1. S5 Extended Project

2. Aims Develops employability skills, including project management.
Specifically designed to aid transition to higher education and the world of work by stretching and challenging you.
Also equips you with the research, reflection and independent study skills they will need to succeed at university.

3. Employability skills
Students can also gain valuable project management skills
that companies are really looking for when recruiting.
Indeed the skills of planning, self management of learning,
collecting and analysing data, reviewing and evaluating will
enhance your personal aspirations and career
development.
Skills are what universities and employers are looking for
and what some students lack. The emphasis is on
skills should prepare you for a better future.

4. What are you required to do?
Select a topic / area of interest
Identify and draft aims of your project and justify their choices of project
Plan, research and carry out your project
Provide evidence of all stages of the project
Deliver a presentation to a specified audience

5. What should the written report contain?
The written report or record is likely to contain the following:
• sources of and range of information accessed.
• details of the range of skills used including, where
appropriate, new technologies and/or access to e-learning
materials.
• historical or other research.
• details of the design, knowledge, understanding and skills
used to complete the tasks or activities of the project, eg an
experiment, a construction, a performance or research
interviews .
• a conclusion to include an evaluation of the outcomes of
the project, an evaluation of own performance of learning and
decision-making.

6. Can I include supporting material with my project?
Depending on the subject area or topic chosen, a variety of
evidence may be submitted for assessment. Evidence can be
provided in any form appropriate to the type of project chosen, and
may include:
• an artefact, model or construction
• a CD/video/DVD of performances or activities
• an audiotape/multimedia presentation
• a journal of activities or events
• a slide or PowerPoint presentation
• a photographic record of the project.

7. • All students must submit a written report for assessment of
between 1000 and 5000 words. The exact length of each written
report will depend on the nature of the project, the subject area
or topic chosen and the other evidence provided.
• A project which consists solely of written work should be
approximately 5000 words, for example an investigation,
exploration of a hypothesis or extended essay or academic
report. Projects where the majority of the evidence is provided in
other formats should include a report or record of work
undertaken which is at least 1000 words.

8. What will you be assessed on?
MANAGE
Identify, design, plan and complete the task
apply organisational skills and strategies
USE RESOURCES
Obtain and select information
Use a range of sources
Analyse data
Demonstrate any connections

9. What will you be assessed on?
DEVELOP AND REALISE
Use a range of skills including new technologies
Solve problems
Take decisions
Achieve planned outcomes
REVIEW
Evaluate outcomes
Evaluate your own learning and performance
Use a range of communication skills and media to present outcomes and conclusions

12. A dissertation
This should be about 5,000 words, but do not
worry if it is slightly over or under this number.
It may contain maps, diagrams, data and
illustrations if necessary. You may have appendices
if you wish, but they should be of real importance and should not form
more than 20 per cent of the total. Do not use appendices to show off a
list of facts you have discovered which do not add anything to the project
in terms of your skills.
A dissertation should contain:
■ an introduction
■ a table of contents with page references
■ the main body of the dissertation
■ any works cited listed in a bibliography (which may have comments on
the value of the resources used. They need not necessarily only be
written sources, as interviews could be an equally important resource).

13. Factors which lead to successful dissertations
Do not treat the project as a conventional piece of coursework.
Remember, content itself is not marked. The project will be judged on
your ability to do the following successfully:
■ Manage a project, thinking of a broad topic and a title (in that order),
planning and preparing for the project, acquiring new skills (research,
data use, etc.) (20 per cent of the marks).
■ Use sensibly and think critically about a wide range
of resources – not just a couple of text books and
Wikipedia (20 per cent of the marks).
■ Develop and realise: this means writing the
dissertation after you have completed the research,
checking it carefully and submitting it on time. You
must give your school/college time to assess it properly (40 per cent
of the marks).
■ Review the whole project. Demonstrate clearly that you have
continuously reflected on what you have done. Did you change title?
Did you change format? Did you change the focus of the project? If so,
why? On reflection was it a good idea? What would you do better next
time? What have you learned to do or avoid doing? (20 per cent of the
marks).
You should keep good records of all aspects of the project, not just notes
taken for the ‘content’ part. Remember that the content itself is not the
most important thing; marks are awarded for demonstrating skills.

