The extended project qualification in England: does it provide good preparation for higher education?

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is taken by students in England aged 16–18, usually alongside A levels. It consists of an in-depth project in an area of students' 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. Universities also seem to value the qualification, with many reducing their offers to students who have achieved a high grade in the EPQ. The main aim of this research was to use national data from England to investigate whether students taking the EPQ were better prepared for higher education (HE) than students not taking it. The results of logistic regression analyses showed that students taking EPQ were more likely to progress to HE, were less likely to drop out, and were more likely to achieve a good degree, than non-EPQ students. This was after controlling for a large number of covariates, including attainment. This provides further evidence that the skills learnt in undertaking an EPQ can be useful for preparing students for HE study.