The Extended Project (EPQ) which students can take in Years 12/13 is an opportunity to gain extra UCAS points, perhaps half a grade, and also to develop a whole new set of skills, both academic and future career related.
As a tutor I have been privileged to work recently on many fascinating EPQ’s – now up to around 20 and I hope I played a good role in supervising and advising students on projects such as wide as dissertations on the physics of rocket launch propulsion, the legal aspects of nuclear waste disposal, the role of Maths in computer programming, the use of Big Data and Statistics in influencing Consumer Behavior, uses of Game theory in business, the links from Art to Maths Geometry and the causes and control of U.S.A. inflation; and investigative projects such as designing a survey to see the influence of cup design on beverage sales.
As well as coaching, marking, moderating and receiving mock presentations from students, I have also completed a full EPQ myself, answering the question, was Charles Babbage more than just a computer pioneer. Even if the detail passes you by, its worth glancing at the structure and reading the Evaluation at the end – the lessons I learned writing it. After doing it myself I can feel the students’ pain! Seriously though, if you choose a topic that fascinates you, the writing will come easier and easier once you create some paragraphs.
It is clear when you read the EPQ specification and marking system that approaching a half of the marks are awarded for the process of planning and executing the project, rather than purely marking the technical content. And so I bring some of my business and project management skills, as well as the academic aspect, into the mix for the student. I tailor the tutoring to the specific requirements of the AQA or Pearson Edexcel versions which are subtly different.
In choosing the title the student should do preliminary research on a topic that fascinates them but also is feasible to research and then agree it with a nominated school supervisor. The topic is often related to what a student might study at University, but be careful not to be too close to simply repeating A-Level work. Begin to map out some objectives you wish to achieve and arrange them in the SMART form (specific, measurable, agreed, realistic, time-bound). The objectives should relate to what you hope to learn both about the technical content but also the project process. . Enter them in the Project Proposal Form (Edexcel) or Candidate Record Form (AQA) and keep this up to date and complete along with timelines for activities.. The title may change a little as you go along don’t worry. Ideally the title should pose a question to be answered such as “To what extent does…?” or “how important is..” rather than just a list of factors.
Set up a good document management system for articles you have found in the library or on the internet. Make sure you are always working on an up to date copy of your master not an out of date one. Keep notes of not just the technical content, but also of the process steps that you take in your Project Activity Log (Edexcel PAL) or Record Sheet (AQA) such as how you take decisions about what to include or reject, how you avoid plagarism, how you are proceeding versus your objectives, how you overcome barriers, and what you are learning; you have to complete a detailed reflection of your journey and this contributes to marks, for instance in helping you to construct your Evaluation section.
Use project management techniques such as Gant charts and stage gate control to ensure you plan out your work and use these to try and hit deadlines. Again useful to include in Process Activity Logs.
Look at examples of projects to see how to establish a list of contents at the front, organise your paragraphs well and put a lot of work into the Research section, where you recorded your initial research, followed by Discussion, Conclusion and Evaluation. Often the standard list of contents is the first thing you write in the dissertation and focuses your mind to get you started. A typical EPQ is (minimum) 5,000 words and 25 pages.
Keep structured references as you go along such as author name, article name, date. The Bibliography is important in two respects – to reference the author of the articles you read, using perhaps the Harvard standard format; also you need to record some examples of how you ensured reliability of Source. A good way of ensuring a validated paper is through Google Scholar or JSTOR. Try a variety of resources – books, library, magazines as well of course as the internet. Part of the learning is how to quickly and effectively read long, complex articles; perhaps use “control-F” to search on some key words. The difficulty is summarising these and I can help. Keep creating paragraphs from your Research and them make sure you link them together coherently and then later discuss common themes and implications before coming to a justified Conclusion which answers the question in your Title.
You will find yourself on a technical project inevitably working way beyond A-Level syllabus. This is great!. It is introducing you to University level research and theory, and it will be a fantastic addition to your UCAS personal statement.
Do not worry if you realise that the more you uncover about your topic, the more questions emerge and you may feel your work is superficial – it is not! The writers of published Papers have years to do this, it is their job, and at the age of 17 you only have a few months on your project while focusing on A-Levels as a priority.
You should be aware of the marking grid and the nuances of what examiners are looking for such as structured arguments and also counter arguments, and evidence of reliable articles and appropriate ways of researching and reaching decisions on aspects of your project. If not you may think you have created a good project, but then don’t get the marks you deserve.
In summary you have to put in some extra work, but it may coincide with summer holidays anyway, and there are so many benefits ranging from UCAS points, through learning research and writing techniques in advance of a possible University dissertation, to expanding your academic and real-life knowledge.
If the above ideas interest and help you, please get in touch if you’d like some tutoring help to apply them in your son or daughter’s project.