year 12 study skills

Yesterday afternoon saw our current Year 12 cohort collaborate in a session that took place in our Conference rooms (pictured above) and Sixth Form Centre, that was designed to develop their current course in independent research and study skills, as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) Coordinator Mr Connell explains:

As a segue into the EPQ course, year 12 students have produced their own independent research tasks on a topic of their choice from across Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences.

Throughout this half term, students received specialist support in utilising super-curricular resources such as JSTOR and BBC Sounds to produce their projects, which range in their focus from Calculus to The Stanford Prison Experiment to the schooldays of William Shakespeare.

Yesterday, they were encouraged to read, discuss and support each other's scholastic achievements, a process designed to prepare them for the upcoming EPQ application period. 

Urmston Grammar is proud to offer our Sixth Form students the opportunity to undertake the EPQ, and it is an invaluable qualification that not only strengthens applications to University, but is hugely positively impactful in progressing students' independent research skills in preparation for undergraduate study, as UCAS explains:

This qualification helps students develop and demonstrate their project management skills and provides opportunities for extended writing, both of which are highly valued for progression to higher education and employment.

Students can tailor their project to fit their individual needs, choices and aspirations with the agreement of their centre.

The outcome of the project can be a design, performance, report, dissertation or artefact.

Further information

• Feedback from HEPs suggests that the skills that students develop as part of the EPQ are highly valued.
• Some HEPs signal this by adjusting their standard A level offer for certain courses to include the EPQ.
• Others use EPQ results in Confirmation and Clearing to distinguish between students who have the same A level results.
• A number of universities and colleges encourage applicants to refer to their project in the personal statement and interviews.
• EPQs are widely valued by universities and colleges making points-based offers¹

Next week, one of our current Year 13 students will present her EPQ research to Year 12, and we look forward to sharing updates.

¹Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) | UCAS Qualification Information Profiles