Graded A*–E and worth up to 28 UCAS tariff points,[1] it is part of level three of the national qualifications framework.
[2] The extended project was devised by Sir Mike Tomlinson in 2006, during his review of 16 to 19-year-olds' education,[3] and entered a pilot phase during the academic year 2007–8.
[5] All students may take an extended project as a free-standing qualification, this following a 2009 recommendation by the examination boards of England and Wales (Edexcel, OCR, AQA, WJEC, Eduqas and CIE), and England's former qualifications authority, the QCA.
[6] By introducing EPQs it was hoped that students would be better prepared for study at university or begin a career, by developing skills[6] in research,[6][7] problem solving,[7] critical thinking,[6][7] writing,[6][8] and independent learning.
"[3] David MacKay, head of the 14–19 curriculum at the QCA, was in favour of EPQs, saying in 2009: "Extended projects can help students to develop and demonstrate a range of valuable skills through pursuing their interests and investigating topics in more depth."