The Student Room Group

Ultimate EPQ thread

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1980
I got offered the chance to do the EPQ also (turned it down, out of laziness).
It's what it says on the tin: you do a project, and get a mark for it.
You can do pretty much anything - I would have built a time machine :wink:
I don't know how widely it is recognised (probably not very) but it's an excellent thing to mention in your PS (apparently).
Personally I'm always sceptical of these things, so if you haven't the spare time, I wouldn't bother with it.
You ought to speak to a teacher - I really know very little about it.
Original post by Clara_H4
I got offered the chance to do the EPQ also (turned it down, out of laziness).
It's what it says on the tin: you do a project, and get a mark for it.
You can do pretty much anything - I would have built a time machine :wink:
I don't know how widely it is recognised (probably not very) but it's an excellent thing to mention in your PS (apparently).
Personally I'm always sceptical of these things, so if you haven't the spare time, I wouldn't bother with it.
You ought to speak to a teacher - I really know very little about it.


Thanks :h:

But do you have a list of topics or are you able to choose any kind. Any more info.

Im not sure, the EPQ seems good if I can use it as a qualification like my A levels. But if it is something to put in my PS , I can forget it and just take on an additional AS/A Level and put my YASS short course in. Because I am going to do a YASS Short course next year.
Reply 1982
You can do a 5000 word essay on absolutely anything (although, its best to keep it academic and at least and have something to do with what you wanna do at Uni). Conversely, you can also make a film or sculpture or something and write a 1000 word essay. I remember reading that somewhere that Cambridge rate it really highly (i'll try and double check that)

Edit: From 2009: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8045593.stm

'Dr Geoff Parks, director of admissions at Cambridge University, said: "The potential benefits of extended projects are enormous".'
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 1983
I've been doing a little research:
It is a qualification (as suggested by the name!), and UCAS points can be awarded for it...

EPQ grade A* A B C D E
UCAS points 70 60 50 40 30 20
(source: AQA website - these scores are equivalent to 1/2 an Alevel)

However, you may well be better off doing another AS instead, although most Universities encourage students to do the EPQ, not all of them include it under "entry requirements" - I believe this means it isn't always counted as a formal qualification.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 1984
Original post by Agent Smirnoff
Hi! :hi:

I am choosing subjects that I may want to enrol on next year. My college offers the opportunity to take and Extended Project Qualification and I am not sure what is what with the EPQ.

Can you give me more info about it , what you do , if Medical Schools and Unis recognise it.....

Can you also tell me how you go about this exactly and doing the EPQ/Choosing a topic

As I hope to go to Medical School and believe an EPQ would be excellent to show that I can work independently. <------ Basically all I know about it

Thanks :h:


I did an EPQ and it is, as other people have said, just a 5000 odd word essay or a project with a 1000 word report. You can choose to do the project on whatever you want (mine was on the effects of the plague and other people in the class did the theatre, the effect of the world cup on South Africa, swearing and, um... Lady Gaga).

The actual project itself was the quickest part, to be honest! There's a project log that you have to fill in with improvements, what you have learned etc. which takes up most of the time.

As for how useful it is when applying to university, I seem to remember some stating that they count the EPQ as an AS (It is of the same value points-wise) and some not saying anything about it. It does, however, give you something to talk about on your personal statement that shows your interest goes beyond just your normal courses. My EPQ was not mentioned in any of my offers, but I was given an offer of AAC instead of AAB for English and French at Nottingham with no explanation, so this could have had an effect?
Original post by Grumpig
You can do a 5000 word essay on absolutely anything (although, its best to keep it academic and at least and have something to do with what you wanna do at Uni). Conversely, you can also make a film or sculpture or something and write a 1000 word essay. I remember reading that somewhere that Cambridge rate it really highly (i'll try and double check that)

Edit: From 2009: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8045593.stm

'Dr Geoff Parks, director of admissions at Cambridge University, said: &quot;The potential benefits of extended projects are enormous&quot;.'



Original post by Clara_H4
I've been doing a little research:
It is a qualification (as suggested by the name!), and UCAS points can be awarded for it...

EPQ grade A* A B C D E
UCAS points 70 60 50 40 30 20
(source: AQA website - these scores are equivalent to 1/2 an Alevel)

However, you may well be better off doing another AS instead, although most Universities encourage students to do the EPQ, not all of them include it under &quot;entry requirements&quot; - I believe this means it isn't always counted as a formal qualification.