14. Successful dissertations
■ are based on something that interests you personally
■ are based on a hypothesis or question, e.g. ‘How successful was Winston
Churchill as Chancellor of the Exchequer?’, rather than ‘The cause of 13
Project formats
Moderator’s hint
You may do a project on some aspect of
Physics if you are doing Physics A Level,
but it must clearly be an ‘extension’ of
your A Level studies.
Moderators are looking
for evidence of a wide
range of resources. 14
the collapse of Northern Rock’. The latter type can end up as tedious
lists which do not demonstrate your skills
■ are not done because they might be useful for your A Level/Diploma
and were suggested by someone else. They are done because you want
to work on that topic
■ demonstrate your own enterprise and initiative, planning and project
management skills, not just your willingness to sit in a library and read
books.
Less successful dissertations
■ are weighed down in detail and focused on content – like coursework
■ provide little evidence of the skills for which marks are awarded, such as
planning
■ are obviously reworked parts of the A Level course
■ have a limited range of resources used:
just a couple of textbooks and Wikipedia
■ are done in the wrong format; a
dissertation instead of a report
■ have no review/evaluation.

15. With Dissertations, the best way of focusing the objective of the project is to put it in the form of
a question. Learners are more likely to progress if they can identify a specific question within a
broad field of learning. For example, if learners are interested in contemporary art, they might
choose to focus on the work of a particular artist, such as Tracey Emin, and aska specific question
(‘Does Tracey Emin’s work show that art is more about ideas than beauty?’).

16. Artefacts might be produced in response to a design brief: a specification of the role or function
the Artefact has to fulfil (eg ‘Design and build a portable high chair for children’, ‘Produce a
piece of graphic communication to support the aims of a charity or campaign’)
OR - a self-generated brief or a commission (eg ‘Design a mural or piece of public sculpture to
celebrate an event or achievement related to a specific site’).

17. An artefact
This could be something you have made or designed. The possible range
is vast: it could be artwork, a costume for a play, a working model, an
educational game. It could be a design or a series of designs; the whole
idea is to give you the maximum scope possible. If in any doubt about the
format, contact your awarding body about it. There have been cases
where the student was discouraged from doing an artefact because their
school or college was worried about the student going into areas beyond
the experience/expertise of the supervisors and the college. Usually these
worries were totally unnecessary.

18. Successful artefacts have included the following:
■ a dress
■ sculpture
■ computer programs
■ building designs
■ steam engines.
You will need to submit a written report with your artefact, at about
1,500 words. Some of those words may be in the form of a commentary
on different parts of the designs. No one is going to count the words
carefully if you are clearly meeting the assessment criteria. You can use this
report to meet the AO1, AO2 and AO4 criteria, demonstrating the
following skills:
1 Planning: for example, how you anticipated problems, obtained the
right resources at the right time.
2 Critically using the ‘wide range of resources’.
3 Reviewing and evaluating.

19. AO3 should be covered by the artefact itself.
Your artefact will be judged on your ability to do the following:
■ Manage the whole project, from the initial idea stage through to
completion. Strong evidence of your planning will be critical here.
■ Use a wide range of resources critically. The resources could range from
interviews through to the designs of other artefacts, or secondary and
primary sources. The potential list is vast and the type of resources will
depend very largely on the nature of the project.
■ Complete the artefact in a specified time. There have been cases where
the actual artefact has not been completed but there was enough
evidence (such as photographic) of the process
for marks to be gained.
■ Review and evaluate the whole process. What
worked? Why? What did not? Why not? What
was learned? What would or would not be
repeated next time?

