Extract by Sophia

'The room was silent, except for the faint ticking of the clock on the wall, each second dragging like the last with that end-of-summer break feeling. I stood by the window, staring out at the sunset, stretching endlessly. The estate was quiet, too quiet, as if even the walls had learned to stay out of my way when I was feeling like this. 

The letter had come a week ago, but I buried it under a stack of papers on my desk until this evening, when the anticipation became too much. 

I reached over, my hands shaking, and picked up the envelope. I looked at the front where each letter had been written so intricately, each one linked to the other. I flipped the letter over, running my fingers over the wax seal, which was delicate and precise, as if it had been drawn.

Glowdayle University. 

The name raced around my mind. It was the most prestigious school in the country, and I knew even before I opened the letter that I had been accepted. But still, a part of me was afraid. Afraid I wouldn't live up to the expectations that had been set for me. 

I finally broke the seal, the thick cream-colored paper inside feeling as weighty as the moment itself. I scanned the letter, then read it again, the words dancing in my vision, yet failing to make any impact. 

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Glowdayle University. Your talents and potential have been recognised, and we look forward to having you as a part of our academic community.

The words were hollow, insincere. I had not earned this.'

Extract by Beatrice

'The different tubes of unique fluorescent chemicals surround me as I stare at the bruised and swollen hare on my desk. His nose, dusted with fuzz, twitches as I wrap his only ear in bandage. I don't recommend working on animals with claws and long legs, specifically long legs they use for jumping. All it leaves you with is two hands (if you're lucky) covered in plasters, a scratch on your forehead, and a horrible sinking feeling at the depths of your gut for forcing chemicals onto such an innocent and endangered creature.

“It’ll be worth it,” I whisper to the squeaking mammal in front of me. "You're helping the greater good.”

I fear I've sunk so far into humanity that I've started to console myself.

I shouldn't feel bad for such an insolent, weak being. I shouldn't feel sympathy, it's such a useless emotion. But maybe it's the fact that it lacks many ways to defend itself from the likes of me that makes me cringe with guilt every time I inject it with another chemical or substance. Maybe, though it did hurt me with scrapes and bites, this skinny hare will contain more humanity in its soul than I ever will.

I'm currently working on advancing a medicine. I've been in this very lab with this very oversized rodent for forty-four hours and twelve minutes. This is my first act for a better society, towards true freedom and safety for all. Many believe we, as a society, have already achieved that, but they haven't seen what I've seen. They've never and never will witness the experiments, cruel words and harsh truths, greed and ruthlessness of the upper class. Very few have suspected it, even fewer have realised it. To the public, we’re angels that saved them. Humans can be very stupid.'

Extract by Lily

'A flash of blinding light erupted from behind them, and everyone flinched, covering their eyes as they turned to see the source. A figure was rising from the clearing like an ethereal being, emerald light emitting from their energised corpse, their eyes igniting orbs of power. Breaths hung trapped in the air as they all watched Emerson rise above them. 

She was cosmic. Hauntingly beautiful. A star illuminating the sky, a beaming sun, glistening, glowing, radiating a light that seemed to be growing from within her, dissipating from her skin. It seemed ceremonial, as if the world had been turning just for this moment to one day come into existence. 

Emerson’s body trembled as the plants around them all began to shrivel and decay, turning brown and dried, drooping as their leaves faced the sand. Roots cried out as they lapped out of the ground, faint screams dying in the chaos of it all. Sand swirled, creating mystical patterns, dancing around, rising and falling with a wind that had come from nowhere, a wind which was growing stronger. Leaves lifted from the sand, entwining with vines and dehydrated, flaking Phahnalda’s above them, twirling towards Emerson’s fingers. The dying trees rocked back and forth until their trunks snapped, thumping to the ground with echoing roars. 

Emerson’s eyes glowed green, the same hue that sparkled like an aura around her body, emanating from her fingertips, sucking the life out of the island. And then her arms rose higher, revealing wings protruding gracefully yet powerfully from her back. Arwen could have sworn they were not there before, nor had there been any hint of their dangerously stunning existence. They glittered iridescent, with weaving patterns of green and black, like ivy, like veins, so delicate that they looked like they were spun by spiders on a dewy morning. Between the echoes of the wind, words were exhuming from her mouth, starting off as silent exhales, breathing life and secrets into the world around them, until they strengthened into yells, as she pulled energy from their surroundings, chanting in strange tongues.'

The Sixth Form Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) runs every year and gives students the chance to complete a university-level project on a topic of their choice. Miss Sisk provides the taught-time sessions for the EPQ, giving guidance on academic skills including research, and citing and referencing. Students then have the opportunity to visit the University of Southampton's Hartley Library to access millions of brilliant academic resources to use in their projects. Topics chosen by students this year include:

• The need for prosthetics in veterinary sciences

• The link between architecture and mental health

• How dystopian literature is reflected in modern America

• The extent to which childhood affects adult health