Extended Project Qualification

If you are looking for a way to challenge and stretch your abilities, develop new and existing skills and prepare for higher education or employment more effectively then the EPQ offers the opportunity to do all of these things in Year 12 alongside your A Levels.

WHAT IS THE EPQ?

• A project management qualification, testing your skills rather than your knowledge of specific content.

• A continuously assessed qualification.

• It is assessed at A Level standard but has the same time allowance and UCAS points as an AS (28 max).

WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?

• Choosing a topic of your own about which you are passionate, ideally something that links with present or future study or future planned career.

• Planning, researching, producing and evaluating a single, extended piece of work, based on that topic. This ‘project product’ can be almost anything, from writing a dissertation, to giving a public lecture, or organising an event.

• Keeping an online log of the process and submitting this together with other evidence at the end.

• Giving a short formal presentation followed by questions, to demonstrate what you have learned about both your topic and project management.

• Having all the above assessed by your supervisor and a recommended grade (A* to E) submitted to AQA.

HOW DOES THE EPQ PROGRAMME WORK?

There are 3 main elements:

• The individual work that you manage yourself.

• The taught group sessions, covering such things as research and presentation skills, time management and record keeping.

• Regular meetings with a supervisor who will assist and guide you.

BENEFITS OF THE EPQ

• Helps develop essential skills for higher education and the workplace, including those skills listed by Russell Group universities as missing in many applicants.

• Research shows that taking an EPQ enhances the odds of gaining a higher grade at A Level (A* - B) by 29% (Ben Jones, Head of Standards, AQA).

• Gives you a taste of Higher Education study through research and independent thinking.

• May give you the edge over other candidates, especially on competitive courses. Elite universities say EPQs can make the difference between winning a place on a course or just missing out.

• Gains additional UCAS points and may help to secure a reduced grade offer.

• Showcases your skills and gives evidence of your calibre as an independent student.

“We would encourage you to undertake an EPQ as it will help you develop independent study and research skills and ease the transition from school/college to higher education.”
Cambridge University

We recognise that the EP will provide an applicant with the opportunity to develop research and academic skills relevant for study at Oxford. Candidates are encouraged to draw upon their experience of undertaking the project when writing their personal statement, particularly if the topic is allied to their chosen degree course.”
Oxford University

“We have an increasingly compelling evidence base that students who did well at the EPQ settle in well to their undergraduate study at a research-intensive university like ours, and are keen to see more of them in our lecture theatres and seminar rooms.”
Southampton University