I'm just about to finish my EPQ 
I would say only do it if you're really passionate about a topic, because it can be tedious at times. I never thought I spent any less time revising because of it though - EPQ mainly stops around April/May, and resumes late July Not like I got worse grades because of it!
I would say only do it if you're really passionate about a topic, because it can be tedious at times. I never thought I spent any less time revising because of it though - EPQ mainly stops around April/May, and resumes late July Not like I got worse grades because of it!Original post by Rachel58
I'm just about to finish my EPQ I would say only do it if you're really passionate about a topic, because it can be tedious at times. I never thought I spent any less time revising because of it though - EPQ mainly stops around April/May, and resumes late July Not like I got worse grades because of it!
I would say only do it if you're really passionate about a topic, because it can be tedious at times. I never thought I spent any less time revising because of it though - EPQ mainly stops around April/May, and resumes late July Not like I got worse grades because of it!What did you do for your EPQ? If you don't mind me asking, like what topic and did you do a project (music/art piece, etc) or just stadard essay?
Original post by RomNoob
What did you do for your EPQ? If you don't mind me asking, like what topic and did you do a project (music/art piece, etc) or just stadard essay?
No bother! I did just an essay, and my topic was 'How accurate is Treasure Island in its depiction of 18th century pirates and how has this depiction impacted modern media?' - super super fun to do!
One thing I wish I'd been told before I did it, is the marking system is ridiculous.
When it's moderated, a small sample is sent off and marked. The marks that the teachers gave is compared to the marks given by the examiner. If they spot a trend, say, people are overmarked by 3 points (on average), they dock EVERYONE'S marks without reviewing them.
It's nearly impossible to get it remarked, because you need permission from the school, cohort, exam board, etc.
If you go to a big college where lots of students take an EPQ, that probably won't be an issue. Where I was, only about 50 students did it, so only a few were sent off. The tiny sample that was chosen didn't go in our favour, so everyone dropped about 2 grades. (which has never been an issue at the college before) I really enjoyed doing it, but it's a massive blotch on my application, and there wasn't anything I could do to appeal it.
When it's moderated, a small sample is sent off and marked. The marks that the teachers gave is compared to the marks given by the examiner. If they spot a trend, say, people are overmarked by 3 points (on average), they dock EVERYONE'S marks without reviewing them.
It's nearly impossible to get it remarked, because you need permission from the school, cohort, exam board, etc.
If you go to a big college where lots of students take an EPQ, that probably won't be an issue. Where I was, only about 50 students did it, so only a few were sent off. The tiny sample that was chosen didn't go in our favour, so everyone dropped about 2 grades. (which has never been an issue at the college before) I really enjoyed doing it, but it's a massive blotch on my application, and there wasn't anything I could do to appeal it.
I did an EPQ, and I'd say it was definitely worth it. Not only did it allow me to study a topic which interested me in depth, but it also helped me to develop skills such as referencing and public speaking, which will be useful for university. Additionally, it gave me something extra to talk about in my personal statement, as I had few extra-curricular activities and not much work experience to write about
Original post by oopqoo
One thing I wish I'd been told before I did it, is the marking system is ridiculous.
When it's moderated, a small sample is sent off and marked. The marks that the teachers gave is compared to the marks given by the examiner. If they spot a trend, say, people are overmarked by 3 points (on average), they dock EVERYONE'S marks without reviewing them.
It's nearly impossible to get it remarked, because you need permission from the school, cohort, exam board, etc.
If you go to a big college where lots of students take an EPQ, that probably won't be an issue. Where I was, only about 50 students did it, so only a few were sent off. The tiny sample that was chosen didn't go in our favour, so everyone dropped about 2 grades. (which has never been an issue at the college before) I really enjoyed doing it, but it's a massive blotch on my application, and there wasn't anything I could do to appeal it.
When it's moderated, a small sample is sent off and marked. The marks that the teachers gave is compared to the marks given by the examiner. If they spot a trend, say, people are overmarked by 3 points (on average), they dock EVERYONE'S marks without reviewing them.
