ipq

Offered by Oxford AQA

Class #1

April, 18
Subject facts
● Timeframe:
30 hours taught skills
90 hours independent skills
● Submission:
5000 word report +production log + recorded presentation
● Grade scale:
A*-E
● Deadlines:
21 February - Entry submission
31 March - Grade submission
● Equivalent to ½ A-level
● Score release: with other A-levels
WHat is ipq? Benefits of ipq
1. Undergo a project in a subject 1. Develop own organizational,
area which interests you. project management and
2. Develop critical thinking independent learning skills.
skills & project management 2. Become more confident in other
skills. areas of study.
3. Assess ability to plan, carry 3. Gain a good foundation in study
out, report and evaluate & research skills.
independent project. 4. Enhance application to higher
education.
5. Bring freshness to studies.
6. Help you decide on a future
career.
1. Project planning &
management
2. Research skills
3. Report writing

SKILLS COVERED
4. Presentation & oral
communication skills
5. Reflecting in terms of
creative thinking and
decision-making with
regards to the research
project
Grading process
Students must produce and submit evidence
for the listed elements to receive a
grade:

1. Student identifies and selects an area

of interest.
2. Student sets a working title.
3. Student undertakes a risk assessment.
4. Student produces a project plan. The grading process is outlined in two
5. Student implements the project plan and stages:
documents any changes to it.
6. Student produces a report addressing the Step 1: which descriptor is the project most similar
selected final title. to; an A grade or a D grade?
7. Student uses a referencing method.
8. Student communicates findings in the Step 2: Does the project match the chosen descriptor
(A or D) so that it is worthy of precisely that
report and the presentation.
grade, or is it sufficiently better or poorer to
9. Student creates a bibliography/reference
warrant a different grade?
list.
10. Student evaluates the strengths and *Refer to pg. 13-16 of
weaknesses of the project. Specification for more details
Class #2

April, 23
 ● RECAP OF WHAT IPQ IS
● RECAP OF ASSESSMENT

OBJECTIVES ●
OBJECTIVES (AOs)
COMPARISON OF EXEMPLARS:
A GRADE AND D GRADE
● REQUIREMENT STRUCTURES
● SETTING TIMELINE
A-EXEMPLAR D-EXEMPLAR
- Topic is specific and straight to the
point. - Overambitious topic.
- Appropriate area of interest is - General reference to potential
identified and selected. resources.
- Not detailed in approach, research or
justification of changes.
- Organized train of thoughts with
- Some planning but lacks a strategic
complete consideration.
approach and detail.
- Shows changes in title and different
- Changes are clear and justifiable.
parts of the report but lacks
justification.
- Used resources and interest to base - Does not show firm understanding of
research on. topic during presentation.
- Report well structured:
- Adequate planning giving a more * really good approach to referencing
strategic approach to research. within the report.
* synthesizes information
- Continuous monitoring and evaluation of * lacks focus
progress and learning. * conclusion does not address title
completely
- Report and presentation well-structured. - Did not give the report adequate time
- DETAILS! DETAILS! DETAILS! and concentration.
 timeline
BEGINNING MIDDLE END

SUBMISSIONS (1) RECORD OF INITIAL IDEAS (5) PLANNING REVIEW (7) PROJECT PRODUCT REVIEW
BY STUDENT (3) CANDIDATE PROPOSAL (6) MID PROJECT REVIEW (8) PRESENTATION RECORD (PT. A)
(10) SUMMARY AND REFLECTION

SUBMISSIONS (2) COMMENTS ON CANDIDATE (9) PRESENTATION RECORD (PT. B)

BY SUPERVISOR PROPOSAL (11) RECORD OF GRADE
(4) CENTRE COORDINATOR
APPROVAL

*NUMBERS ON THE LEFT ARE NUMBERED DEPENDING ON SUBMISSION ORDER

 Production Log Report Structure Presentation Structure
1. Record of initial ideas ● Introduction (incl. ● Title slide
2. Candidate proposal aims & objectives) ● Introduction
3. Planning review ● Ideas addressed ● Project aims
4. Mid-project review (subheadings help in ● Research methods
5. Project product review organizing report) ● Skills used
6. Presentation record ● Conclusion (with all ● Investigations
(pt.A) findings and answering ● Media (pictures and
7. Summary and reflection the title question) videos)
● Bibliography ● Conclusion
● Appendix (for any ● Any questions?
images)

