SixthFormCourseGuide_1.8

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Halliford School The Extended Project Examination Board: AQA The Extended Project: 7993 What will I learn? The EPQ requires a student to produce a single piece of work of their own choosing, showing evidence of planning, research and autonomous working. Universities like students to have completed an EPQ because it teaches the student the independent learning skills and the research skills required for university study. The project can be independent or linked to an A-Level subject. The work is entirely up to the student and it can be: • A design • A report with findings from an investigation or a study • A dissertation presenting an argument • An artefact – such as a painting or a sculpture, but must be accompanied by a work book • A performance – including music, drama and dance and accompanying work book Assessment 60-80% of the marks in an EPQ come from the Production Log which must be completed alongside the final project. Further assessment is given for the presentation and the finished product. Who is the course suited to? What is the structure of the course Mr S Slocock All students who are interested in going to university should consider completing an EPQ. There is no formal structure to the EPQ as it is an independent project. However, the course is split into various parts: Independent Study Students are expected to do in the region of 90 hours independent study. This period of time is guided by the supervisors who the students approach to help them with their project. Completed work. The student will provide a presentation that covers the completed project, both the work and the process. Study Skills 30 Hours of taught skills covering: • Research Skills • Referencing • Presentation Skills • Writing Skills • Project Management All students receive 1 lesson per week of formal lessons and the remaining work is done independently. Reasons to consider doing an EPQ at A Level: • It will help to develop individual study and research skills. • It will help to develop decision making and problem-solving skills. • It will strengthen applications to university. 36
Sixth Form Course Guide 2018 – 2019 University and College Entry Choosing a University or College There are three key factors to be considered when choosing a university or college. The first and most important is the course that you want to pursue. Not all universities or colleges run all courses and the content of courses is not the same in each university or college. Having decided on your preferred course you need to identify where it is offered using the UCAS handbook. You should then look at the prospectuses of the institutions where it is offered to find out the particular courses that suits you best. The second factor is your likely performance at A Level and the number of UCAS points you will gain. You need to make a realistic assessment of this. Give yourself a range, neither too high nor too low. Having done this assessment you should then look again at the institutions you have identified as offering the course you want and exclude those whose entry requirements you are unlikely to meet. The third factor is partly geographical. You need to decide whether the location of the institution matters. Are you prepared to study anywhere in the United Kingdom as long as the course is right? Do you want to go to a campus based institution or a collegiate one? Do you want to be in a city or would you rather be in the country? These may seem insignificant factors but remember that you are going to be spending at least three years of your life at university or college. Having made your shortlist of possible institutions you should then visit them on open days to see whether the reality matches the picture given in the prospectus. Each year a number of students also wish to explore applications to overseas university including European and American institutions. Specialist help is available for those wanting to understand more about the application process and requirements. The Application Process Your ideas about further education should evolve during your Lower Sixth year. By the end of the summer term you need to have hardened them into preferences for particular courses and institutions. At this stage you need to apply for your own copy of the university prospectuses and start to identify which university open days it would be helpful to attend. During the autumn term of Upper Sixth you will apply to your selected universities through a central clearing house, the Universities and Colleges Admission System (UCAS). You can apply for courses at up to five universities or colleges on a UCAS form. This is now done electronically. For some institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge and colleges of Art, Drama and Agriculture there is a separate and/or additional form to complete. If you are taking a gap year you can either apply while you are still at school as a ‘Deferred Entry’ candidate or apply the following autumn, once you have received you results, as a ‘Post A Level’ applicant. Depending on which universities and courses you have applied for you may be called for interview between December and March. If you have applied to Oxford or Cambridge you will attend an interview in December. By the end of March you will have received either an offer conditional on your A Level results or a rejection from each of the institutions to which you have applied. At this point UCAS will ask you to confirm your offer by the 2nd May 2019. The conditional offers you receive may come in a variety of forms. Some will make points offers based on the new UCAS tariff. Some will make offers based on grades in three A Level subjects. An important part of your preliminary research needs to include identifying the kinds of offers the universities you are interested in are likely to make. When the A Level results come through in August, universities and colleges confirm the places of those who have achieved the grades required by their conditional offers. There is a safety net (Clearing) from the end of August for those who have not met the conditions of their chosen institution but who may be accepted elsewhere. When a student has only just missed the conditions of an offer it is still sometimes possible to secure acceptance. To achieve this requires contacting the Admissions Office of the institution concerned. 37
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