20. Successful artefact-based projects:
■ are well planned (good planning is perhaps more important and a
greater challenge in this format than in the others)
■ involve the anticipation and learning of necessary skills (for example, arc
welding, reading French)
■ demonstrate the individuality and enterprise of the student
■ reach outside the conventional educational ‘box’
■ have a high level of review and evaluation.
Less successful artefact-based projects:
■ have bright ideas but bad planning
■ do not achieve the timescale
■ discover too late that the acquisition of a certain skill is vital to complete
the project
■ do not think through the transition from the bright idea to actual
artefact
■ expect too much help from others.

21. Performances may also be produced in response to a stimulus question (eg ‘How far can people
with a mental illness be held responsible for their actions?’), where the question focuses and
guides the development of performer research, development of script ideas, selection of
theatrical techniques and choice of stage setting and publicity materials.

22. A production
As with the other formats, there is a
huge range of possibilities here. It could
be a play, a film, a concert, a DVD, an event. Again, if you are not sure,
contact OCR for advice. Remember what it is being assessed: if your planning, researching,
evaluation, etc. is perfect, but you forget your lines in the performance of
a play which you have written and in which you have the lead role, marks
will not necessarily be deducted (although you might want to reflect on
your line-learning skills and how to deal with pressure for AO4!).
This project format will be judged on your ability to do the following:
■ Plan the production: did you allow sufficient time to rehearse?
■ Use a wide range of resources critically.
■ Deliver the production.
■ Reflect and evaluate on the whole process. What went well, and why?
What did not, and why? What would you do better next time?

23. Successful productions:
■ manage to translate the bright idea into an actual production without
harming the essential ‘creativity’ behind it
■ are realistic, downsizing as necessary
■ remember the assessment criteria: a stunning piece of film-making or
music-writing will not achieve an A grade without the production
demonstrating your planning, investigation and evaluation skills
■ take the written report seriously. It should not be a rushed afterthought
which neglects evidence of your skills. The production itself does not
always display the skills required, particularly to a lay audience.
Less successful productions:
■ do not actually happen: the idea simply does not translate into practice
■ forget what is being assessed. You might be the next Steven Spielberg,
but if there is no evidence of planning or no report you will not gain
high marks
■ lack evidence of planning and resource use. If you are writing a play
then you must still demonstrate your research and evaluation skills
■ become the vehicle for one person’s ego, or disintegrate over personality
clashes
■ do not provide evidence of individual contributions and skills within a
group production.

24. Section Number of words
Total word count
Dissertation
6000
5000
Performance
3000
Artefact
1500/3000
Abstract/ summary /100
Introduction /400
Research Review /900
Discussion/
Development/Analysis
/1350
Conclusion /250
Bibliography No
recommendation No
Appendices (PPF, activity
records, raw data)

26. Case study of project dvlpmnt - KISS

27. Mentoring Can be held as regularly as necessary for the student
Mentors do not have to be subject-specialists
Mentors act as supervisors and guide students but do NOT spoon-feed them. Students need to take risks, make decisions and solve problems by themselves

28. Focused objectives
Independent learning
Research base
Structured outcomes
Thinking skills

29. What to do first?
• What areas are you interested in doing your Extended Project
on?
• Can you put together a title that will allow you to investigate
and to access the higher-level concepts and skills in the learning
outcomes and assessment objectives, i.e. plan, research, analyse,
evaluate and explain, rather than simply describe and narrate?
• Are the title and proposed action clear and focused on an
issue which can be managed within the timescale, available
resources and word total?
• Do the title and proposed action indicate that you will be
capable of investigating and researching the topic or carrying out
the activity or task independently?
• Is there a danger that you will be unable to approach the
project impartially and in a balanced way?

