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EPQ help!

Hi everyone

I'm going on to A2 next year and taking Maths History and Economics and will be wanting to study Economic history/Economics at uni

I just wanted to ask about what kind of strong and interesting topic could I look at for my EPQ (preferably something to do with economic and history)....I'm completely stuck for ideas :/

thank you :smile:
Hi, I'm not too sure on the Economics front, but I did a History EPQ on the Unification of Germany. Certainly, the two subjects link nicely! Finance is a key factor in the instigation of a number of events throughout*history- perhaps you could look at the effects of economic developments (such as the receipt of bullion from the New World, circa 1500) and how far it contributed to the emergence of Spain as a Great Power? It could be balanced quite nicely with political/religious factors. Good luck!
Original post by Elisha Rebekah
Hi, I'm not too sure on the Economics front, but I did a History EPQ on the Unification of Germany. Certainly, the two subjects link nicely! Finance is a key factor in the instigation of a number of events throughout*history- perhaps you could look at the effects of economic developments (such as the receipt of bullion from the New World, circa 1500) and how far it contributed to the emergence of Spain as a Great Power? It could be balanced quite nicely with political/religious factors. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your help :smile: if you don't mind me asking do you have any other epq advice?

Thanks :smile:
You can probably write a lot about the Central bank and the Rothschild/Rockefeller families..
Original post by Fluffystar123
Thank you so much for your help :smile: if you don't mind me asking do you have any other epq advice?

Thanks :smile:


No problem :smile: Erm I recommend starting your EPQ by producing a working title; this will probably change a number of times as you carry out more and more research, but it looks good to talk about changes in title in your Evaluation at the end where you talk in detail about your 'EPQ journey'. This title needs to be evaluative in itself- ie must allow you to show independent judgement for the higher level criteria- and, if indeed you do choose a History topic, must contain dates. The best way to produce a title for a History EPQ is to look at A2 level History questions; most are 'To what extent', 'How far' or contain a strong opening statement- eg: 'Adolf Hitler was solely responsible for The Holocaust'- and then asks you to assess this claim in a specific time period, eg: 'In the context of (open date) to (close date), how valid is this interpretation? Any of these approaches would be appropriate, so long as you are answering a specific question with historians' opinions, from your research, and your own. A title I initially picked- 'A comparison of the unifications of Italy and Germany'- would not be appropriate, however, as there is no room for independent judgement.

After you have formulated a title, it is pretty much all solid research from there. Try and utilise as many sources as possible- contemporary and modern, books and documentaries- in order to really show your breadth of research. Remember to take down the details- author, publisher, publication date ect- from all sources used in order to aid with referencing later on. I recommend keeping a diary- and attach it as an appendix upon the completion of your EPQ- where you explain what you have done towards your EPQ each day, what sources you have consulted and their relative usefulness. This will gain marks on the administrative side of the EPQ and will also help a lot with self-motivation! Do not neglect the Production Log- ensure you fill it in at regular intervals and have regular contact with your EPQ supervisor! Key to gaining higher marks is your enthusiasm and the initiative you take in making your EPQ as good as possible- can you check out a library a little further away? Could you email a lecturer/History academic and ask for their opinions? Maybe you could visit a historical site, relevant to your EPQ. Admittedly, these are all difficult feats with a History, rather than a Science EPQ!

Finally, the most important advice I have is to start the write-up when you're ready. Don't start it too early as you may find you haven't sufficiently researched one area enough for 5000 words and you need to go back and do some more. Likewise, don't leave it too late as the write-up can take forever, particularly the referencing and numerous checks on the written English of the essay!

It's a lot of hard work but totally worth it! Make sure you choose a topic you can really sink your teeth into as it will help when it comes to putting in the long hours! I invariably find that you will end up hating your topic by the end of it; I can't stand Bismarck now, lol. Feel free to dm me anytime if you have any questions or need some advice and best of luck!!! :smile:

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