Original post by zovija
I did an EPQ and it is, as other people have said, just a 5000 odd word essay or a project with a 1000 word report. You can choose to do the project on whatever you want (mine was on the effects of the plague and other people in the class did the theatre, the effect of the world cup on South Africa, swearing and, um... Lady Gaga).

The actual project itself was the quickest part, to be honest! There's a project log that you have to fill in with improvements, what you have learned etc. which takes up most of the time.

As for how useful it is when applying to university, I seem to remember some stating that they count the EPQ as an AS (It is of the same value points-wise) and some not saying anything about it. It does, however, give you something to talk about on your personal statement that shows your interest goes beyond just your normal courses. My EPQ was not mentioned in any of my offers, but I was given an offer of AAC instead of AAB for English and French at Nottingham with no explanation, so this could have had an effect?



Thanks guys! :h:

I am going to ring up and email a couple of med schools and unis and ask what they think of the EPQ as each are different right.

I think it may be good as I may be able to demonstrate my research skills
Original post by Agent Smirnoff
Thanks guys! :h:

I am going to ring up and email a couple of med schools and unis and ask what they think of the EPQ as each are different right.

I think it may be good as I may be able to demonstrate my research skills


I'll being doing the EPQ, but I'm a potential PPE-ist. :smile: If you manage to make your project Medicine-related, it would really show dedication to your course, which is part of what top universities look at.

I would definitely say do the EPQ over say a fifth AS-level if you have to choose between the two. Some schools run the EPQ so that it's completed during the summer, however, so you could do both if that's an option.
If you're gonna do epq... be prepared to do a lot of prep work and getting planning done very early on so you can focus on completing the project.

You can choose to create either:

-An artefact with a supplementary report of at least 1000 words (can go over)
-A dissertation-style report on a topic of your choice (5000 words)

So you could choose a particular area of medicine that interests you and then create an essay title. Just make sure that you have;

-Your production log (here you record all of your initial planning/discussions with teachers)
-Resources- these can be research based internet/reading, people, places, courses, anything that helps you write your report.

I made the mistake of leaving it til' the last minute so if you're going to do it I would probably advise getting it done asap. Also leaves more time for your main subjects.
can you count the bibliography in the 5000 word count thing?
What is the maximum word limit, I thought it was 6000 words?
Original post by corpuscallosum
can you count the bibliography in the 5000 word count thing?


:nah:.

I loved doing my EPQ, I found it really interesting and revelled in the chance to do something completely off my own back without any 'course guides' or 'specifications' to stick to.
Does anyone know if LSE accept EPQ as an AS level?
Reply 1992
Original post by jamie_jca
Does anyone know if LSE accept EPQ as an AS level?


If you check their admissions pages it states that they encourage people to take the EPQ but do not set it as a prerequsite, so I'm guessing they don't. Give them a call in a weeks time?
Original post by Ultimate_Geek

I loved doing my EPQ, I found it really interesting and revelled in the chance to do something completely off my own back without any 'course guides' or 'specifications' to stick to.


I'm with you on this - I had a few tearing-my-hair-out moments when filling out the logbook, but overall I really enjoyed the freedom to research and write about exactly what I wanted and present it, within reason, how I liked.

Also, strangely, I really enjoy referencing :ahee:
Reply 1994
Alright guys, I'm a mature student going back to college. They offer the EPQ...Do you complete the EPQ during the AS year or A2?
"Was Gordon Brown a successful Prime Minister?"

Is that a good idea for an EPQ?
Original post by jamie_jca
"Was Gordon Brown a successful Prime Minister?"

Is that a good idea for an EPQ?


I would imagine that if you defined some broad criteria for what makes a successful PM and then narrowed these down (they love a bit of narrowing) then it should work :smile: I don't know how you'd choose the criteria though - you could conduct a survey, find a source that has some or simply come up with them yourself, I suppose.

Anything is a 'good idea' if you're interested enough in it to write 5000+ words!
(edited 12 years ago)
Hi I wanted to know, if you dont take a direct quote from somewhere do you have to footnote it, or do you just put it in the bibliography?


THANNKS
i need to find a topic for my epq and get a first draft completed before i go back. i'm hoping to do history and politics or politics and international relations so i think a good topic would be isreali foreign policy. however i'm not sure how i can word the question. can anyone help :smile: ?
I'm currently doing my EPQ but got my AS results today - not as expected a CCCC. Will universities dismiss the epq with those grades or does it show my determination and hard work?

Quick Reply

Latest