EXTENDED PROJECT QUALIFICATION

The Level 3 Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) enables you to study a subject which doesn’t appear on the curriculum. It enables you to work independently, investigating a topic of your choice in depth. There is no written exam. Instead you learn skills such as planning, researching, analysing and referencing before carrying out a critical analysis of your findings.

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Students at Newman begin the EPQ in February of Year 12 and complete it by the following December. The EPQ is worth up to 28 UCAS points, or half an A level. It shows you have interest, determination, initiative and a high level of independent study skills.

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The EPQ is highly regarded by Universities, with many offering reduced offers and sometimes scholarships to students with exceptional results. In 2023 Tim Gill, a research officer for Cambridge University Press said that the EPQ ‘…has been shown to be associated with improved performance in other qualifications taken in KS5…. with teachers reporting that their EPQ students had become more self-confident and resilient … they believed the EPQ was good preparation for university study. There is also evidence that students taking an EPQ were less likely to drop out of university or achieve a degree class below an upper second.’

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Here at Newman we have longstanding EPQ links with the Academic Skills team at Southampton University who will lead four workshops between March and November, covering topics such as choosing a topic and giving a presentation.

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The EPQ epitomises the skills and qualities which Newman College and universities want their students to embody as able, committed and independent learners.