Example layout

SUBMISSIONS
Class #3

May, 02
Passion Planner Everyday tools
Tools - Goal Setting
Tools - Time Management
Tools - Time Management
Tools - Reflection
Tools - Reflection
 - Understand the importance of
time management as an
essential life skill

Time management - Recognize ‘time stealers’

- Consider a number of time
management techniques and
Learning Outcomes strategies including
prioritisation and SMART
goals
Time Management
- An essential skill.
- Allows you to
- Keep control of all your work and activities
- Prioritize
- Complete activities to deadlines
- Managing time effectively results in you feeling
less stressed and consequently more able to plan
your studies and achieve good grades.
Prioritization The Four Ds
It is the act of deciding what
tasks are important and focusing on
them, starting with the most
urgent.

To Do List
Easy way to keep track of what you
have to do.

Time Stealers
Consider all of the tasks you
need to complete before you
start the work experience at
8.45am tomorrow and allocate
them under the Do, Dump, Delay
and Delegate headings as you
think most appropriate. For the
items you put under the ‘Do’
heading, arrange in a timeline
order of how you would complete
them.
SMART GOALS
 1. Define your goal
2. List down the steps to
be followed
3. Prioritize tasks and

Project Planning
add deadlines
4. Set Milestones
5. Identify resources
needed
6. Visualize your action
plan
7. Monitor, evaluate and
update
PLANNING TOOLS
1. Action Plan:
An action plan is a checklist for the steps or tasks you need to complete in order to achieve
the goals you have set.
Components of an action plan include
● A well-defined description of the goal to be achieved
● Tasks/ steps that need to be carried out to reach the goal
● People who will be in charge of carrying out each task
● When will these tasks be completed (deadlines and milestones)
● Resources needed to complete the tasks
● Measures to evaluate progress
PLANNING TOOLS
2. Gantt Chart:
A Gantt chart, commonly used in project management, is one of the most popular and useful
ways of showing activities (tasks or events) displayed against time. On the left of the chart is a
list of the activities and along the top is a suitable time scale. Each activity is represented by a
bar; the position and length of the bar reflects the start date, duration and end date of the
activity. This allows you to see at a glance:

■ What the various activities are

■ When each activity begins and ends
■ How long each activity is scheduled to last
■ Where activities overlap with other activities, and by how much
■ The start and end date of the whole project
Planning Tools
3. Timeline
The definition of a timeline is a list of events in the order that they should happen.
Example Research Topic Areas & Titles
- Are Pharmaceutical Treatments or Psychological and
Social Approaches the Most Effective Way of Treating
Dementia?
- Why do Giant Pandas eat bamboo?
- Study of environmental and economic impact of the use
of micro scale HEP (hydroelectric power) schemes.
- What is the Geology of Highley and how does it affect
an area’s development?
- From Japonisme to Miyazaki: How Japan has influenced
Western arts (1851-2015)
- Should amalgam be used as opposed to other common
dental fillings?
 Explore topics of interest

homework
and produce a list of
possible areas (minimum 3)
of particular interest
suitable for further study
and research.
Class #4

May, 04
- Understand the importance of
selecting an appropriate topic
area that fulfils selection
criteria.
- Be aware of the importance of
setting appropriate aims.
- Understand how the aims and

Objectives
objectives help determine the
working title.
- Be able to differentiate between
the titles that allow for an
evaluative rather than a
descriptive approach.
- Be aware of the importance of
producing work meeting the
specification in terms of word
count.
 ‘Independent Project’
‘If we knew what we were doing it wouldn’t be research, would it?’
 Working Title vs. Final title
At the mid-project review
The initial idea(s) and after research has
for your project and been made, before moving
your project aims and on to the report-writing
objectives. phase you will decide on
your final title.

