Project-based learning

Student-led project qualifications from OxfordAQA enable your school to weave essential academic and critical thinking skills into your curriculum. Thanks to powerful project-based learning, which complements your core subjects and won’t put pressure on the school’s timetable, both your students and their teachers are free to flourish and think independently.

• Our International GCSE Plus endorsement introduces students to the process of project work. Students utilise essential planning, research and report writing skills, and can actively demonstrate creativity, risk-taking and reflection. This provides the perfect foundation for A-level specialism or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) Extended Essay.
• Our International EPQ (previously known as the International Independent Project Qualification (IPQ) allows students to supplement their desired A-levels with a piece of academic work on a subject of their choice.
• Not only is there is strong evidence to suggest that completing a project-based qualification increases learners’ chances of performing well academically, but it can also be useful for students to highlight their International EPQ project in university applications and interviews to help them stand out from the crowd.
• Extending into the future: Read our full report on the benefits of project-based learning

In both the International GCSE Plus and International EPQ (with the support of a supervisor and in the context of a ‘taught skills’ programme of study) students must:

• Choose an area of personal interest
• Draft a title and aims for their project
• Plan, research and carry out the project
• Deliver a presentation on the process and findings, or reflect on what worked and could be improved