After Gateway, you can breathe a sigh of relief that the on-programme part of your apprenticeship is complete. All that’s left is your end point assessment, or EPA. EPA can seem daunting, but with proper preparation you will know what to expect and this will boost your confidence.
We’ve written this article to give you some tips to prepare for EPA. Once you understand the process, EPA will seem much more manageable.
Do you understand the methods of EPA?
Each apprenticeship standard has its own assessment plan with different methods of EPA.
These could include a presentation, project report, multiple-choice test, professional discussion, Q&A, interview and more. The different assessment styles all aim to test your competency against the assessment criteria detailed in the assessment plan.
The first step to understanding EPA is to know which methods of assessment will be used and what to expect. You should know the process, the format and what is expected of you. You’ll find detail on all of these in our support materials, found on the epaPRO portal.
Do you know how you will be marked?
The assessment criteria are set out in the standard’s assessment plan. These are often listed as knowledge, skills and behaviours, along with details of what pass and distinction grades look like.
You should take time to familiarise yourself with all of these criteria and understand how they are relevant to your role.
As an EPAO we are often asked questions such as:
- Should apprentices include a bibliography?
- Do they get marked on spelling and grammar?
The answers are in the support materials we provide. Apprentices are graded only against the assessment criteria defined for each assessment method, and we recommend they read the support materials carefully.
Can you give examples of how you have met the assessment criteria?
Once you’re familiar with the assessment criteria, take some time to think about how and when you have demonstrated each in your role (or project, as relevant to your standard). Then practice speaking out loud about them. You could practice with a colleague, friend or your training provider.
For example, if one criteria says ‘Can adapt to change and solve problems,’ you could think of a time something hasn’t gone to plan and describe:
- What happened
- How you reacted to it
- Why you chose that solution
- What happened as a result.
Assessors are there to guide the assessment
Your EPA assessor is not there to catch you out. They are there to mark in a fair and consistent way, and although they must remain impartial, you might pick up on clues in what they say. For example, if during a discussion the assessor tries to move the conversation on, you may have covered the criteria sufficiently, or they may be managing the time available. If the assessor asks about a certain element of your work, answer on that element – the assessor knows what criteria need to be demonstrated and is giving you the opportunity to do this. This is where it pays for you to be familiar with the assessment criteria.
Assessors appreciate that EPA can be stressful – if your mind goes blank, ask if you can move the discussion on and come back to that question.
Mock assessments
Have you done a mock assessment? This means a practice run of your assessment, carried out in the same conditions to help you prepare and know what to expect. Training providers are often happy to carry out mock EPA – speak to your coach or tutor to arrange this.
For speaking assessments such as interviews and presentations, it may help you to record your mock assessment so that you can watch it back and identify any areas for improvement.
For anything else, ask
These general tips are to give you an introduction to preparing for EPA. Please refer to our current support materials for up to date guidance. These can be found on the epaPRO portal. If you have any questions that aren’t answered in these materials, you should speak to your training provider.
Training providers are welcome to contact us for any additional clarification or guidance.