Word Limit: no less than 4,500 words

& no more than 5,500 words
 Choosing your topic
Identify a theme that ...
 Activity #2

Activity #1
 Activity #3
1. In the Comment Box: Write one of
the following

•Hobbies
•Career
•Further Study
•Subjects I really like
•Something that makes me curious

2. Build up a Spidergram
Building Up an Initial Project Idea
Your working title or objective must:

- A clear focus
- Be presented as part of the Project Proposal Form
- Be a short statement, question or hypothesis
- Avoid any title that would lead to a largely
descriptive report
- Allow you to plan, research analyse and evaluate
Developing A Research Question
You need a focused research question because:
•It will guide and focus both your research and the finished project

•It will help you actually address an issue rather than talking
around a topic

•It will require you to provide an answer or a solution, which must

be justified with reasoned and academic arguments.

•It will give integrity to your work and make it easier for you to
produce something original and interesting
Activity #4
This OR That
Focus Your Question
Using your Question During Research
•Always keep your question in mind when you are reading, taking
notes, producing the final project.

•Keep referring back to your question – don’t be afraid for it to

change and evolve as you continue your research.

•Try breaking your main question into smaller ‘sub’ questions that
you need to answer in order to answer the main question.

•Use these sub questions to guide your research and to form

sub-headings within the body of your writing/final project.
Aims & Objectives
Descriptive Writing vs. Evaluative Writing
Descriptive Writing vs. Evaluative Writing
 ● Concrete or asphalt for motorway surfaces?
● The Trojan Horse: Fact or Fiction?
● How has English affected the German language? Is this leading to its decline as a
world language?

Online resources for examples:

[Link]
[Link]

Example Titles
Reflection
•If you need to revise your question along the way,
this doesn’t mean you ‘got it wrong’ to begin with

•Modifying you questions later may show that you’re

taking on board what you are learning from your
research – this is a good thing!

•Don’t forget; keep all you notes from today’s session

for your Production logs
homework Uploaded Checklist

Develop ‘Working Title’

Class #5

May, 09
Initial Planning Page 27-36 of IPQ book

of the project
Class #6

May, 16
RESEARCH WHAT

HOW

WHY
RESEARCH
● Pursue
WHAT Interest
● Learn
Something New
● Inform Action
HOW ● Prove a theory
● Contribute to
developing
knowledge in a
field or study
WHY ● A tool for
building
knowledge and
for
facilitating
learning
● Deeper
understanding
RESEARCH
● Collecting
WHAT information
● Keeping
records
● Note-taking
HOW ● Referencing
and
bibliography

WHY
RESEARCH
● Resources
○ Places, people,
WHAT media, books,
internet,
specific
journals
HOW ○ Locating
different
resources
○ academic/
non-academic
● Primary/
WHY Secondary
research
● Risk assessment
● Evaluating
sources
○ Bias
○ Integrity
○ Authenticity
○ Timeliness
○ Relevance
● Ethics
 Where to research?
[Link]
Site:edu (research words)
[Link]
Site:gov (research words)
[Link]
[Link]/other/tlds/
note-taking
Class #7

May, 22
 ● Identify and evaluate the
most valuable resources for
your project
● Use the Internet effectively
as a research tool
● Establish codes of conducts

Objectives
if using people in your
research
● Recognize links in your
research
● Record and reference your
resources to fulfil the
assessment criteria
Pre-Research
Before you start, think carefully about:

1. What information you need for your project

2. What sort of information
3. How much information
Ex. What questions might designers have asked about
skateparks

Next, identify likely resources...

Types
of
Research
Primary Research
Interview Questionnaire
Process ● What is a questionnaire?
1. Before ● What should a questionnaire
2. During look like?
3. After ● What is some questionnaire
etiquette?
● How are results analyzed and
presented?
Evaluating Resources - Criteria
● Reliability of the author
● Reliability of the publisher
● Reliability of the cited sources
● Reliability of information sources
 Activity: Evaluating Websites
The Internet as a Research Tool [Link]
websites
Class #8

