Welcome to the Pearson Edexcel Foundation and Higher Project Qualification student landing page. This page is designed to help you, the student, explore the opportunities available through a PQ, and support you through the journey to completing your project.

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Easy to follow guidance for PQ students

How to get started

Whether you are completing a PQ during a timetabled lesson, or as part of extra-curricular or personally directed study, we are pleased to provide you with easy-to-follow guidance that will take you through the steps to completing your project. For each stage of the guidance below, we have included and indication of the assessment objective (AO), the title of that assessment objective (e.g. Manage) and the marks available within that assessment objective (e.g. 7 marks).

Getting started (AO1 Manage 7 marks)
Step 1: Begin by filling in the project proposal form. This involves think about your project objectives, the reasons why you are doing the project, the key activities you will need to carry out and the resources you need to complete the project.
 
Ask yourself…. How can you best describe each of these points carefully, clearly and thoughtfully? Here is a completed example.
 
Step 2: Next you need to start and maintain an activity log as you work through your project.
 
Ask yourself… how can you record your activities in a detailed, clear way? How can you include reference to your plan for your project, and how can you best show when it changes? If you encounter problems, how did you overcome them? Here is a completed example.
 
Benchmark – by completing the project proposal form and activity log, you will be building your evidence for AO1 Manage, which is worth 7 marks.
 
Carrying out research (AO2 Use Resources 9 marks)

Step 3: It is now time to carry out research to provide you with the information and understanding you need for your PQ. Successful research involves using a wide range of sources, and can include primary research (research you do yourself) and secondary research (looking at research carried out by others). Your research should link to your project.

Ask yourself… Are the topics you are researching relevant and applicable to your project?

Step 4: While you carry out your research, you need to keep a track of the sources of information in a document called a bibliography. This is something that your teacher can help you with, but is also something you can read up on yourself. Part of the requirement for the HPQ is to consider the reliability of the sources of information you find i.e. are they from a trusted source of information, could they be fake or bias in any way?

Ask yourself… how can you keep good records and details of what each source contains, where it was produced and when? How can I prove that the sources of information I gather are from trusted sources?

Benchmark – by carry out your research and bibliography, you will be building your evidence for AO2 Use Resources, which is worth 9 marks.
 

Develop and complete your project (AO3 Develop and realise 17 marks)

Step 5: Develop your project is where you actually do the project, whether this involves writing your essay, conducting and analysing your research, creating and carrying out your performance, or making your artefact. It is worth the most marks and therefore will take you the majority of your time.

Ask yourself…how are you developing your understanding of the topic and express your ideas?

How can you do this clearly, logically and thoughtfully? How can you support your ideas with arguments and explanations? How can you consider alternative views, interpretations, ideas or designs as well? How can you make use of the resources you researched to help you develop your ideas and achieve your project objectives? How well presented is your project? Is the communication of your ideas clear and effective? Is your project well-organised and is it easy to understand what you have done and why?

Benchmark – by completing your project work, you will be building your evidence for AO3 Develop and realise, which is worth 17 marks.

 

Conclude your project (AO4 Review 7 marks)

Step 6: The final step is to conclude your project by reviewing and reflecting on what you did.

Ask yourself…How can you draw conclusions and support these with evidence?

How can you explain which objectives you met or didn’t meet? How can you say what you have learned and what skills you have used? How can you get feedback from other people about how successful your project has been? How can you explain what you would do differently in the future? If you were to extend your project, what would you do next?

Benchmark – by concluding your project, you will be building your evidence for AO4 Review, which is worth 7 marks.