On June 21st we held our EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) presentation afternoon, which marked the culmination of the Year 12 students’ work on their projects this year.

An EPQ is an independent research project which involves writing an essay of around 5,000 words, or creating a product and must be accompanied by extensive research, a written report and a presentation.

Tailored towards Sixth Formers, an EPQ enables students to develop their abilities to learn independently, use their learning experiences to support their plans for further study or career development as well as transfer skills developed as part of the project to other areas of study. It can also add considerable value to university applications. When choosing a topic, girls are encouraged to consider a wide variety of ideas for inspiration, including their hobbies/interests, current affairs, but also their career/university course aspirations or which A level they would have liked to take but did not.

Staff and pupils in Years 11-13 were invited to attend a variety of virtual presentations given by over 30 Year 12 EPQ candidates, who were assessed by their supervisors.

The students gave presentations on a wide variety of EPQ projects ranging from balloon technologies and how they could be used to explore Mars to what extent has music piracy and copyright affected the music industry?

The topics featured included:

Are affective mood disorders such as Bipolar Disorder more the result of genetic or environmental factors?

Should Achilles be seen as a hero in Homer’s The Iliad?

How can neural interface technology be used to emulate human vision?

How did Rachmaninoff’s compositional conservatism contribute to his popularity?

To what extent is violence inevitable in civil rebellions, with a focus on the Black Power Movement in the USA and the Northern Irish Troubles?

 To what extent does the legal system have the potential to reform Toxic Masculinity within society?

 With reference to More’s Utopia and Plato’s Republic, what are the key factors leading to the fall from Utopia to Dystopia in Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale ?

What caused the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and how could it have been avoided?

What are the ethical issues in YSL’s adapting the marketing strategies to beauty standards in China and the UK?

To what extent was the First World War the main cause of change to women’s fashion from 1910 to 1929?

To what extent are regulations on digitally-altered body images justifiable?

Congratulations to all the EPQ candidates who took part, having worked incredibly hard on such a diverse range of topics over the year. The candidates would also like to thank all those who attended, either virtually or in person, to ask questions and show their support.