Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides an opportunity for students to extend their abilities beyond the A-level syllabus, stand out and prepare for university or their future career. It can also be used to earn extra UCAS points.
The Extended Project will help students develop the knowledge and skills that will be required of them when undertaking projects at university and in the workplace.
It is offered as a stand-alone qualification which is worth 50% of the value of an A level in relation to the UCAS tariff points. It is also well-respected and highly valued by a large number of universities that comment on the key skills that it allows young people to develop that are directly transferrable to their university courses.
The advantage of the EPQ is that it allows students freedom and choice in shaping their education. They can choose a topic that extends an aspect of a subject they are studying or alternatively a topic in which they have a real personal interest. Some students may choose a topic linked to their proposed degree subject or career plans that they cannot choose with traditional A levels, such as architecture.
They will be allocated two hours per week where taught lessons will cover topics such as, research skills, referencing, evaluation, and analysis. Students will also be allocated a supervisor who they will meet over the course of the process to review and discuss progress and they may also have a mentor who is a subject specialist.
Throughout the project students are required to complete a log book to evidence the progress they are making. This progress will be partially linked to the research they complete but also to their own academic development. The onus is on the learner from the outset; they must show that they can plan, deliver and present an original piece of work at A2 standard.
Features of the course include:
- Designing and planning the project
- Managing information and research
- Selecting and evaluating a range of resources
- Analysing information and evaluating the project and learning processes
- Developing presentation skills