32. What makes a good title? Personal Interest
The choice of the title for an Extended Project is important as it sets the scene for
everything that follows. The first thing to bear in mind is that the Extended Project
Qualification (EPQ) is designed to provide students with an opportunity to select a
project which genuinely interests them. It could be that the topic they want to
work on has a link to their plans for future work or study, or it could be a personal
interest or hobby that provides the rationale for the project. A good first question,
for students who have no idea at all, is to ask them what they are thinking of doing
after their project is complete, then suggest that they choose something which
links to this. If, for example, they hope to go on to study a course in psychology at
university, it would make sense for them to work on a research question which has
a psychological aspect. Or if they hope to go on to train to be an engineer, an
engineering artefact would be a sensible choice. This may seem obvious, but it
isn’t always clear to students that it is worth making a connection to their
potential future areas of work or study.

33. Thinking about the Outcome
In thinking about whether or not a title is a good one it is important to consider the
sort of project which it is likely to lead to. Whatever the outcome, all projects
have to involve a process of planning, researching, developing and reviewing. The
emphasis in the assessment criteria is very much on the fact that a project is a
process. That process, at Level 3, should occupy around 80 guided learning hours of
time, and should include ideas, techniques, theories and vocabulary which are of
Level 3 standard. There should be some sophistication to the work. So, some
immediate questions to ask of a student when they first come up with an idea for a
title are as follows:

34. Is this something which will lead to a project taking around 80 hours worth of
work?
Some projects are simply too ambitious; more commonly, students chose tasks
which can be done in much less time.
Is it something which will need to be carefully planned?
Sometimes, students choose projects which are essentially nothing more than tasks
(e.g. “ I want to find out what I need to do to become a nurse”; “ I want to learn
to play a new song on my guitar”; “ I will make some posters for our school trip”).
The EPQ is designed to challenge students to develop their skills in managing time
and resources. They should choose projects which require significant planning,
leading to a process of research and development, rather than simply being tasks.
Is the project something for which research is going to be necessary?
In all units of the qualification, the research base is central. It is the platform from
which successful project development work can be launched. As with the
requirement for planning, if a student opts to do a straight-forward task, there will
be nothing to research, and it will be hard to meet the requirement to use research
resources. Suppose that a student decides that her project will be to record herself
playing some rock music. This would be a poor choice of objective, since no
research will be involved.
Will the project involve substantial development work in order that the chosen
objectives are met?
AO3 (the development and realisation criterion) is worth 44% of the marks. In
terms of time allocation, that corresponds to around 35 hours worth of work. If a
student has chosen as their title a question which could be answered by writing a
short essay, it will not constitute a worthwhile Extended Project.

35. Will the student be able to evaluate their project once complete?
The evaluation, or review, involves asking how successful the project has been.
One part of this involves discussing the extent to which the initial objectives have
been met. This means that the objectives need to be clear and specific. If the
chosen objectives are vague, it will not be possible at the end to enter into a
meaningful discussion of the extent to which they have been met. Suppose a
student chooses to ‘design an advert’. This objective is too vague; there is no
specification of what is to be advertised, or where the advert will be used, or
whom the target audience is. It will therefore be impossible to evaluate the
success of the advert. By contrast, consider a student who chooses to ‘design a
series of short documentary-style advertisements to heighten awareness of the
requirements that employers face under the Disability Discrimination Act’. This is a
highly specific, focused design brief containing within itself the criteria for
evaluation (Were the advertisements made? Were they in an appropriate format?
Were they suitable for the target audience? Did they have the desired effect when
shown to a test audience? etc)

37. Sample project titles
“Is it ethical to genetically engineer babies for designer purposes?”
“Can you believe in God and the Big Bang?”
“What role does comedy have in serious culture?”
“Is the only aim of business to make maximum profit?”
“What are the long term health effects of binge drinking?”
“Is wi-fi safe?”
“How useful is Feminist interpretation of fairy tales?”
“Is Marxism still relevant in this post-modern world?”
“Have reality TV programmes spawned a generation obsessed with fame?”
“Are soap operas an accurate reflection of the way we live?”
“Would the vote be beneficial for year olds?”
“Can music influence crime rates?”
“How do role models influence out body image?”
“Has globalisation led to an increase on the exploitation of female workers?”
“Is censorship justified?”
“Is Shakespeare still relevant?”
“Is freedom of speech a fundamental human right?”
“Does anyone have the right to have children?”
“Is it ethical to have a child for the purpose of saving another child’s life?”