June 11, 2020

 ● What is risk assessment
● Purpose of risk assessment

Objectives
● Type of risk assessments
● Risk Assessment forms
Risk Assessment
A term used to describe the overall process or method
where you: Identify hazards and risk factors that have the
potential to cause harm (hazard identification).
Analyze and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard
(risk analysis, and risk evaluation).
Risk Assessment Factors
1. Look out for hazards and the potential for harm.
2. Be aware of who your project might affect and
possibly harm.
3. Decide on the severity and likelihood of the
risks, and what you could do to prevent the,/
4. Review your risk assessment and revise it if
necessary.
5. Monitor, amend and update your project plan in
line with your risk assessment.
Form
Example
 You need to carry out a five-stage risk assessment for an imaginary bog-snorkelling
contest with up 20 competitors and 200 spectators. Use the information and photograph
here to guide you. You need to understand as much as possible about the event before
you start. If you like, carry out some further research online. When you are ready, use
the form provided to carry out your assessment.
Task

[Link]
ly/3cRKYWG
Class #9

August 11, 2020

Objectives
● Critical Thinking
W Critical Thinking

H
Y
?
 Make

W
Essential Better
21st Critical Thinking Decisions
Century
Skill

H Makes
you a
better,
more
Improves
Relationships

Y
informed
citizen

? Ensures Your
Opinions Are
Well-Informed
Can Make
you
Happier
H
O
W
?
W
H
A
T
?
Guernica by Picasso

But what did Picasso really mean?

Class #10

November 2, 2020
 ● Introduction to Research

Objectives
Skills
● Evaluating Sources
Research Skills
1. Evaluating sources for bias,
integrity, authenticity, timeliness,
and relevance.
2. Ethics related to primary and
secondary research
3. Forms of referencing and avoiding
plagiarism.
4. Creation of a full bibliography
Source Evaluation
Source Evaluation
Investigate the Source Look at the Page Itself
● Look at the name of the site. ● Does it look like the page of a professional,
● What do other sites have to say about the reputable news organization or scientific
site in question? organization providing research?
● Is other research or news covered?
Read About the Source
● Is there a large, diverse history of additional
● Most reputable sites have an "About Us" stories covered by the site?
page.
Does the Site "Cherry-Pick" Facts?
● Take time to read it.
● Check for grammar and spelling errors. ● Does the site ignore facts that don't support their
favored positions?
Pay Attention to the URL
● Reputable sites present reliable information on
● A number of sites use URLs that attempt multiple perspectives.
to appear like well-known organizations.
Fact vs. Opinion
● Upon closer examination, you'll see slight
differences. ● Does the site make a clear distinction between
● Search for the real site and see if the site stories based on verifiable fact and opinion-based
you are evaluating shows up. editorials?
Source Evaluation
Are There a Lot of Pop-up and Banner Verify
Ads?
● Are sources for the story listed in the article?
● Do you see many pop-ups or banners? ● Can you find other reputable sources covering the
● This could indicate the site is really just a story?
home for "clickbait".
Is the Story Designed to Excite You?
● (Clickbait is content designed to attract
you and make you click on a particular ● Journalists and scholarly researchers usually do
page.) not make a call to action when writing an article.
● In a professional article or news story, you are
Who Is Providing the Information and Why?
given the facts.
● Who is responsible for the site?
● Why does the site exist?
● Is it merely "clickbait" to provide income
for the site?
Source Evaluation
Source Evaluation
•Look at the next slide – do you think this is good
evaluation? Why, or why not? The student started by saying:
Here is a brief assessment of an article called ‘Kenya: Provide
Land for New Refugee Camps’, an article stating that the
Kenyan Government should do more to help refugees from
Somalia. It is available on the Human Rights Watch website:
[Link]
d-new-refugee-camps (Accessed August 2011)
There is no identifiable author of this article other than the organisation Human Rights Watch.
The organisation is well known and in their ‘About Us’ section they state that they are one of
the ‘world’s leading independent organisations dedicated to defending and protecting human
rights’. The domain suffix .org suggests it is a non-governmental and non-commercial website;
in fact it is a charity/pressure group.

There is a section on the website with comments from many different government officials
from all over the world, praising the work of the organisation and stating they often rely on
some of the information gathered by Human Rights Watch. There is no editor named, but as
the author is Human Rights Watch generally, there is an assumption it will be edited by the
organisation. The information is not impartial as this organisation is dedicated to defending
human rights and this particular article contains no direct response from the Kenyan
Government. The page is constantly being updated and the article is recent.

In general, information on this website is likely to be fairly reliable but the political ideology
behind the organisation needs to be taken into consideration.