Extended Project Qualification
Subject Leader: Mrs A Robertson
Key Stage 5
Exam Board: AQA
Level: 3
Course Overview
An Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) allows students to develop their confidence and gain valuable skills to help them stand out from thousands of others.
Course Content:
Students study and research independently whilst developing project management and learning skills. It can be an individual or group project and involves creating a 5000 word essay or an object or performance and 1000 supporting words as well as a project planning and evaluation document.
Assessment: 100% Project Based and assessed.
Curriculum Content
Year 12/13
Over the course of a 9 month period the following skills are taught and monitored:
- Project management: time management, organisation of project, prioritisation, goals/targets
- Academic reading and writing: note-taking, academic style
- Production log: expectations, requirements
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Using resources wisely/evaluation of sources
- Referencing: avoiding plagiarism, referencing systems, citations
- Reflecting critically
- Constructing a presentation
- Presentation skills
Independent study and self-reflection forms the significant part of this project with a project supervisor allocated and two tutorial lessons per week.
Assessment
Students will be assessed against four objectives:
AO1 Manage
Identify, design, plan and complete the individual project or task within a group project, applying organisation skills and strategies to meet stated objectives
AO2 Use resources
Obtain and select information from a range of sources, analyse data, apply relevantly and demonstrate understanding of any appropriate linkages, connections and complexities of their topic
AO3 Develop and realise
Select and use a range of skills, including new technologies, to solve problems, to take decisions critically, creatively and flexibly, and to achieve planned outcomes
AO4 Review
Evaluate outcomes including own learning and performance. Select and use a range of communication skills and media to convey and present outcomes and conclusions
Mark grids are provided for each unit to demonstrate student performance at three levels for each assessment outcome, and how marks may be allocated. In general terms, progression across the mark bands is characterised by increasing:
breadth and depth of understanding,
coherence, evaluation and analysis,
independence and originality.
Useful Website Links
Support for extended writing Level 3
Suggested Revision Guides and Books
EPQ Toolkit for AQA: A guide for students Illuminate publishing ISBN 9781-9112-0861-7
Out of School Learning (OSL) and Extracurricular Activities:
- Support is offered to the students during lunch and after school sessions.
- VIsits from universities and employer encounters will help validate the importance of this qualification.