epq dissertation word limit

EPQ Guide: Expressing your ideas

• The Inquiry Process
• Developing a line of inquiry
• Finding and selecting sources
• Working with ideas

Expressing your ideas

This is the stage you have been building towards - writing your report. Although that is largely the focus of this page , it is not all there is to the EPQ.

Your EPQ will be assessed on:

• Your completed Production Log
• if your project is a research based written report of any kind (e.g. a science investigation or an essay) it should be approximately 5,000 words long
• If your project is an artefact, it must be accomapanied by a research based written report of a minimum of 1,000 words. For artefacts, you may include photos showing various stages of the production process as well as the final product. You do not need to submit a large artefact as evidence - photographs or other media are fine.
• If your product was itself a presentation then you still need to produce a presentation about the process of producing it!
• Your presentation must be delivered live to a non-specialist audience and might use flipcharts or posters, presentation tools such as PowerPoint or Prezi or short video clips. The evidence for your presentation will  include a record in your Production Log of questions your supervisor asked and how you responded.

Am I ready?

Am I ready to start writing my essay?

Before you start writing, think:

• Is my investigation largely complete? As you write you may find that you need a few additional resources or information to support your argument, but you should not sta rt to write until you are largely sure where your argument is going.
• Have I filled in a Research Organiser (which you will find on the Working with Ideas tab)? This will help you to organise your thoughts and make sure you understand the argument you intend to make and have the evidence to support it. While not compulsory, it makes writing your final essay significantly easier.
• Do I understand how to write in an appropriate academic style? Guidance is given in the Academic Writing box below.
• Do I know how to import my sources from my Investigative Journal? Don't waste time putting all your citation data in again! Import all your sources as you set up your document. There are helpsheets in the Resources for PC / Mac users boxes to the right.

You should use the Oakham APAv3 Academic Writing Template (below) rather than a generic Word template to set up your essay.

(The image below is taken from the EE LibGuide, but the template is just as useful for EPQs)

Citing and referencing

There are many different ways to acknowledge the sources you use. These are called referencing styles . You are free to use any recognised referencing style you wish for your EPQ, but Oakham's 'house style' is APA. We suggest you use this because we already have a lot of support in place for it. APA is an 'Author-date' system, meaning that you show which source you have used by putting the author and date in brackets after it in your text, and then put the full reference in an alphabetical list at the end of the essay. The Library does not support 'footnote referencing', where you put all the information in a footnote at the bottom of the page. If you want help with this then please talk to the member of staff who suggested that you use it.

For detailed information and guidance on how to use sources in your writing and how to cite and reference them accurately using the tools in Microsoft Word, consult the Citing and Referencing LibGuide . This site includes information about how to reference all sorts of different kinds of sources, including videos and works of art, and what to do if you are using a source written in a language that is not the language of your essay. It also gives some examples of how to use in-text citations , whether quoting, paraphrasing or just referring to a source more generally, and how to use the automatic citing and referencing tools in Word .

Academic writing

Stages in an academic essay

Your thesis is the point you want to make. It emerges from your research and your task is to use the evidence you have found to establish it as the most reasonable response to that research.

In both approaches, you must state the research question in your introduction, and make sure you return to it in your conclusion .

Sections required in your essay

Have a look at the Formal Presentation guide in the sidebar for a guide to laying out your essay.

Paragraph Structure

Paragraphs themselves have a structure - the most common you will have come across is likely to be PEEL. The letters often stand for slightly different things in different subjects, but the idea is largely the same - introduce your main idea for the paragraph ( Point ), justify it with Evidence and/or Examples , and Evaluate this evidence. Finally, Link back to the Research Question and/or Link forward to the next paragraph.

This is not the only way to write a paragraph and, with experience, you will soon find that your argument develops a flow of its own that does not require a formula - indeed, your essay would be very dull if every paragraph followed exactly the same structure. However, this structure can be a useful scaffold to get you started and make sure you don't miss anything important.

The structure of academic writing

Note that the following graphic was originally produced for the IB Extended Essay, but is equally applicable to the EPQ.

Planning your essay

It is vital to plan your essay before you start writing. An essay plan provides an outline of your argument and how it develops.

What sections and subsections do you need?

Although this might change as you write your essay, you should not start writing until you have your overall structure. Then think about roughly how you are going to divide your 5000 words between the different sections. 5000 words seems like a lot before you start writing, but it is much easier to write to the limit, section by section, than to try to cut your essay down once it is written.

