OCR Extended Project Qualification (H857)
The OCR EPQ, step by step
What to do at each stage of your Extended Project, what to record for the marks, and what OCR's moderators see go wrong.
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a stand-alone Level 3 qualification worth up to 28 UCAS points and graded A* to E. OCR's version is coded H857. You choose your own question or brief, produce a dissertation, a report, an artefact or a performance, and are marked out of 60 by your school or college before OCR moderates that marking. It has to extend beyond the A levels or other Level 3 courses you are already taking, and it cannot reuse their material.
Which route are you taking?
Most steps are the same for everyone. Choose your route and each page shows only the steps that apply to you.
Every page shows both routes. You can change this at the top of any phase page.
The phases
Work through them in order. Each phase ends with a checklist.
- Before you startHow the marks work, setting up your PPR and activity log, the five supervisor meetings, and a skills audit.
- Find your titleRecord initial ideas, choose your route, write a focused question or brief, set aims, make a time plan and get your title verified.
- ResearchSearch properly, evaluate every source for usefulness and credibility, reference as you go, and decide whether you need primary research.
- Plan the outcomeConfirm your outcome type, plan its shape, list the resources and permissions you need, check ethics and risk, and complete the PPR Initial Planning section.
- Build itProduce the outcome in stages, log the decisions and problems as they happen, use feedback properly, and complete the PPR Mid Project Review.
- The presentationPlan a presentation that reviews the project against your aims, pitch it for a non-specialist audience, and keep the evidence and the questions.
- Evaluate and submitEvaluate against your objectives, re-run your skills audit, complete the PPR End of Project section, and assemble the full portfolio for submission.
- How the marks workWhat each assessment objective covers, how the 60 marks split, how the bands work, and which phase earns each one.
If you did it but did not record it, a moderator cannot give you marks for it.
Keep your PPR and activity log up to date as you work, not at the end.
Sources: OCR H857 specification, version 2.1 (June 2026), OCR H857 moderators' report, Summer 2023
How each phase page works
The EPQ is marked on how you plan, research, decide and reflect, not only on what you produce. OCR's specification says assessment is based on "the process as well as the outcome". So every phase page follows the same order:
- Do this now. The steps to take, in order.
- Record this for the marks. What to put in your Project Progression Record (PPR) and activity log, and which assessment objective it counts towards.
- Worked example. An invented example that shows the technique.
- Common mistakes. What OCR's moderators report going wrong, and what to do instead.
- Checklist before you move on. Your ticks are saved in this browser, and you can see every checklist on one printable page.
The toolkit goes deeper on the documents themselves: how the marks work, the PPR and activity log, referencing and strong and weak examples.
Find your Classroom task
If your school has set numbered EPQ tasks, find yours here.
| Classroom task | Where it is covered |
|---|---|
| Task 1: Record of initial ideas | Phase 1: Find your title |
| Task 2: Start an Activity Log | Phase 0: Before you start |
| Task 3: Create a Time Plan | Phase 1: Find your title |
| Task 4: Verification of Topic and Title | Phase 1: Find your title |
| Task 5: Project Progression Record (initial idea) | Phase 0: Before you start |
| Task 6: Aims and Objectives | Phase 1: Find your title |
| Task 7: Source Selection and Source Evaluation | Phase 2: Research |
| Task 8: Identifying resources required | Phase 3: Plan the outcome |
| Task 9: Identify Skills Required | Phase 0: Before you start |
The qualification in numbers
| Level | Level 3, a stand-alone qualification |
| UCAS points | Up to 28 |
| Grades | A* to E |
| Time | 120 guided learning hours: about 30 hours of taught skills and 90 hours of your own project work |
| Marks | 60, marked by your school or college and then moderated by OCR |
| Outcome | A dissertation (about 5,000 words), a report of an investigation or study, an artefact, or a performance or event |
| Extra writing | Every outcome except a dissertation also needs a piece of extended writing of about 1,000 words (the PPR describes this as a minimum) |
Grade boundaries change every exam series. OCR publishes them for each series on its website, so this guide does not list them.
The four assessment objectives
Your project is marked against four assessment objectives (AOs). AO3 is worth twice as much as each of the others.
| AO | What it covers | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| AO1 Manage | Choosing, designing, planning and carrying out the project | 12 (20%) |
| AO2 Use resources | Researching, selecting, organising and analysing information and sources | 12 (20%) |
| AO3 Develop and realise | Using skills and problem solving to make decisions and achieve what you planned | 24 (40%) |
| AO4 Review | Evaluating the project and your own learning, and presenting it | 12 (20%) |