Higher Project Qualification

The Higher Project is a Level 2 qualification.  You will complete a project that is either linked to one of your subjects, or an area of personal interest.  You can either write an extended essay, or produce an artefact along with a shorter essay.

The Higher Project Qualification is 60 Guided Learning Hours.  This involves a taught element of 30 hours where you will learn the skills required to complete the project and 30 hours extended autonomous work.

To complete the HPQ, you will:

• Identify, design and complete an individual project, applying a range of organisational skills and strategies to meet agreed objectives.
• Obtain, critically select and use information from a range of sources. Analyse data, apply it relevantly and demonstrate understanding of any appropriate linkages, connections and complexities of the topic.
• Select and use a range of skills, solve problems, take decisions critically, creatively and flexibly, to achieve planned outcomes.
• Evaluate outcomes both in relation to agreed objectives and own learning and performance.  Select and use a range of communication skills and media to present evidenced outcomes and conclusions in appropriate format.
• Deliver a presentation to a non-specialist audience
• Provide evidence of all stages of project development and production for assessment (Production Log).

The final piece of work must be analytical – you must produce a research question; develop an argument for it; produce a counter-argument and then draw a conclusion.   A piece of work that is merely descriptive will not meet the Level 2 criteria. 

You must use evidence throughout their work to support their views, and must reference this clearly.  It is important that all work is checked thoroughly for plagiarism. 

The evidence for assessment will comprise the following:

• The completed Production Log and Assessment Record including the Project Proposal Form, Presentation Record and Candidate Record Form.
• The project product including a written report and any other evidence, as appropriate, depending on the topic or subject area chosen.  This should be approximately 2000 words.  If the chosen product is an artefact, it must be accompanied by a research based written report of approximately 500 words.