Extended Project Qualification

Ashbourne provides EPQ students with the specialist academic supervision and guidance to help them complete projects to a very high standard.

EPQ topics
Students must come up with their own project idea which they discuss with their supervisor. There are no restrictions on what they may choose as their topic, but it is highly recommended that it is related to their proposed degree course – it is such an important facilitator of success in UCAS applications that most students elect to make that choice. Ideally, the topic should build on existing academic knowledge and go beyond the A-level syllabus – an example would be studying Italian Fascism in A-level History and then doing an EPQ on Mussolini’s military strategy in Africa in World War Two. Often topic choices with a strong personal or cultural dimension make for very successful EPQs as the research then becomes a journey of self-discovery as much as an academic and intellectual project.

Once the topic is agreed the student will draw up a full proposal including the project aims, initial plans, structure and format.

Production, Product and Presentation
The EPQ comprises three parts:

Production Log
This is a reflective research journal, which should demonstrate the candidate’s ability to record and reflect on the process of production and assess the level of success achieved by the project.

Product
EPQs can take a wide variety of forms including academic essays (5000 words), design and engineering projects, models or constructions, musical or theatrical performances, scientific investigations, multimedia productions, artworks and creative-writing projects.

Presentation
Students present their final project to an audience of specialists and non-specialists using appropriate media. There is a live question and answer session during the presentation, overseen by the supervisor.
All projects must include a written report or essay of 1000 to 5000 words long depending on the exact nature of the project, which will be internally assessed and external moderated.

EPQ guidance and skills development
EPQs are demanding and require a high level of self-motivation, real curiosity in the subject matter and hard work.

Students will have the opportunity to discuss their ideas with staff who specialise or have experience in their specific subject area and will be invited to take part in small seminars and tuition groups to learn and develop skills vital for successfully completing their EPQ, which include:

• critical evaluation skills
• online resource knowledge
• research methods
• research writing skills
• presentation skills
• planning skills

Students are encouraged to gradually build up the required assessment material over a long period of time to create high-quality production logs and successful projects. The most common mistake made by students is in organisational planning. Writing a 5000-word essay, for example, takes a lot of detailed planning and this is the first time that students will have undertaken such a big project. The struggle to meet the deadlines is mitigated by internal deadlines being created that are well in advance – then the failure to meet deadlines becomes a positive learning experience that the student can carry with them to university rather than a demoralising and punitive one.

EPQ grading
Successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to generate high-quality academic content, project manage, think critically and self-evaluate. The EPQ is graded on a six grade scale: A*, A, B, C, D and E.