[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-620848-105":59,"doc-detail-620848-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","the-first-cohort-characteristics-entry-details","THE FIRST COHORT CHARACTERISTICS - Entry Details","","First cohort characteristics are summarized for the EPQ pilot, covering submission volumes, entry outcomes, and moderation results. Across eleven centres, 223 project proposals were received, producing 218 entries from nine centres, with later withdrawals affecting registration. The report analyses student age distribution, prior achievement patterns, and dropout rates, then examines how learners’ concurrent programmes (A Levels, AS, BTEC, Key Skills, NVQs) relate to project themes. Tables and a figure quantify entry status and cross-tabulations of subject areas versus EPQ project topics.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-first-cohort-characteristics-entry-details/620848/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-first-cohort-characteristics-entry-details/620848.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Alex Sinclair","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":19},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How many project proposals and entries were received for the first EPQ pilot cohort?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"223 project proposals were received from eleven centres. A total of 218 entries were made from nine centres, with some centres withdrawing students before registration or final submission.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What does the report show about student age, prior achievement, and dropout rate?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Students ranged from 17 to 20, with over half of the finally awarded grades going to age 17. Prior achievement was available for 103 of 132 certificating students, and the youngest higher-ability group showed the lowest dropout rate.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which subject area most strongly relates to EPQ projects in the report?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Over 60% of the finally graded projects appeared to be in the area of Citizenship. Even when Citizenship is ignored, many projects still fall broadly into Humanities & Social Science, including history, ethics, and politics.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},620848,1792524888,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":19,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},1099523882182,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","THE FIRST COHORT CHARACTERISTICS  \nEntry Details  \nThere were 223 project proposals received from eleven centres for the first cohort of the EPQ pilot (Table 1) . A total of 218 entries were made from nine of these centres; two centres having dropped out before the entry registration process. A further centre withdrew its students before the final submission date with a view to submitting their work into one of the later pilot phases. Just over half of the entries produced a project for moderation leading to 132 grade awards (or ungraded awards) on results day in August. Five of the graded EPQs were submitted by students for whom there was no project proposal.  \nTABLE 1 Summary of student entries  \n\n| Project Proposal |  |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Final Status | Project Proposal | & Entry | Entry |\n| Grade Awarded | 127 | 127 | 132 |\n| Confirmed Absent | 61 | 61 | 77 |\n| Not Entered or Withdrawn | 35 | 8 | 9 |\n| Total | 223 | 196 | 218 |\n\nFour of the nine centres from which entries were made were secondary comprehensive schools. There was one secondary modern school and three sixth form colleges. The final centre was a further education establishment.  \nThe Students  \nThe entry ranged in age from 17 to 20 years old, with over half the students finally awarded a grade being 17. For 103 of the 132 certificating students a measure of prior achievement was available (mean GCSE result1) and the youngest students appeared to be those of the highest ability (Table 2) . It was also these students who had the lowest drop-out rate; defined by comparing the total number of students with a project proposal or entry with the number finally certificating. In fact while prior achievement seemed to decrease with age the drop-out rate seemed to increase.  \nTABLE 2 Student characteristics  \n\n| Age | % All\u003Cbr>Students | % Graded\u003Cbr>Students | % Drop\u003Cbr>Out Rate | Mean\u003Cbr>GCSE |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 17 | 49.80 | 57.6 | 37.70 | 4.92 |\n| 18 | 26.12 | 29.5 | 39.06 | 4.63 |\n| 19 | 11.02 | 10.6 | 48.15 | 4.07 |\n| 20 | 1.63 | 1.5 | 50.00 | 3.25 |\n| Missing | 11.43 | 0.8 | 96.43 | . |\n| Students | 245 | 132 | 113 | 103 |\n\nThe project proposal form allows for the collection of information regarding each student’s current programme of study. Students were following a wide range of programmes including qualifications such as A Levels, AS, BTEC Nationals, BTEC Firsts, Key Skills, Citizenship and NVQs amongst others. For the majority of students (63 .6%), the highest stakes2 qualification in their programme was an AS examination. However, there was one whole centre in which the EPQ appeared to be offered alongside a range of Key Skills qualifications. This centre used the EPQ to augment a course offering ‘vocational tasters’ for students who had yet to decide upon a future area of study.  \nDespite the majority of the entry being from mainstream academia, even at this early stage the EPQ appeared to attract interest from vocational areas of study. The retention rate for the BTEC students, in particular, was very low. It remains to be seen whether this was a function of the idiosyncrasies of the first pilot series or whether it is an issue which requires future consideration.  \nThe distribution of concurrent subjects of study for EPQ students appeared relatively similar to that of an A Level cohort (Figure 1) . There were slightly more students entered in the Mathematics and Health & Physical Education subject areas than in the A Level population. Notably the representation of these subjects was not boosted by entry for vocational qualifications, although there were thirteen students who were taking GCSE Mathematics while working on the EPQ.  \n1 GCSE grade was converted to points (A*=8, A=7,…, U=0) and these points were combined to give the mean GCSE statistic for each student.  \n2 Where highest stakes was defined by reference to levels on the national qualifications framework.  \n2  \nFIGURE 1 Distribution of concurrent qualifications acro","cbCaiaqzC2Z6YrLh","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaqzC2Z6YrLh","pdf",130141,11,"English","# Entry Details\n# The Students\n## Age distribution and prior achievement\n## Programmes of study and qualifications\n# Concurrent subjects and EPQ project areas\n## Citizenship and humanities dominance","[{\"question\":\"How many project proposals and entries were received for the first EPQ pilot cohort?\",\"answer\":\"223 project proposals were received from eleven centres. A total of 218 entries were made from nine centres, with some centres withdrawing students before registration or final submission.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the report show about student age, prior achievement, and dropout rate?\",\"answer\":\"Students ranged from 17 to 20, with over half of the finally awarded grades going to age 17. Prior achievement was available for 103 of 132 certificating students, and the youngest higher-ability group showed the lowest dropout rate.\"},{\"question\":\"Which subject area most strongly relates to EPQ projects in the report?\",\"answer\":\"Over 60% of the finally graded projects appeared to be in the area of Citizenship. Even when Citizenship is ignored, many projects still fall broadly into Humanities \\u0026 Social Science, including history, ethics, and politics.\"}]","THE FIRST COHORT CHARACTERISTICS - Entry Details | PDF",1792464679,28]