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Is doing the EPQ worth it ?

so my tutor is asking our tutor group if we want to do an EPQ , while it looks fun and something i would enjoy doing , my teacher sounded like it was gonna be pure torture for me . I have some questions about it

1) do you have to be really intelligent to do an EPQ ?

2) How strict are they when they come to marking it ?

3) My teacher has her doubts about me doing an EPQ (mainly cause she thinks i need to focus on my AS grades) i do biology chemistry and history (history is good cause ik how to write essays for this) but she thinks it will be too much for me , how much work is there in an EPQ

any help appreciated , thanks :smile:

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Original post by Ray_Shadows
so my tutor is asking our tutor group if we want to do an EPQ , while it looks fun and something i would enjoy doing , my teacher sounded like it was gonna be pure torture for me . I have some questions about it

1) do you have to be really intelligent to do an EPQ ?

2) How strict are they when they come to marking it ?

3) My teacher has her doubts about me doing an EPQ (mainly cause she thinks i need to focus on my AS grades) i do biology chemistry and history (history is good cause ik how to write essays for this) but she thinks it will be too much for me , how much work is there in an EPQ

any help appreciated , thanks :smile:


It's nowhere near as hard as your teacher is making it out to be. 1 or 2 hours a week max. It's really flexible and as long as you follow basic marking criteria it's up to you what you do. I find it has helped my uni assignments a lot because I know how to write a report.
Original post by DrawTheLine
It's nowhere near as hard as your teacher is making it out to be. 1 or 2 hours a week max. It's really flexible and as long as you follow basic marking criteria it's up to you what you do. I find it has helped my uni assignments a lot because I know how to write a report.


and is it true that i can do it over the summer

also apparently only clever people do well in EPQ , is this true ?
Original post by Ray_Shadows
and is it true that i can do it over the summer

also apparently only clever people do well in EPQ , is this true ?


Well you can start it over the summer yeah. I didn't properly start mine until October of year 13. And no that's not true. If you can write a good report and follow the criteria you'll be fine.
Original post by DrawTheLine
Well you can start it over the summer yeah. I didn't properly start mine until October of year 13. And no that's not true. If you can write a good report and follow the criteria you'll be fine.


did u do one , if so what about and what grade did u get
Original post by Ray_Shadows
did u do one , if so what about and what grade did u get


Yes I did mine on the nature nurture debate of alcohol and drug addiction. I got an A.
Doing the EP doesn’t really require much knowledge at all. What I would say is that you need to have the motivation to go through with it as my Sixth Form had a huge drop out rate for the EPQ. It helps massively if you choose to research something that actually interests you rather than just something that looks good.

As for marking, I didn’t think mine was the best and I got an A so it can’t be that bad. I presume you will do the type of EP that requires a presentation at the end which, although it doesn’t take too long, was the most stressful bit for me as I struggle to talk in front of a group of people. On the plus side, this is usually marked by your teacher so they should be fairly forgiving of you.

I think it’s quite strange chosing to do your EPQ at this later stage as I did mine at the beginning of Sixth Form. If you have the patience to write it in your free time and to sit through the writer’s block and do a few long writing sessions then hou should be okay. Just don’t leave it until the deadline day!

It can be very interesting and adds to your UCAS application or any other application you might make, as well as giving you transferable writing, research and presentation skills. And, like I said, lots of people don’t make it so you will stand out. Good luck if you do choose to take the EPQ!
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by DrawTheLine
Yes I did mine on the nature nurture debate of alcohol and drug addiction. I got an A.


nice , well thanks for insight :smile:
Original post by The Introvert
Doing the EP doesn’t really require much knowledge at all. What I would say is that you need to have the motivation to go through with it as my Sixth Form had a huge drop out rate for the EPQ. It helps massively if you choose to research something that actually interests you rather than just something that looks good.

As for marking, I didn’t think mine was the best and I got an A so it can’t be that bad. I presume you will do the type of EP that requires a presentation at the end which, although it doesn’t take too long, was the most stressful bit for me as I struggle to talk in front of a group of people. On the plus side, this is usually marked by your teacher so they should be fairly forgiving of you.

I think it’s quite strange chosing to do your EPQ at this later stage as I did mine at the beginning of Sixth Form. If you have the patience to write it in your free time and to sit through the writer’s block and do a few long writing sessions then hou should be okay. Just don’t leave it until the deadline day!

