EXTENDED PROJECT QUALIFICATION (EPQ)
What is the Extended Project Qualification?
The Pearson Edexcel L3 Project Qualification is designed to stretch, challenge and motivate aspirational A Level students.
Students have the opportunity to research and produce an extended essay (or dissertation) that adds depth or breadth to one of the subjects they are already studying at A Level. Alternatively, students have the freedom to explore other areas of academic curiosity as a taster and springboard for higher education and careers in areas such as (but not limited to) medicine, law, engineering or architecture.
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Benefits of the EPQ
The EPQ provides students with the opportunity to undertake a self-directed project that encourages in-depth exploration and skill-building, helping students stand out in university applications and beyond.
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The EPQ provided clarity on why I’d chosen to study engineering & helped me hone my research skills
- CGA Student, Linette Phiri
WHO IS THE EPQ FOR?
The EPQ is for students that possess a natural intellectual curiosity - they are not simply academic and great at passing exams, these are the students that actively seek out opportunities to further their learning in their interest areas.
For students who want to apply to a course that you cannot study at A Level - medicine, engineering, architecture, dentistry - the EPQ gives them an opportunity to showcase their interest.
This is for students who already know what they would like to study and the project allows them to identify a particularly relevant, cutting edge or controversial topic in that area as a point of differentiation.
Hear from Online EPQ student, Sara
HOW DOES THE EPQ WORK?
- Students work with a tutor-mentor as well as working independently to plan, manage, complete and evaluate a single piece of work.
- Students submit an objective for the project and their rationale for the choice.
- A plan has to be provided for the delivery of final outcome.
- Students conduct the required research and analysis for their project.
- Finally, they will submit their project along with what they learned through the process.
Dissertation examples
Could electroshock therapy be the most effective method of treating depression? Should museums return all their historical artefacts to their country of origin? How did the 2008 financial crisis make house buying impossible for the majority of millennials? What are the positive effects of machine learning on healthcare? Can zero carbon housing ever really exist?
Assessment
Students are assessed on their ability to plan, manage, complete and review their project. The project is marked internally by teachers at school and then sent to Pearson to be moderated. There are four assessment objectives that students are evaluated on: managing the project; using resources; development and realisation of outcomes; and a review of all aspects of the project.
Duration
120 guided learning hours over one year as well as personal time as needed. Of these, 40 hours are recommended for the taught element.