Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

It is possible to take an EPQ and an examined course, so please don’t worry if you would like to do both The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) project is a fantastic opportunity to research something you are interested in: your EPQ can literally be about anything you like Doing the EPQ also helps you to develop project management, communication, and analytical and evaluative research skills that are essential for success at university and in most forms of employment

The EPQ is a stand-alone qualification completed during the Lower Sixth It is worth more than half an A level and you’ll finish up with a grade somewhere between A*-E (hopefully the former) The EPQ project itself usually takes the form of a 5000-word essay exploring a question of your choosing, but could also be an experiment, writing a piece of music, or producing some other artefact That’s exciting because it means you can base your EPQ on any topic you like (as long as it is suitably different from something you ’ ve been taught in lessons)

Whilst your product (essay or artefact) might seem the most important aspect, actually the bulk of the EPQ –and most of the marks – go for the processes involved with planning, researching, evaluating and developing your EPQ. This is also why universities like the EPQ: it teaches you to be resourceful, to synthesise and evaluate information from multiple sources, to manage deadlines and to work independently – all essential skills for success at university Many universities recognise the value of the EPQ by building it into their offers, for example, for many courses, Southampton, Manchester, and Bath will make a reduced offer of one grade if you achieve an A on the EPQ, so an offer of AAB would be ABB Other universities, for example Durham, will take the EPQ into account when they have to decide between applicants with similar profiles Another benefit of doing the EPQ is that you ’ re likely to end up with a better result at university Even if you did the EPQ and got the same A level grades as someone else who didn’t do the EPQ, you ’ re more likely to achieve a top degree result More recent research shows that there is even a positive impact on how you would do on your A levels

Although your EPQ is the result of your independent work, you won’t be left completely on your own You’ll have lessons on the skills you need and you’ll have a supervisor who will guide you through the process At the end you will present your work to the School community and family and friends

Wellbeing

Wellbeing lessons allow pupils to explore core themes as part of the PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) curriculum in more detail There is also a focus on later life and opportunities to develop core life skills and support with beginning their Post-18 pathway applications The units that are covered include:

Lower Sixth Topics

° Pathways

° Living in the W ider World

° Relationships

° Exploring Right and Wrong

° Wellbeing and Personal Safety

° Finance

These units will address important key skills and knowledge to help them progress to the next stage of their education and in later life

Lessons in the Lower Sixth are supplemented by a cohesive lecture programme that covers practical first aid, relationships, wellbeing and support with the Post-18 pathway process

The Upper Sixth

In the Upper Sixth, pupils continue to receive lectures covering a range of topics including employability and study skills, further help with the Post-18 application process and a range of tailored wellbeing lectures.