Meeting HPQ requirements
Students gain an Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) by planning, researching, reviewing and completing a project. Their product, either a written report, essay or prototype design is assessed, along with the process that students followed. HPQ has 4 Assessment Objectives:
- AO1: Be able to choose, plan and manage a project
- AO2: Be able to research information and apply it to a project
- AO3: Be able to select and apply skills to complete a project
- AO4: Be able to review a project and own performance, and analyse the project outcomes
Meeting these objectives demands greater competence in scientific practices and transferable skills than most students develop in GCSE. Here is a list of what the course teaches. These outcomes are described in detail in the Project Science teaching syllabus.
Practices for Investigation project (science)
- AO1: Devise questions, Construct explanations, Test hypotheses, Plan variables, Estimate risks:
- AO2: Interrogate sources, Review theories, Collect data, Critique claims
- AO3: Communicate ideas
- AO4: Present data, Analyse patterns, Draw conclusions, Justify opinions, Discuss limitations
Additional practices for Design projects (engineering)
- AO1: Specify problems:
- AO2: Imagine solutions:
- AO3: Prototype solutions:
- AO4: Evaluate designs
Additional practices for Research projects (desk-based essays)
- AO2: Integrate evidence
- AO4: Examine consequences, Use ethics
Transferable skills :
- For all AOs: Independent learning, Collaboration, Problem-solving,
HPQ Grades
Students tend to score highly at HPQ as the 2022-23 results from one of the Awarding Bodies show:
Grade
|
% students
|
A* | 69.5% |
A*-A | 86.9% |
A*-B | 91.3% |
A*-C | 95.6% |
The HPQ is graded on students' outputs and the evidence they submit and will result in:
- Grade A* - equivalent to a grade 9 at GCSE.
- Grade A - equivalent to a grade 7.
- Grade B - corresponds to grades 5 or 6.
- Grade C - matches grade 4.
- Grade U - unclassified.