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Updates: Colleges & Business Units | Commercial Outlets and Nurseries
Advice for: Students, Parents and Carers | College Applicants | Apprentices
Updates: Colleges & Business Units | Commercial Outlets and Nurseries
Advice for: Students, Parents and Carers | College Applicants | Apprentices
The EPQ is an A-level standard, standalone qualification designed to extend and develop your abilities beyond the A-level syllabus and prepare for university or your future career.
Within EKC Sixth Form College it is anticipated that all students will take the EPQ as part of their studies. It is worth half an A Level in terms of UCAS points, and is well recognised by Universities and employers. The EPQ will give you the opportunity to develop additional skills and the fundamental building blocks of knowledge you’ll need to progress on to University. You’ll have significant support from your EPQ supervisor throughout the programme, but you’ll also be empowered to plan your project and execute its delivery within your own timetable.
The first year of the course consists of an induction period The EPQ is all about you. As a student led qualification, you’ll get to consider the things which interest you and that you have a passion in, before mouldings that into a project you can deliver.
You could choose to do a project which will support your longterm aspirations or which relates to the course you’d like top study at University, or you could choose a topic which simply fascinates you and can help to extend your learning beyond the boundaries of your A Level curriculum.
Within the EPQ you will receive a taught element. This will give you 30 hours of supervised learning. This is often not the traditional type of teaching you might have experienced before. Instead you may have a visit from a guest speaker, a trip to a university library, or online courses to do. These lessons will give you certain key skills you’ll need to drive forward in your EPQ.
These might include:
Following the taught element, you will then get to work on your chosen project carrying out your own independent research. You’ll need to use a wide range of relevant resources, perform critical analysis and evaluation of resources, and carry out detailed research that informs the project’s outcome and format. Throughout the EPQ you’ll need to continually log your learning. This will be a record of your work toward your end assessment, and might include things like your initial ideas, project plans, and meetings between you and your supervisor.
The EPQ gives you two formats for your final assessment, adding to its suitability however you prefer to be assessed. The project culminates in either a written or practical assessment. If you choose to do the written assessment, you will create a written report which is around 5,000 words in length. If you choose to do the practical assessment, you will create an ‘artefact’. This could be a play, three-dimensional piece of artwork, model aeroplane, or even a website. Should you choose the practical assessment, you would also need to submit a much shorter written report.