38. Project Proposal Form
• The student’s choice of question/hypothesis/commission or brief
• A rationale for the project
• Identification of skills
• Objectives
• Activities
• Resources

39. Once you have worked through the above stages, complete
page 4 of you Production Log (copy on school website) and
arrange a meeting with your supervisor to discuss it.
After this meeting you will be able to complete pages 5 and
8 of the

40. Hints
• Keep you Extended Project under control – don’t get sidetracked
or think ‘I’ll put it off until next week’.
• Keep your topic/ research question manageable – within the
time available and your skills.
• Keep it in perspective – the Extended Project is worth the
same UCAS point score as any AS Level – this can and will help
your future education/career.
• It should be approximately 5000 words – this may seem long,
but in fact is only about 12 sides A4.
• You are unlikely to change the world with your EP – you are
not expected to write something totally original, just something new
to you.
• It should be on a topic that interests you, and that you want to
find out more about.
• Follow the guidelines in the learning Log – remember this
forms part of the assessment.
• Keep checking the assessment criteria to make sure that your
project will fulfil the requirements.
• Stick to deadlines – they are there to help you – promise!

42. Step one – Action plan Use the SMARTER code to help you:
Specific -What exactly will you do?
Measurable -how will you know you’ve
succeeded?
Achievable -is it realistic?
Resourced -have you allocated enough
time? Have you enough
information?
Timetabled -by when will you achieve each
step?
Evaluated -keep checking if you are on
track
Reviewed -sometimes changed
circumstances mean a
modification in the goal is
necessary

43. Step two - Research Scan reading:
• First flick through a textbook/article – scanning
• Look at the index
• Look at the headlines
• Look at the pictures
• Look at any summaries at the beginning or end of chapters
• Stop and glance at anything that interests you
Jot down anything you already know – key words.
Produce a mind map to develop ideas further.
Always make notes and ask yourself questions.
Analysis -Interrogate the author – ask questions as you are
reading:
• How do I know this is true?
• If it is true, what else follows?
• Is the conclusion justified?
• What assumptions are being made?
• Is this fact or opinion?
• What’s the evidence? If it’s fact, is it always true? If it’s
opinion, can I trust the source?
• Can I think of any (better) examples to illustrate the
argument?
• Is this logical?
• What personal opinion or conclusion can I draw from this? Is it
justified?
• What are the unique and new points?
• What is essential to know and what is just padding?

44. Step three – Organising the Project
The average professional writer spends 40% of his time on
research and planning, only 20% on actual writing and 40% on
revision and re-writing.
Writing tips:
1. Keep to the topic – what exactly is the question or issue that
you are addressing?
2. If it’s a topic or problem for which you are proposing an
answer, define the issue in the first paragraph, and keep
checking back to see if you are sticking to the point.
3. Gather together the information you need – notes from books,
sources from the internet. When you have your notes together try
mind mapping the key ideas.
4. Now start to add to the mind map – putting ideas together in
groups
5. Check back – do the points answer the question or suggest a
solution to the problem?
6. Decide what will be in the beginning, middle and end of the
report.
The middle develops your arguments and ideas with example,
facts, quotations and evidence to back up the argument.
The end – a clever summary answer to the origina lquestion, and
ties up any loose ends.

