Last week all two-year, Physics A-level students in Year 12 (the first year of A-level) do a short summer research project on a topic chosen by them, resulting in a written report and a presentation given to their peers in class.

This year, some of the students were selected to present their projects to the whole Physics year group in our Lecture Theatre. Fortunately, at CTC we have an air-conditioned, purpose-built lecture theatre which kept the students cool under pressure in the mini heatwave happening that week!

Individually 6 students took the floor presenting on various topics, with most using PowerPoint slides to get their finding across. Each spoke for around five minutes each and the standard of research and presentations were both generally very high.

Research and the presentation of research are considered necessary (and invaluable) skills by universities and employers, so this gives them some practice and also enables them to improve their UCAS Personal Statements. It also helps them to prepare for university interviews, where they will talk about their A-level studies and broadens their outlook of Physics and its applications.