1. The Extended Project Qualification To encourage you to think about what it means to be an Independent Learner Objective of the Session

2. Why do the EPQ? 1.An opportunity to gain an additional 70 extra UCAS points 2.An additional item to include on your UCAS form and/or job application 3.Learn skills which will be useful to you in higher education and employment 4.Research an area which is of interest to you

3. In pairs, choose and discuss ONE of the following topics 1.Is enough done in our society to prevent racism? 2.Can euthanasia ever be justified? 3.Should capital punishment be re-introduced? 4.Are young people’s views of themselves affected by images they see in the media? 5.Should the NHS restrict care to people whose conditions have not been caused by their own behaviour? 6.Should alcohol be banned and cannabis legalised? 7.What are the main reasons behind suicide terrorism?

4. Summary 1.The first stage of the process is to choose a topic that you would like to research

5. Use the questions below to explore your topic further (x is your topic) 1.What is the history of x? 2.What are the characteristics of x? 3.What evidence can we establish for x? 4.What other interpretations of x are there? 5.How does x combine with y? 6.What would happen to x if...? 7.What are the advantages/disadvantages of x? 8.What criteria would be appropriate in order to judge x?

6. Summary 1.The first stage of the process is to choose a topic that you would like to research 2.The second stage of the project is to set and answer some questions around the topic to help to decide the direction of the project

7. Questions

8. Use your questions to draw a spider diagram similar to the one below

9. Summary 1.The first stage of the process is to choose a topic that you would like to research 2.The second stage of the project is to set and answer some questions around the topic to gain more of an understanding of the direction of the project 3.The third stage of the project is to draw up a spider diagram to help to organise your thoughts 4.Use this paperwork to draw up an EPQ plan and get started 5.Keep a regular diary of your efforts and evaluate these as you go along

10. What to do next Look at the following website for more information: www.epqwkc.comwww.epqwkc.com Email mike.magras@westking.ac.uk to register your interest before Friday 21 st August 2015 with :mike.magras@westking.ac.uk 1.a copy of the completed Record of Verification of Topic Title form 2.a spider diagram 3.a completed WKC Planning Schedule Form