What will the reader will expect to see and where?

Look back at your checklist and think about where in your essay you are planning to include the required information. Make sure the flow of your essay makes sense to a reader who may be a subject expert but knows little about your topic. Have you included background information? Details of experimental methods? Arguments and counter arguments?

Now get writing!

You've read all the guidance. You've made your plan. Now you have a blank screen in front of you and you just need to get started! Start with the section you think you will find easiest to write and work outwards from there, or follow the steps below to get started. Don't forget to write with the word limit in mind though.

What if you are writing lots of paragraphs but your essay just doesn't seem to be coming together?

1. Condense each paragraph into a short statement or bullet point. This is the skeleton structure of your essay.

2. Look at the order of the statements.

• Is the order logical?
• Does each point follow another in a sensible order?
• Do you need to change the order?
• Do you need to add paragraphs?
• Do you need to remove paragraphs?

3. Add, subtract and rearrange the paragraphs until your structure makes sense.

4. Redraft using your new paragraph order.  

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Willard, D. (2003) My journey to and b eyond tenure in a secular university . Retrieved from: www.dwillard.org/articles/individual/my-journey-to-and-beyond-tenure-in-a-secular-university . Accessed: 9th May 2020

Oh no! It's too long!!

If you haven't managed to write to the word limit and are suddenly faced with cutting down an essay that is over the word limit, try these tips on concise writing from Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Use the menu on the left of this page from Purdue OWL to browse the four very practical pages on writing concisely and one on the Paramedic Method for reducing your word count.

AQA Guide to completing the Production Log: Expressing your ideas

AQA copyright notice

The presentation above contains slides from the AQA presentation  Teaching slides: how to complete the production log  (available from the AQA EPQ Teaching and Learning Resources website ).  These slides are Copyright © 2020 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

A downloadable copy of the Production Log can be found here , on the Home tab of this guide.

Formal presentation

Guides for PC users

• Citing and Referencing in Word 2016 for Windows
• Managing Sources in Word 2016 for Windows
• Creating a Table of Contents in Word 2016 for Windows

Guides for Mac users

• Managing Sources in Word 2016 for Mac
• Citing and Referencing in Word 2016 for Mac
• << Previous: Working with ideas
• Next: Reflecting >>
• Last Updated: Feb 27, 2023 2:28 PM
• URL: https://oakham-rutland.libguides.com/EPQ

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All about the sixth form EPQ – Extended Project Qualification

Summary: Taking the sixth form EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) can add significant interest to your studies, and EPQ will add considerable value to your university application. This article explains what an EPQ involves.

What is an EPQ?

EPQ is short for Extended Project Qualification. An EPQ is an independent research project which involves writing an essay of 5000 words (that's around 10 typed pages), or creating a product, which might be anything from an art object to an iPhone app. As the project evolves, you must complete a production log to record specific stages of the project and this also contributes to your project result. The third component of the project is an oral presentation.

Generally, the whole process from start to finish takes about 120 hours. There's no set time limit for doing an EPQ, but most students use the summer vacation at the end of Year 12 to do the preliminary research and then complete the project in the early part of Year 13. It is a formal 'level 3' qualification that attracts slightly higher UCAS Tariff points than a new AS-Level. All three exam boards offer EPQ - my college uses the EPQ structure provided by AQA .

You receive teaching and guidance to get you started, to help with planning and researching and presentation skills, and to keep you on track as you work through your chosen project. There's no formal restriction on what you do the project on: that's negotiated between you and your project adviser, who will help you choose a topic you will enjoy and cope with.

The three assessments which decide your result are done by your teachers, though the exam board 'moderates' their marks to check they're grading correctly.

What is the benefit of completing an EPQ?

The Extended Project Qualification teaches you some key high-level skills that individual A-level courses don't have time to include, and many students say it adds considerable interest to their sixth-form programme.

However, there are also several major benefits to completing an EPQ when it comes to applying to university . At its simplest EPQ helps you with UCAS points - EPQ is valued at 50% of a full A level in the UCAS tariff. But perhaps the greatest advantage of an EPQ is in helping convince top universities to make you an offer.

EPQ provides very clear evidence of that you have interests and ability which go beyond the A-Level curriculum. It demonstrates clearly that you are capable of undertaking the kind of independent reading, research, and essay writing that is the mainstay of most undergraduate degrees.

