The Y12 Academic Research Project - Autumn Term

To kick-start your academic experience at Kings, in the first six weeks you will complete an Academic Research Project. The aim of this task is to develop your research skills, improve your academic writing and give you the opportunity to share some of your interests with your peers, in an academic style.

Your project will be composed of

• A 1000-word written report – which can include diagrams, images and data/graphs.
• A 5-minute presentation
• 5 to 6 hours of work

You should choose your own title, which should be of an academic nature. You will not need to get your title formally approved, but we would recommend that you discuss your ideas with your form tutor and/or your Learning for Life teacher. Your title can be on anything you choose, and hopefully within your area of subject interest. It could be an extension of something that you’re doing in your subjects, but it could be better if it was super curricular – outside what you’re studying.

Suggested Titles

• Is there still a North South divide in the UK?
• Why does rivalry exist between football clubs?
• Does Gene Therapy actually work?
• Should there be an age limit for Social Media platforms?
• Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
• Should we fear the use of AI?
• Is it important to know where words come from?
• Is Ed Sheeran more influential than The Beatles?

The opportunities are unlimited.

It is the intention that you will complete the majority of this work in your first few weeks of PV – or ‘supervised private study’ in room 50. Mrs Davis, our PV room supervisor will monitor your progress and help you find support if you need it.

To help you, Newcastle University has produced an excellent website on how to carry out academic research, and write academically. We suggest that you have a very good look through this resource before you start. Study Skills for Sixth Form (ncl.ac.uk)

Feedback

Your Project wont be formally marked, but you will present your project using 3-4 slides in a five minute presentation during form time. You should put your completed report/essay in your Unifrog ‘locker’ as evidence of your work. Your form tutor, or a member of the sixth form team may give you feedback on:

 

Planning and Management	How effective was your title, did it enable you to develop a good conclusion? Did you manage your time effectively and did you make changes to your project when facing difficulty?
Using Resources	Are there a good range of academic sources? Is there a good level of analysis? Has there been a critical approach to your sources which has developed an excellent conclusion?
Academic Writing	Is the project written in an academic style without opinion? Is there a conclusion based upon the evidence of your sources? (There is no need to Harvard Reference at this stage)
Presentation Skills	Have you presented in a clear and concise manner, speaking without notes? Are you slides descriptive? Does your presentation tell the story of your project journey?

If you are struggling with your project, or getting started, please do not hesitate to come and talk to someone about it. Your form tutor is your first point of contact, or then a member of the Sixth Form Team.