EPQ

The EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) is basically a research project in an area of your choice. Last year I did mine on the potential for Lucid Dreaming, so the topics can be pretty much anything.

As for the work you need to do, it depends what your project actually is. There are 2 (or 3) main parts to it. Everyone has to go through this admin form for your EPQ, where you write down your initial ideas, set deadlines, say exactly what you're going to do, etc. You'll keep this form updated throughout and as you go through your EPQ you'll continue to fill it in. The second part is the main project in itself.

If the main part of your EPQ is your essay, then you'll have to do the admin form (your teacher will probably explain this to you) and a 5000 word essay.
If the main part of your EPQ is something practical (e.g someone in my year made a game), then you'll need to do the admin form, the practical element of your EPQ, and a 1000 word essay to accompany it.

More information here - http://www.aqa.org.uk/qualifications/projects/extended-project-epq.php

Hope that helped.

would you people on here say that it is unrealistic to try and finish the whole EPQ during the holidays so you don't have to juggle it with your A levels?

I did mine ('The Poetic Merit of Hip-Hop Lyrics) from scratch in under a week (and it had over 80 references thanks to good ol google scholar/books). 5k words isn't a lot when you consider coursework is often 3k words and most people do that in a couple of days. though i know people whose schools made them meet every week with their supervisor to discuss/fill in forms so in that case it would take up a lot of time, i guess it depends on the system at your school. cause they just left us to get on with it then it was pretty easy to do in a few days.

What sort of grade do you think you'll be getting? (If you don't mind me asking)

My school has said that a written only EPQ must be 10k words. Yet on the AQA website it says only 5k. Can someone please verify for me.

<3 x

It's 5k as far as I'm aware. I'd check that with the teachers though and mention what the AQA site says. If AQA says it's 5k words, chances are it's 5k words.

@emma53, it could be a good question, I'd check with your teachers though, they normally help. It's focused, which is always a good start.

Hi everyone,
I've just done my AS levels so will be starting year 13 in September, with a view to studying French and German at University (at the moment I think I'll be applying to Oxford/Cambridge, possibly Durham, Edinburgh, Warwick, probably Glasgow and maybe York). I want to do an EPQ which relates to French literature, and after much deliberation I have come up with a potential question, but I need advice on whether it's appropriate/too narrow/too broad/likely to get a good grade or not.
The question is this: "The work of Francoise Sagan is primarily concerned with the theme of romance." How far is this statement true of three of her most prominent works: 'Bonjour Tristesse,' 'Une Certaine Sourire' and ..............(perhaps the third piece of literature I'll use will be a play but I don't know yet).

any advice would be much appreciated! sorry about the long post!