Breadth Option - Extended Project

Course summary

Ever wished you could focus on your hobbies or passions while developing key skills that make you stand out to prospective Universities and Employers? If so – this course if for you! The EPQ is no ordinary A Level: students set their own goals, follow their own interests, and monitor their own progress. It is an extended exercise of self-regulation, involving in-depth research and analysis, with a large focus on independent learning. Almost any topic can be chosen as the focus of the project, as long as it does not duplicate the content of your other subjects. You will be taught how to research, reference and reflect on your work – all while improving your presentation, planning and time management skills. The end result of the EPQ is the production of either a 5000-word dissertation, or a carefully developed artefact (e.g. artwork, computer game, fashion show, conference, or physical object). The Level 3 EPQ is worth half an A Level, (up to 28 UCAS points), and the skills developed during this course are so useful that many Universities (e.g. Bath, Southampton, Lancaster and Liverpool) will give lower offers to students achieving high EPQ grades. Even if Higher Education is not your end goal, these skills will bolster your CV, enhance your interviews, and will set you up for the workplace. At Marling, students are allocated a supervisor who oversees your project and meets with you for an hour a week, in groups of around 10, to discuss progress and to facilitate the taught skills element of the qualification. The expectation is for three hours of independent work per hour of contact time. Our course starts in September of Year 12 and runs until May half term – with students gaining predicted grades in time for Year 13 UCAS applications.