David Game College is excited to offer students the opportunity to complete the extended project qualification (EPQ) beginning September 2020. The AQA Extended Project will sit as an added qualification to be pursued by ambitious academic students. This qualification is worth 28 UCAS points which is equivalent to an AS Level, and is designed to give students an advantage when applying for competitive degree courses; in particular the Russell Group universities. The Extended Project will clearly be a way of giving students the edge over their competitors. It is a separate qualification and potential EPQ students need to understand that it is a sizeable commitment and will require a great deal of independent work and study.
Why choose this qualification?
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will allow you to develop and extend from one or more of your study areas and/or from an area of personal interest or activity outside of your main programme of study. It will be based on a topic chosen by you and agreed as appropriate by the course supervisor at David Game College.
The Extended Project (EP) gives you the opportunity to demonstrate a wide range of academic skills and show prospective universities that you are proactive, capable of independent study and have wider academic interests in and around your subject choices. In an increasingly competitive market, your university application will be considerably strengthened by adding the EPQ to your portfolio of qualifications.
The distinctive and valuable feature of the EPQ is that you research and develop your project independently, in the manner of undertaking a university dissertation in your final year - therefore preparing you for independent academic research. Your supervisor will guide you and give you feedback on your project along the way but they will not teach you like your other subjects are taught. You will typically meet them once a fortnight.
What will you need to do?
With appropriate supervision you will complete the following tasks during your EPQ:
choose an area of interest
draft a title and aims of the project for formal approval by your supervisor
plan, research and carry out the project
deliver a presentation to a non-specialist audience
provide evidence of all stages of project development and production for assessment.
After agreeing a title on the basis of some preliminary research, you will work on your project and receive tuition into research skills over a period of two terms. You will be required to keep a diary of your progress and to fill out a production log on the way that will demonstrate your ability to record and reflect on the process of production and assess the level of success achieved by the project.
Once your project has been submitted, you will give a short (10 minute) presentation introducing your project and summarising your reflections on the challenges you faced and the skills you have developed as an independent researcher. The presentation will be to a small audience and should include a live question and answer session overseen by the supervisor.
How will the course be taught?
You will mainly work on your own but some aspects of the project will be taught in small seminars and tuition groups, this may include:
Skills or techniques relating to safety and the safe execution of research or experimentation: such as being well versed in ethical guidelines.
ICT skills: you will learn about how to use the internet efficiently.
Research skills: how to compile footnotes and a bibliography, how to avoid plagiarism.
Project management skills: how to manage your time properly.
Performance and presentation skills: how to command an audience.
Personal learning and thinking skills: how to be evaluative and reflective.
What can students produce?
A wide variety of evidence may be submitted for assessment depending on the nature of the project. This may include:
A dissertation that analyses an academic debate or issue
A report of your own primary research
A short story or (very short) book
A performance (dance, dramatic...)
A website or program
A piece of art
A short film or media clip
A model or something you've made
All projects must include a report of between 1000 and 5000 words depending on the exact nature of the project. A project consisting solely of written work should be 5000 words.
Accordingly, only students whose past academic record and/or day to day work at David Game College (in the opinion of the relevant subject teacher(s) is of a quality and standard commensurate with EPQ will be accepted on to the programme.