It's nearly impossible to get it remarked, because you need permission from the school, cohort, exam board, etc.
If you go to a big college where lots of students take an EPQ, that probably won't be an issue. Where I was, only about 50 students did it, so only a few were sent off. The tiny sample that was chosen didn't go in our favour, so everyone dropped about 2 grades. (which has never been an issue at the college before) I really enjoyed doing it, but it's a massive blotch on my application, and there wasn't anything I could do to appeal it.
Thanks for the info, my college/sixth form is pretty big and they say they have EPQ but haven't really been pushing it so I doubt many people will take it.
Worth pointing out:
1) under the new UCAS Tariff EPQ is worth MORE than an AS grade. AS has been downgraded to 40% of an A level while EPQ remains at 50%. If you're applying to universities that use tariff offers it's more attractive than an AS and will give you more leeway on your A level grades.
2) some universities make lower offers for some subjects if you have a good grade in EPQ (http://www.southampton.ac.uk/learnwithustransition/epq-support/admissions-policy.page and http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/requirements/index.aspx make A level offers one grade lower with an A in EPQ - there are others that will drop a grade for a B in EPQ)
3) a LOT of universities offer some sort of support for EPQ students - this can be a really useful way to get access and information on university study techniques to help you make better choices on where and what to apply to and help you do well once you start a degree.
1) under the new UCAS Tariff EPQ is worth MORE than an AS grade. AS has been downgraded to 40% of an A level while EPQ remains at 50%. If you're applying to universities that use tariff offers it's more attractive than an AS and will give you more leeway on your A level grades.
2) some universities make lower offers for some subjects if you have a good grade in EPQ (http://www.southampton.ac.uk/learnwithustransition/epq-support/admissions-policy.page and http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/requirements/index.aspx make A level offers one grade lower with an A in EPQ - there are others that will drop a grade for a B in EPQ)
3) a LOT of universities offer some sort of support for EPQ students - this can be a really useful way to get access and information on university study techniques to help you make better choices on where and what to apply to and help you do well once you start a degree.
Original post by PQ
Worth pointing out:
1) under the new UCAS Tariff EPQ is worth MORE than an AS grade. AS has been downgraded to 40% of an A level while EPQ remains at 50%. If you're applying to universities that use tariff offers it's more attractive than an AS and will give you more leeway on your A level grades.
2) some universities make lower offers for some subjects if you have a good grade in EPQ (http://www.southampton.ac.uk/learnwithustransition/epq-support/admissions-policy.page and http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/requirements/index.aspx make A level offers one grade lower with an A in EPQ - there are others that will drop a grade for a B in EPQ)
3) a LOT of universities offer some sort of support for EPQ students - this can be a really useful way to get access and information on university study techniques to help you make better choices on where and what to apply to and help you do well once you start a degree.
1) under the new UCAS Tariff EPQ is worth MORE than an AS grade. AS has been downgraded to 40% of an A level while EPQ remains at 50%. If you're applying to universities that use tariff offers it's more attractive than an AS and will give you more leeway on your A level grades.
2) some universities make lower offers for some subjects if you have a good grade in EPQ (http://www.southampton.ac.uk/learnwithustransition/epq-support/admissions-policy.page and http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/requirements/index.aspx make A level offers one grade lower with an A in EPQ - there are others that will drop a grade for a B in EPQ)
3) a LOT of universities offer some sort of support for EPQ students - this can be a really useful way to get access and information on university study techniques to help you make better choices on where and what to apply to and help you do well once you start a degree.
Thanks for that I think that I'll probably do one. It doesnt seem to be too difficult or time consuming and I have a couple subjects in mind.
Original post by Harriso1
Its worth a full A-level to some universities. Do it if you think you can balance it with revision.
No it isn’t. It’s worth a grade at A level for those that offer reduced offers for high grades and it’s worth half an A level for those that make tariff based offers.
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