AQA Extended Essay Project

The first ever Extended Project presentations took place recently with each Year 13 student giving a 10-15 minute talk about their research topic. The students also had to explain how they tackled their independent project, learning how to plan, research and add references to their work. The students also had to answer questions from the audience. The topics were extremely diverse, for example looking at the causes of Sickle Cell Anaemia or the US gun law debate. The EPQ is a new venture for St Christopher’s, helping students to develop key skills that will be of use when they go to university.

Gabby Chakkos reports that “the presentation was a great way to get to tell people about our experience throughout our EPQ. My EPQ was very personal to me and I am glad that I was able to share it with the school. The presentation itself was a very useful experience as it taught me how to confidently speak to an audience. I also learnt how to use new programs such as Prezi which I know will greatly benefit me in the future”. Basel Al Sharaf reports that “working on my own project for the past few months and being able to showcase my research and findings to an audience of many other students was a highly satisfying experience. Most of all, I enjoyed answering the audience’s questions about my project and being able to confidently answer with a comprehensive knowledge of a topic that is of great it interest to me: intrinsic selfish motivations”. Fifty Year 12 students have embarked on their Projects which are due for completion in December 2014, which is indicative of the interest this new initiative has attracted.