EPQ

I'm thinking of doing an EPQ for A level but can i have some more information about it? How did you find it? Did it take you the full 2 years? Was it beneficial to uni applications?

Reply 1

Doones

Original post by oliviapariss33

I'm thinking of doing an EPQ for A level but can i have some more information about it? How did you find it? Did it take you the full 2 years? Was it beneficial to uni applications?

An EPQ is half an A-level and takes half the time. i.e. a year.

Some universities will slightly lower their offer if you have one.
Eg Bath.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/taking-the-epq-to-strengthen-your-course-application/

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Reply 2

yeahthatonethere

I'm coming to the end of mine (should be finishing in a few weeks) and I found it alright.

It can be quite boring and tedious, especially doing the logbook which involves writing down everything you do, everything you've changed, issues you've had, how you've overcome them, etc. So basically it's all made up or very small things like "oh this word didn't sound right so I changed it". The actual writing and research I found interesting mainly because I chose a topic I enjoyed whereas others hated it because they hated their topic! Also you have to do a presentation to an audience at the end so bear that in mind.

Does it help with universities? Well that depends. Go on the uni websites of courses you're interested in and see if they accept EPQ. Some places give alternative offers if you have an EPQ at a certain grade but this differs between university and between courses at the same university. It is very helpful to write about in your personal statement though and to bring up at interviews, I had an entire paragraph of my personal statement dedicated to just EPQ.

No it doesn't take 2 years. I started in September and honestly I could have finished a few months ago but I have to go along with the college deadlines.

Hope I've helped and anymore questions, just ask.

Reply 3

username3824906

Is an EPQ an alternative to an A level?

Reply 4

username3824906

Is it an alternative to an A level? How many could you take it with?

Reply 5

yeahthatonethere

Original post by Purplemonkeys

Is it an alternative to an A level? How many could you take it with?

It is not an alternative to an A Level, it is a level 3 qualification equivalent to half an A Level. You will still need 3 A Levels alongside to apply to university as that's what most universities require.

Reply 6

Doones

Original post by Purplemonkeys

Is an EPQ an alternative to an A level?

Original post by Purplemonkeys

Is it an alternative to an A level? How many could you take it with?

No it's not an alternative, it's supplementary. You still need the usual 3 A-levels.

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Reply 7

Liviamily

Original post by oliviapariss33

I'm thinking of doing an EPQ for A level but can i have some more information about it? How did you find it? Did it take you the full 2 years? Was it beneficial to uni applications?

I loved doing my EPQ! It took most of my first year of 6th form (Y12), from about October to about April. With the A Level reforms, this worked perfectly for me, because I didn’t do any AS exams, so I could put a lot of time and effort into my EPQ. If you’re in a similar situation, definitely opt to do it in your first year rather than second!

My question was something along the lines of: ‘how has the internet influenced the construct and publication of poetry?’ A bit out there, I know (!) but I found it really interesting and ended up with an A* :biggrin:

I would definitely recommend choosing something you enjoy, not just something you think will look good at university. This will also make the work a lot easier and pass by a lot quicker because you’ll find it interesting and not like a chore.

Obviously, though, the EPQ is a lot of work. However, if you’re like me and don’t mind essay work, you should be fine! Just make sure that you balance your time!

The best thing about EPQ is that it gives you something to talk about in your personal statement. I mentioned my EPQ in my personal statement, and they asked me about it when I was interviewed at Cambridge, likely because it showed them what I was personally passionate about. So yes, definitely beneficial to university applications. Also, because I had already achieved the A* when I was applying to university, it gave me more of a competitive edge, which would likely be one of the major factors in how I got 5/5 offers when applying to uni.

So, as a lil summary:
- EPQ = good if you pick a topic you’re interested in!

Hope this helps and I’m open to answering questions if you have any!

Reply 8

username3824906

Original post by Doonesbury

No it's not an alternative, it's supplementary. You still need the usual 3 A-levels.

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Just curious but you know how some students do 5 a levels if you were bright enough could you do 4 and the EPQ or would that be too much pressure?

Reply 9

Doones

Original post by Purplemonkeys

Just curious but you know how some students do 5 a levels if you were bright enough could you do 4 and the EPQ or would that be too much pressure?

You can do that, but it's not necessary and I wouldn't recommend it. Which university courses are you thinking of studying?

The only time it can be appropriate to do 4 A-levels is if you are doing Maths & Further Maths, and even then it's usually not necessary to have 4, nevermind 5.

Quality not quantity is what matters.

Reply 10

A.H365

Original post by oliviapariss33

I'm thinking of doing an EPQ for A level but can i have some more information about it? How did you find it? Did it take you the full 2 years? Was it beneficial to uni applications?

I would recommend you to do the EPQ. Especially if you know what kind of course you want to do at University (if you want to go to Uni) because it can show a passion for your subject.

I am very nearly finished with my EPQ and honestly it is not that long at all. Although, I must admit, it can be very boring and you need to be very motivated to not want to quit halfway through. It is useful and counts as half an A-Level with many Universities lowering your offer if you do it, for example Bath, Queen Mary's.

I found it because a teacher at my school was promoting it in assembly so I decided to apply. I think its usefulness towards Uni applications depends to which Uni but ultimately you aren't losing anything and it can only be beneficial if you're willing to do it. It definitely does not take the 2 years. I would say you can finish it 3-4 months or maybe less if you're a hardworker.

Hope this helps

Reply 11

username2088165

Original post by Purplemonkeys

Is an EPQ an alternative to an A level?

It isn't an alternative, so you'd take A Levels alongside it. However, it's equivalent to an AS Level so it is completed in one year, and you can get up to an A* for it :smile:

Reply 12

Snoozinghamster

Original post by Purplemonkeys

Just curious but you know how some students do 5 a levels if you were bright enough could you do 4 and the EPQ or would that be too much pressure?

It’s by no means necessary but it’s completely possible to do 4 alevels and an epq, from observation it seems like less stress than 5 a levels as the epq is over and done with in one year (my school did epq in yr 12) whereas (some) people with 5 are still doing 5 a levels with only 4 frees a week which whilst doable isn’t fun unless you’re organised.

Reply 13

username3480226

Original post by oliviapariss33

I'm thinking of doing an EPQ for A level but can i have some more information about it? How did you find it? Did it take you the full 2 years? Was it beneficial to uni applications?