Scarisbrick Hall School’s Sixth Form – EPQ
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
The Extended Project Qualification is a fantastic independent learning opportunity that is offered to Scarisbrick Hall’s Sixth Form students. The project teaches new skills, such as independent research, project management, self-reflection and self-directed learning.
An EPQ is the equivalent of half an A-Level (70 UCAS points) which means it’s an excellent addition to university applications. In addition, some universities will offer lower grade requirements if you complete an Extended Project Qualification.
What happens if a student does not wish to complete the Extended Project Qualification?
For students who do not wish to undertake the Extended Project Qualification, an alternative research project is offered. Students will undertake an independent research project before presenting it to their peers.
This ensures that all students are prepped with the skills required for higher education, developing mature, critical, reflective, creative and independent learners.
What does the Extended Project Qualification involve?
Students will produce a 5,000-word essay (or a product and a 1,000 – 3,000-word essay) based on a topic of their choice. This project is about pursuing an investigation from initial idea to completion. Students will keep a log of their progress, reflect on their decisions and detail what skills they have learnt along the way.
Students will begin the EPQ A-Level in Lower Sixth and submit during Upper Sixth. Students won’t have a teacher in the traditional sense. Instead, a member of staff will act as their supervisor. Our Sixth Form students also present their findings to teachers and fellow pupils and field their questions. The direction and responsibility of the Extended Project Qualification are entirely down to the students.
It’s a long project, so it’s critical that, like their university course decisions, our students choose a subject for their Extended Project Qualification that they are passionate about. Previous examples of EPQ A-Levels studied at Scarisbrick Hall School include:
- Are Size 0 plus size models both equally defensible/indefensible?
- Can terrorism ever be justified?
- What are the impacts of learning a foreign language on child development?
- How can we effectively reduce the development of asthma in modern society?
- What’s the significance of animals in Shakespeare’s plays?
- Is the free press a force for good?
- Did Anne Boleyn really commit adultery?
- Should the NHS pay for IVF treatment?