King’s Sixth Form pupils excel in Extended Project Qualification

The King’s Sixth Form students have again excelled themselves with fantastic Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) results. This year is our biggest ever cohort with 37 students completing the EPQ, with 54% receiving A*s and 100% A*-B.

The EPQ is a qualification open to students in England and Wales and is equivalent to half an A level. It takes dedication and commitment to produce either a dissertation (5,000 words), music or drama composition or report/artefact (supported by full paperwork). The EPQ is greatly valued by universities because it supports the development of independent research skills that are needed at the next level of education. An increasing number of universities make lower grade offers to those who have achieved a strong result in an EPQ.

The interest in EPQs is growing year on year at King’s. Students are able to research any topic which is of interest to them and this leads to a rich variety of outcomes. This year we have had a raft of interesting projects, including:

• In what ways were there parallels between the evolution of the shape of coinage in Ancient Greece and Ancient China between 1500 BC and 100 BC?
• Can clinical differences in how disease-associated mutations are expressed be explained by other secondary mutations in the genetic background and if so, how can this be used as a method of diagnosing hereditary neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD in comparison with current methods?
• What was the main factor: trade unions, management, the government or international competitors in the decline of the British motor industry in from 1950-2008?
• Can I design and create a website to promote a business and sell its products online?
• To what extent can cleft palate be prevented?
• How should we deal with memorials of colonial figures?
• Is the legacy of the British Empire mainly positive or negative?

Claire Brown, EPQ Coordinator said; “We were very impressed by the quality of the projects this year, the range of topics and of course the fantastic results. The interest in EPQs has grown enormously this year. Students now realise how important this is to demonstrate to universities that they are capable of independent research and dissertation writing.”