This is hugely important in the UCAS application process where universities often have little to distinguish between students with similar predicted grades.

Additionally, an EPQ provides highly relevant material for  your UCAS Personal Statement and for you to talk about in university interviews. Most top schools in the UK have made the completion of an EPQ (or an internal equivalent) compulsory for all Year 12 students.

What skills do I need to complete a successful EPQ?

An EPQ is the longest and most extensive project that you will do during your school years, so it stretches your normal skills . The EPQ requires:

• a great interest in the research topic: interest and curiosity in a subject are the fuel of motivation to keep you going deeper in order to answer a research question – an Extended Project Qualification is not a ‘lukewarm’ enterprise!
• organizational skills: planning the project over a 20-week period and making sure that each stage is completed in time is essential to creating a high-quality end-product and attracting the highest assessment marks in the process.
• good time-management skills because it is not part of the normal school curriculum. Making sure you spend enough time on the project each week, while juggling the demands of your  A-Levels, is key to a successful project.

To decide if EPQ is right for you needs good advice from teachers who know you well. If you are a top-grade student, you should enjoy and cope well with EPQ and it could make all the difference getting you into a top university. If your academic potential is more modest you may well benefit from EPQ, but it could also make demands on you which affect your main A level work.

Success Stories from my college

Anastasia completed her EPQ on the use of light in architecture, looking at its development through European architectural history and examining contemporary technical developments. The completion of the project developed her existing knowledge of architecture in a way that not only enhanced her A-Level subjects, particularly History of Art, but added an extra dimension to her UCAS application, and helped in the interviews which got her a place at one of the UK’s best schools of architecture. Furthermore, her EPQ  gave her a considerable advantage over her competitors when she came to apply for work placements in her first year at university.

Anna completed an EPQ on the use of satire in the work of the Italian author Dante. The project provided strong evidence in her UCAS Personal Statement to support her application to study English Literature. Her EPQ was the main topic of discussion in her interview for a place at Cambridge University, which she was duly offered. When asked what she thought was the main reason that her Cambridge interview had been so successful, Anna answered simply: “I just talked about my EPQ!”.

Article written by William Stockland, Head of Faculty of Culture & Society at Ashbourne College

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What is the A-level extended project? 

Does the extended project count as an a-level , is it hard to get an a in epq .

• Is A-level 3 extended project an AS-level? 

Do Unis care about EPQ? 

Does oxbridge care about epq .

• Does the EPQ give UCAS points? And can you get an A* in EPQ? 

Can you get into uni with 2 A-levels and an EPQ? And does EPQ lower entry requirements? 

Can you fail an epq , is an epq harder than an as-level , is an epq really worth it or is epq a waste of time .

• How many UCAS points is A* A*A *? 

What are good topics for EPQ? 

What are the benefits of epq .

• How many hours a week is EPQ? 

Can you do EPQ in Year 13? 

How many hours a week should i spend on my epq .

• Do you have to write 5000 words for the EPQ?

Can you write a book for EPQ? 

Can you use first person in epq .

The A-level extended project qualification (also known as the EPQ) is an A-level standard standalone qualification designed to develop a person’s abilities beyond what is offered by the A-levels syllabus . The EPQ aims to demonstrate skills which will help the candidate’s application for university or a job. 

The EPQ is worth up to 28 UCAS points (which is equivalent to half of an A-Level). 

The EPQ is an independent student-led project. This means that students get to plan and conduct their research however they like. The only condition is that the topic they choose can not be covered by their other qualifications. They need to think outside the box! 

Students will have to write an essay of 5,000 words or present an object, artefact or performance with a shorter report. 

According to the AQA website (AQA is one of the exam boards which offers the EPQ), the EPQ gives a student the chance to take responsibility for the choice, design and decision making of an individual project (or an individual role in a group project). Students: 

• develop critical thinking and independent learning skills
• demonstrate their creative and self-starter qualities
• grow planning, research, and presentation skills
• practice decision-making and problem-solving
• advance technology expertise

Undertaking an EPQ can also deliver other benefits for students, such as:

• improved A-level performance for students taking EPQ
• increasing student motivation by allowing them to study topics of personal interest
• enabling students to apply their new skills to other areas of study.

The OCR website provides an example EPQ project which might be useful to look at. 

