Year 13 students are celebrating after receiving some fantastic Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) results, which they submitted during Year 12.
An EPQ is a big independent project for which pupils will earn a qualification and UCAS points.
It involves writing an essay of about 5,000 words and a final presentation. Alternatively pupils can make an ‘artefact’ - this can be a piece of artwork, or something else they’ve physically made – and an accompanying shorter essay.
Probably the best thing about doing an EPQ is that it can be about a subject of the students’ choice, so they can really work on something they are passionate about.
This year’s EPQ results saw 64% of students gaining A*-B which is an increase of 9% on last year, and 86% gaining A*-C which is up 8% on last year.
This is how pupils’ EPQ results translate into UCAS points:
| Grade | UCAS points |
| A* | 28 |
| A | 24 |
| B | 20 |
| C | 16 |
Topics this year included, the impact of the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak in 2001, meat consumption, the disappearance of Madeline McCann, as well as questions around 'How relevant is Aristotle's virtue theory in the modern education system?' and 'How beneficial is bilingualism to the language acquisition and development of children?'
Other students focused on marketing including, using applied marketing methods to create an overall marketing strategy of a website and how to market a small start-up health food business.
At Shiplake, the EPQ is the academic part of the Year 12 PULSE programme (Personal Understanding, Learning Skills and Enrichment) which involves visiting speakers to the College to talk about a range of topics, all with the aim to encourage students to think outside of their academic studies and about the opportunities available to them when they leave school.
Talks this year have been on a variety of subjects from working in the pharmaceutical industry, to Hypnotism and how the skills you learn through participating in sport will help you in your academic studies and future career.
Mr Richard Ebbage, Assistant Head, Academic, said: “This was the second year the whole of Year 12 were eligible to participate in the EPQ, and we are really pleased with the results.
“I am proud of all of those who put the effort into the course and who are now reaping the rewards. Many of our Year 13s have been offered a lower benchmark to get into the university of their choice due to their EPQ grade.
“Those who are not looking to university, have gained skills such as planning, time management and independence which will make them stand out to employers or even help them in running their own businesses (as one of our students did for her project!).
“I do hope the success of the current Year 13s inspires younger students.
"Overall, we had another very pleasing set of outcomes from the PULSE programme in 2018-19. The students again seemed to really enjoy the enrichment of visiting speakers and I would like to say a public 'thank you!' to all those who came to talk.
“Alongside the professional speakers, we have a number of staff, parents and Old Vikings who came in to inspire future generations. It is a great reminder of what a talented community we have. If you are reading this and feel you have a talk (on any topic), which our Sixth Formers might be interested in, please get in touch with Mr Dickey ([email protected]).
“Finally, a huge thank you to the staff who supervise the course. The students could not do it without you and I hope you gained something from it too."