It can be very interesting and adds to your UCAS application or any other application you might make, as well as giving you transferable writing, research and presentation skills. And, like I said, lots of people don’t make it so you will stand out. Good luck if you do choose to take the EPQ!


wow ok , we have the option to start it over this summer which i want to do , i heard after the presentation they ask you questions , what if you get it wrong?
Original post by Ray_Shadows
wow ok , we have the option to start it over this summer which i want to do , i heard after the presentation they ask you questions , what if you get it wrong?


If your teacher has read over your project, they’ll know what sort if questions you want anyway. If you do get anything unexpected, just be a politician answer a slightly different question to the one asked, or just say that it is an interesting point that you would like to research into in the future.

I did mine mainly during term time from October to March in Year 12. If you get the chance to do it over summer, I would at least try to write a first full draft before September as you will onky have more work from your other subjects when you get back. It might not be the best draft but you can ask others for help to improve it.
In my experience, it really is worth doing the EPQ. It made the difference between me getting the course I wanted, and not getting it. I got an A in EPQ and those extra points from doing it meant that I gained enough points for my course. Now my university has converted to accepting grades instead of points, but still, it changed everything for me! It's also good practice for uni, I learned a lot of transferable skills
Original post by The Introvert
If your teacher has read over your project, they’ll know what sort if questions you want anyway. If you do get anything unexpected, just be a politician answer a slightly different question to the one asked, or just say that it is an interesting point that you would like to research into in the future.

I did mine mainly during term time from October to March in Year 12. If you get the chance to do it over summer, I would at least try to write a first full draft before September as you will onky have more work from your other subjects when you get back. It might not be the best draft but you can ask others for help to improve it.


nice ok then , any chance i could complete is by the end of summer , or atleast up until october
Original post by Ray_Shadows
nice ok then , any chance i could complete is by the end of summer , or atleast up until october


There’s no reason why not if hou have the willpower. It’s probably recommendable so you can focus on your A levels. I’d set up an EPQ group chat so you cna get help form your peers.
Original post by The Introvert
There’s no reason why not if hou have the willpower. It’s probably recommendable so you can focus on your A levels. I’d set up an EPQ group chat so you cna get help form your peers.


ok thank you very much
Original post by EmEternal2
In my experience, it really is worth doing the EPQ. It made the difference between me getting the course I wanted, and not getting it. I got an A in EPQ and those extra points from doing it meant that I gained enough points for my course. Now my university has converted to accepting grades instead of points, but still, it changed everything for me! It's also good practice for uni, I learned a lot of transferable skills


ey thats great , i think i will go ahead and do it then , thank you :smile:
I got my EPQ results recently very close to full marks and got an A* (judging by the grade boundaries that never change).

It's all about making your production log as detailed as possible, and having a good essay using a variety and lots of sources.
Original post by SuperHuman98
I got my EPQ results recently very close to full marks and got an A* (judging by the grade boundaries that never change).

It's all about making your production log as detailed as possible, and having a good essay using a variety and lots of sources.


hmm ok , i do history a-level so ik about essay structure a little

thank you :smile:
Original post by Ray_Shadows
hmm ok , i do history a-level so ik about essay structure a little

thank you :smile:


I did a History based EPQ are you thinking of doing that? Btw essay structure doesn't have to be like the way you write it in History A-Levels, and its likely to be different.
Original post by Ray_Shadows
so my tutor is asking our tutor group if we want to do an EPQ , while it looks fun and something i would enjoy doing , my teacher sounded like it was gonna be pure torture for me . I have some questions about it

1) do you have to be really intelligent to do an EPQ ?

2) How strict are they when they come to marking it ?

3) My teacher has her doubts about me doing an EPQ (mainly cause she thinks i need to focus on my AS grades) i do biology chemistry and history (history is good cause ik how to write essays for this) but she thinks it will be too much for me , how much work is there in an EPQ

any help appreciated , thanks :smile:


I'm currently doing an EPQ I'm in year 12 and am really enjoying it, a few hours a week is all you need it's quite laid back, and a nice break from a-levels, without feeling unproductive. Our due date is in October this year, so it's won't interfere with our A levels
Original post by SuperHuman98
I did a History based EPQ are you thinking of doing that? Btw essay structure doesn't have to be like the way you write it in History A-Levels, and its likely to be different.


i was thinking of doing something science based since i do bio and chem, or maybe i was thinking medicine throughout the ages

Original post by Ikhan1
I'm currently doing an EPQ I'm in year 12 and am really enjoying it, a few hours a week is all you need it's quite laid back, and a nice break from a-levels, without feeling unproductive. Our due date is in October this year, so it's won't interfere with our A levels


idk why our school make us start during the summer holiday and into next year

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