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Additional grade increments raise the probability by 7%, though impacts vary by A-level subject type, with mathematics and languages showing no effect.",{"@graph":14,"@context":77},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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controlling for explanatory variables, taking the EPQ increases the odds of achieving a higher grade A-level (A*-B) by 29%, and each incremental EPQ grade increases the chances by 7%.",{"name":74,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":75},"Do the EPQ effects apply equally across A-level subjects?",{"text":76,"@type":64},"No. The impact is similar in most cases, but mathematics and languages show no effect.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":79,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":81,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":83,"site_id":7},620946,1792525593,{"code":4,"msg":86,"data":87},"success",[88,92,96,100,105,110,115,118,123,126,130],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Story & 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performance?  \nBen Jones  \nAbstract  \nThe skills nurtured by, and engendered through, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) are clearly stipulated, and have led to its becoming an increasingly popular qualification with all its stakeholders: students, colleges, employers and higher education. Future research is planned regarding the value that the EPQ adds to students’ subsequent performances at higher education, but the aim of this brief paper is to describe a statistical analysis of whether, and how much, the EPQ appears to have supplementary effects on students’ performance in their GCEA-levels. In other words, are the skills required of the EPQ transferable to more curriculumembedded qualifications?  \nOnly AQA A-level and EPQ data were used in the analyses, although permission was granted to use students’mean GCSE prior attainment scores. Since two thirds of the national EPQ entry is currently with AQA, the results of the analyses can fairly confidently be considered to be generalisable.  \nThose results indicate that, after controlling for other available explanatory variables – of which mean GCSE prior attainment score is the most critical – taking the EPQ enhances the odds of achieving a higher grade A-level (A*-B) by 29 per cent. For each incremental grade achieved in the EPQ, the chances of being awarded a higher grade A-level increases by 7 per cent.  \nHowever, the effects were not uniform across A-level subject types. In most cases the impact was similar to the above figure, yet for mathematics and languages, there was no effect.  \nIntroduction to the EPQ  \nRecent years have seen an implicit – and sometime explicit – debate regarding the relative importance of knowledge and skills in the curriculum. Some argue the need to inculcate more key skills in all young people to prepare them for the world of work and higher education they will encounter in the 21st century. These skills refer not only to the functional technical and vocational skills required by students traditionally not adopting the ‘academic route’. They are much broader in scope, apply to all learners, and comprise not just ‘hard’ skills - such as literacy, numeracy, IT and languages - but also ‘soft’ skills, such as creativity, problem-solving and initiative. These are increasingly considered vital for students’ individual success, and for that of society as a whole, and higher education institutions (HEIs) and employers especially have promulgated this view. The issue is well described in recent publications such as Bennett (2014), Didau (2011) and Stobart (2014) .  \nThe EPQ was introduced in 2007 – initially as a pilot – as an integral part of the level 3 Diploma qualification as an agent of the wider skills provision. However, it has since proved increasingly popular with students, centres and higher education as a qualification in its own right. AQA’sentries have risen from 870 in 2008 to 22,449 in 2014 (67 .5% of the national entry) .  \n[cerp.org.uk](cerp.org.uk)  \nCopyright © 2016 AQA Education and its licensors. All rights reserved.  \nAQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (registered charity number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 3644723) . Registered address: AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.  \nThe popularity of the EPQ among students is reflected in (or reflects) the enthusiasm for it among universities. The sample testimonials from several universities contained in Appendix A illustrates the esteem in which this new qualification is held by them. The following extract is typical.  \nFrom now on, all applicants… for our Humanities courses (excluding Music), and Human Social Sciences courses (excluding Maths) undertaking an EPQ will be made an alternative offer alongside our traditional offer. The alternative offer will be one grade reduced from our traditiona","cbCaieFPyHfcSQ7v","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaieFPyHfcSQ7v","pdf",119964,13,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction to the EPQ\n## Purpose and background\n## EPQ introduction and uptake\n# Data and analysis approach\n## Included datasets and prior attainment\n# Findings\n## Overall grade impact\n## Subject-type differences\n# EPQ process overview\n## Project stages and assessments","[{\"question\":\"What question does the paper investigate about the EPQ?\",\"answer\":\"It examines whether, and to what extent, the EPQ has supplementary effects on students’ GCE A-level performance, including whether EPQ skills transfer to more curriculum-embedded qualifications.\"},{\"question\":\"Which data sources were used in the analyses?\",\"answer\":\"The analyses used only AQA A-level and EPQ data, with permission to include students’ mean GCSE prior attainment scores.\"},{\"question\":\"What overall effect does the EPQ have on A-level achievement?\",\"answer\":\"After controlling for explanatory variables, taking the EPQ increases the odds of achieving a higher grade A-level (A*-B) by 29%, and each incremental EPQ grade increases the chances by 7%.\"},{\"question\":\"Do the EPQ effects apply equally across A-level subjects?\",\"answer\":\"No. The impact is similar in most cases, but mathematics and languages show no effect.\"}]","Does the Extended Project Qualification Enhance Students’ GCE A-level Performance? | PDF",1792464782,33]