An Excellent Set of EPQ Results

Congratulations to our Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) pupils who received their results today. 86% of the pupils gained an A*/B grade and all of them passed this demanding qualification that is equivalent to half an A-Level.

“The grade boundaries this year became tougher,” said Mr David Wickes, Head of The Portsmouth Grammar School. “Within this context the achievement of our pupils who undertook the EPQ is very pleasing and they, along with the teaching staff that supported them, should be incredibly proud.”

All pupils in Year 12 at PGS complete an extended project, either for an AQA Extended Project Qualification or the in-house PGS Extend as part of the Sixth Form Academic Enrichment curriculum; the projects and their outcomes are highly-regarded by universities as they show the ability for independent learning, research and personal application. This is the second year PGS pupils have entered the EPQ and amongst the projects were a study on the link between music tuition and cognitive development in children, an evaluation of diagnostic bias in autism, an investigation into the sustainability of electric cars, and the design and production of an accurate replica Longbow. These four projects give just a taste of a highly impressive range of topics from across all subject areas.

“This second cohort have achieved stronger results than last year – 65% of pupils achieved A*/A which is up from 56% last year and we look forward to celebrating with them later this term,” continued Mr Wickes. “We have seen our pupils flourish through their commitment to work on their projects, have witnessed creativity, curiosity and the courage to drive themselves forward – all traits we hope to inspire in our pupils. Throughout their school careers they are encouraged to look at the world beyond PGS and where they want to be at 25; the EPQ is part of this journey, diving deeper into subjects and projects that they are passionate about, consolidating learning, researching information and methods to enable them to produce stunning work.”