OxfordAQA International EPQ (9695) - The project process and Production Log for Project Qualifications - Teaching guide

Sep 12, 2026

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Process-based guidance for delivering OxfordAQA International EPQ (9695) from September 2023 onwards, focusing on how students develop research and project-management skills across stages. It covers the flow from initial ideas and ethics risk assessment, through proposal submission and approved planning, to independent research, product realisation, live presentation, final review, and project submission. It explains the Production Log’s role as the backbone evidence for holistic assessment, stressing completion as the project progresses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Initial ideas for projects

Submitting a proposal

Planning and research

Product realisation

Presentation

Final review

Project submission

The Production Log

OxfordAQA International EPQ (9695) Teaching guide: The project process and Production Log for Project Qualifications For teaching from September 2023 onwards Project Qualifications are process-based. As students work through a process, they’re taught skills to use in their project (see the Teaching guide: The Taught Element of Project Qualifications) . These skills will be used by the students within their own unique project. Evidence of the skill development will be the basis of the final assessment. When planning delivery of a Project Qualification, it’s important to plan it as a process. The process has various stages. Initial ideas for projects Usually, students will have more than one idea for their project at the beginning of the process. Students should make notes about all their initial project ideas and how they might research them. These initial ideas and associated research will form the basis of your students’ first meetings with their Supervisors. This initial period should run alongside delivery of the Taught Element and may take several weeks or months. Whilst considering their initial ideas, students should read the Welcome Trust ethics guide and, where relevant, Supervisors should encourage students to complete both a general risk assessment and a specific assessment of their initial project ideas relating to the ethics of research. Ethical considerations must be undertaken before students decide on their project aims and methodology. Supervisors will work hard during this initial phase, challenging students and encouraging students to establish a sound initial research base and to check fully that their proposed topic is truly suitable for a Project Qualification. Supervisors will also work with students to establish that there’s no risk of Dual Accreditation. By the end of this stage around half of the Taught Element will have been delivered. Submitting a proposal Once students reach proposal stage, supervision will be firmly established on a one-to-one basis. Students will submit a formal proposal to the Centre Coordinator clearly explaining what topic they would like to research and what form their proposed project product will take.(See the Teaching guide: Artefact products for EPQ for more detail about the different forms of project product that are possible) . The Supervisor should be able to write in detail to support the proposal and the Centre Coordinator can either approve the proposal or not. Note that OxfordAQA does not play any role in the approval process. This responsibility rests with the Centre Coordinator and proposals need to be carefully and thoroughly scrutinised. Planning and research Once a proposal has been approved students can start to plan their project. Project planning will be followed by a period of independent research. For both of these activities, students should be developing the skills they have been taught. During this period, the students should embark on a genuine research journey and by the end of it, there’s an expectation that some change or development of the planning or title or the aims and objectives will have occurred. Throughout this period, delivery of the Taught Element continues, delivering skills that will be used during the product realisation stage. Product realisation Once the research has been completed, it will be time for the student to start work on their chosen product. Students will continue to develop and use the various skills they have been taught. All students, for example, will be writing an academic research report. Throughout this period delivery of the Taught Element continues, delivering skills that will be used during the presentation, final review and hand-in stages. Presentation Students must deliver a live presentation to a non-specialist audience. The presentation should focus on the whole project and cover the following: • what their project is about and how they chose this topic • their aims and o

FAQs

Why should EPQ delivery be planned as a process rather than a single activity?

Project Qualifications are process-based. The staged process teaches skills that students apply within their own unique project, and evidence of skill development underpins the final assessment.

What ethical steps are required before students decide their project aims and methodology?

Students should read the Welcome Trust ethics guide, and where relevant complete a general risk assessment and a specific assessment linked to their initial project ideas. Ethical considerations must be done before finalising aims and methodology.

What is the Production Log and when should it be completed?

The Production Log records the student’s journey throughout the project process and supports evidence of skill development. It must not be completed retrospectively and should be filled in as the project progresses.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Jiven