Cambridge approach the EPQ?

Cambridge says on its accepted-qualifications page that it encourages applicants to take an EPQ, and that completion will not normally be a requirement of offers. The page explains that the EPQ helps to develop independent study and research skills valuable for higher education, and acknowledges that not all students have equal access to it. The position gives a student who can take the qualification a reason to do so and a student who cannot no formal disadvantage.

Oxford's pages differ by subject, so the relevant faculty page is the one to read. The English faculty says an EPQ is not a requirement, that it does not include the EPQ in conditional offers, that candidates are encouraged to draw on relevant EPQ experience in the personal statement, and that it could form a point of discussion at interview. The Geography faculty answers the question of whether an EPQ helps with "In short, no" and says it will not inform admissions decisions.

How can an EPQ supply material for the personal statement and interview?

An EPQ gives a student a documented piece of independent work to cite when answering the UCAS personal statement question on how their qualifications and studies have prepared them for the course. UCAS lists the EPQ among the examples under that second question, alongside essays or projects that explore a particular viewpoint or technique, and says the focus should be on what is most recent and relevant to the chosen courses. The statement has three questions within an overall limit of 4,000 characters, so a project needs a concise, specific description.

Interview is where the detail tends to matter. Oxford's English faculty says the EPQ could form a point of discussion if a candidate is invited to interview, and UCAS warns that exaggerating an achievement may lead to being asked to elaborate on it. The Production Log, with its record of research and decisions, gives a student a ready account of the sources used, the choices made and the changes of direction.

How should a student choose an EPQ title that connects to the course?

A title that develops from a subject the student already studies, or from an interest linked to the intended degree, gives the project a natural connection to the course. The AQA specification says the project will develop and extend from one or more of the student's study areas or from an area of personal interest outside their main programme, and Ofqual's conditions state that the topic is chosen by the learner and agreed by the centre.

A UCAS blog post by a student who completed one suggests the topic should give the student enough to talk about in an academic style. A few checks help in practice:

• Read the course page and the department's own guidance for the degree, to see which topics and skills it describes
• Frame the title as a question that can be answered within roughly 5000 words of report, or within the artefact route
• Confirm with the supervisor that the topic can be agreed by the school or college
• Check whether the target universities treat the EPQ as an offer condition, an alternative offer or neither, so the project is chosen for its content

Is an EPQ worthwhile alongside a heavy A-level load?

Whether an EPQ is worthwhile alongside a heavy A-level load depends on the universities the student is applying to, because the offers it can affect are set by each university and some state that it plays no part. The AQA specification requires 120 guided learning hours in total, and the UCAS blog post by a student who completed one notes that much of the work happens in the student's own time, around other subjects and commitments.

Oxford's English faculty advises candidates to prioritise their A-level studies, and Queen Mary states that an EPQ will not compensate for a shortfall against its minimum A-level requirements. Cambridge says completion will not normally be a requirement of offers. A sensible approach is to list the target courses, read each page, and weigh the possible alternative offer and the material for the personal statement against the hours the project takes from A-level study.

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