EPQ

Entry Requirements

Students who meet our entry requirements for Pathway 2 may take the EPQ alongside three A Level or BTEC subjects.  The minimum requirement is 7 or more GCSEs at Grade 6 or higher, including Maths and either English Language or Literature. 

Exam Board: AQA

What is the EPQ?

The EPQ is a fantastic course to develop your skills for Higher Education and what we particularly love about it, is that you have the freedom to choose what you want to research.

The EPQ course is encouraged by many top universities, including Cambridge because it allows students to extend their abilities beyond the A-level syllabus and prepare for university or their future career. It gives you the chance to research and study something that you are interested in or that has links to a course or career that you intend to go on to. Furthermore an increasing number of universities are including the EPQ in their offers to students and many universities, including Oxbridge, acknowledge that the EPQ provides students will the opportunity to develop research and academic skills relevant for study at university. It is also worth half an A-level (up to 28 UCAS points) so can be used to earn extra UCAS points.

"Nearly 1 in 5 successful applicants to Durham had completed the EPQ" - The Sunday Times 16 Feb 2014.

A largely self-directed and self-motivated project. Students must choose a topic, plan, research and develop their idea and decide on their finished product. Creativity and curiosity are encouraged. A project topic may be directly related to a student's main study programme, but should look beyond the specification. Students must also record their project process in their Production Log. The process of recording and completing a project is as important as the finished product. Both the Production Log and Product will be assessed.