45. Step four Step four – Draft it Start with the middle:
• Start to write with your organised plan in front of you.
• Start with the middle – where you will be developing your
arguments. Once the middle is complete then you can finish off
by writing a punchy opening and a clever summary ending.
• Decide what is the best order for your main points –
remember to give each new idea its own paragraph.
• All work should be done on a computer so its easy to cut
and paste and move text around if necessary.
• Write up each of the ideas from your mind map

46. Step four
Writing the conclusion • Look back at the draft of the middle. Jot down the 10 most
important key words.
• Find the shortest way to link them together – that’s your
ending.
• Check that your ending sums up your answer to the question
or the issue you are addressing.
• Remember this is the last thing to be read before deciding
your grade!
Writingthe beginning:
• Now draft the beginning – this will give the reader the ‘big
picture’ of what you’re going to say.
• Remember the beginning is the first thing your reader (or
examiner) will see.
• A punchy beginning will put them in a good mood expecting
to agree with your argument.
What next?
• Sleep on it. When you read it again you will see points
you missed or things you could have explained better.

47. Step five -Edit it
• Is the meaning clear? Have you used the words that describe
exactly what you mean?
• Read your report out loud. Does it sound good?
• Have you used sub-headings that make it easy to read?
• Have you used short paragraphs that the reader will want to
read, rather than long boring ones?
• Have you given examples to bring your ideas to life?
• Pay attention to the beginning – does it start with a bang?
• Does it make the reader want to read more?
• Keep your sentences short – long sentences are difficult to
understand

48. Referencing/ Bibliography
It is crucial that as you are researching your project that you
make a note of the following information for every source you
use:
Title or publication or address of the website
Name of the author or editor Page number
Publishers name Date or publication Place
or publication
This information will go into your bibliography, and will prevent you
being accused on plagiarism.
• Footnotes – these are a way of allowing your reader to
check your sources for themselves. They are notes that appear at
the foot of the page. Footnotes should be used whenever you refer
to the work of another person. Everything that is not your own work
must be referenced.
• Endnotes have the same purpose as footnotes; they simply
appear at the end of a document or at the end of a section of a
document.
Both footnotes and endnotes can be used in one of two ways,
either:
1. Parenthetical in text system -in other words putting your source
in brackets within the text.
2. Number system -simply using the insert tool on Word to insert a
number which refers the reader to your footnote or endnote.
Bibliography -the list of all sources that you have used,
referred to or consulted during the course of compiling your
Extended Essay.
For example:
Power, J. A History of the Extended Project at MTGS. Crosby,
England: Whatever Books, 2010
When citing a website you must specify Site name, Homepage
URL, date viewed -for example:
The BBC Website
January
2010
Useful Links:
A very thorough and easy to understand webpage on
bibliographies and referencing from the University of Dundee.
A very thorough pdf on the Harvard style of referencing and
bibliography from the library of The University of Queensland,
Australia.

49. The Formal presentation
• The presentation should be for a non-specialist audience and
use media appropriate to the type of project.
• The presentation could take the form of a verbal or written
presentation or may involve the use of flipcharts, posters, OHP
transparencies, PowerPoint or short excerpts of video material.
• This could take the form of a group presentation, in the case of
a group project, or a one-to-one presentation to the supervisor.
• The presentation should be supported by answers to any
questions from supervisors.

50. Questioning learners after the presentation is useful, partly as a way of authenticating the
originality of their work and partly as a way of giving them a chance to demonstrate the extent of
their understanding further. The question and answer session can provide evidence for AO4
(Review).
Suitable questions include:
• ‘which of the resources used proved to be the most useful to you and why?’
• ‘what factors influenced your choice of presentation style?’
• ‘looking back at your project, are there any processes you would change? If so, why?’
• ‘did you anticipate any particular difficulties when approaching this subject and how did
you/would you have dealt with them?’
• ‘what areas of your subject do you think provide opportunities for further exploration and
why?’
A check sheet for different aspects of the presentation is given in Annexe A. This may help in
making decisions about the award of marks for the presentation in AO4 against the specification
assessment criteria.