The EPQ counts as half of an A-level. This means that you get EPQ UCAS points. Doing an EPQ boosts your UCAS credits which means that you can apply for university even if your A-level grades are slightly below the university’s entry requirements. Don’t forget that sometimes retaking A-levels can be a winning solution . 

Instead of viewing the EPQ as an A-level, try and look at it like an A-level booster pack! If you get straight A*s then the EPQ can make you stand out against someone who hasn’t. 

This question really depends on each student. Some people find it easy to get top marks in the EPQ and others find it more of a challenge. 

Take a look at the specifications of the EPQ very carefully. If you follow the marking scheme, it is much easier to know what to do to get top marks. This way you can also see if the EPQ is a good fit for you in terms of learning style. 

Remember that each exam board has different specifications for the EPQ. These are all the different exam boards’ EPQ specification guidelines in one place. 😇

• AQA EPQ specification
• Edexcel EPQ specification
• OCR EPQ specification
• WJEC EPQ specification
• ASDAN EPQ specification      

Our GoStudent Tutors can help you prepare for your EPQ by giving you some one-to-one tutoring to target your topic and subject! 

Is a level 3 extended project an AS-level? 

If you want to make this a points system, technically an EPQ outranks an AS qualification. An A* in your EPQ will count as up to 28 UCAS points while an A* in an AS-level subject will only count for 20 UCAS points. 

An AS-level is the qualification you get below a full A-level. A full A-level counts for 56 UCAS points! 

If you want a full breakdown of what different qualifications are worth in terms of UCAS points, have a look at the UCAS points breakdown which includes the IB, BTEC, Scottish Highers, and Welsh Baccalaureate. 

One of the big questions people often have about anything extra-curricular is: do universities care? The answer is: yes, they do! 

Universities want good candidates. They want students who can think outside of the box, take the initiative, and people who have the motivation to work hard. The EPQ is designed to showcase all of these things and universities rate them very highly. 

It is important to say that some universities don’t value them as much as others. But, at the end of the day, having an extra qualification won’t ever work against you! 

As with all things, you have to balance what you gain against what it costs. There are many people who argue that the time and energy dedicated to doing an EPQ can be better spent elsewhere. But that is down to the individual and what they think they are capable of. 

If you’re thinking about which university to choose, have a look through our guide for choosing the right university for you. 

Both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford recognise the EPQ for undergraduate applications. The University of Oxford says:

“Where applicants have undertaken the EPQ, this will not be a condition of any offer but the University recognises that the EPQ will provide an applicant with the opportunity to develop research and academic skills relevant for study at Oxford. Candidates are encouraged to draw upon relevant EPQ experience when writing their personal statement.”

This means that your EPQ will not be ‘make or break’ for your university application, but it will benefit your application overall and you should definitely mention it in your personal statement . 

So Oxford is a kind of ‘yes’, but how does Cambridge (some argue the better uni) 😉 look at EPQ? The University of Cambridge says, 

“We welcome the EPQ and would encourage applicants to take one as it will help to develop independent study and research skills valuable for higher education.”

So both Oxbridge universities recognise and appreciate the EPQ. 🥳

If you are considering applying to Oxbridge, then we suggest you read our handy article on how to apply to Oxford and Cambridge . 

Does the EPQ give UCAS points? And can you get an A* in EPQ?

Yes, you get EPQ UCAS points. Your EPQ will be graded between A* - E. The higher the grade you get the more UCAS points your EPQ will be worth (which is the same for your A-level qualifications). 

Here is a breakdown of what EPQ grade is worth how many UCAS points: 

You can theoretically get into university with two A-levels and an EPQ, but it’s not advised. We suggest that you do all 3 A-levels and then do an EPQ on top of it. If you replace an A-level with an EPQ, then your number of UCAS points is impacted.

Remember, universities don’t just look at UCAS points. There are ways to get into uni without A-levels ! 

If you didn’t quite meet your university’s entry requirements with A-levels alone, but you have some EPQ UCAS points, then that university may well take that into consideration.

If you need a bit of help with your A-levels studies, remember that it is never too late to sign up for some one-to-one tutoring with one of our specially selected GoStudent Tutors . 

Sadly, as with most qualifications, you can indeed fail the EPQ.

If you do not meet the necessary criteria to get an E grade, you will be awarded a U, which stands for unclassified. This indicates the student has failed the EPQ. 

Follow our advice above and research the EPQ specification and mark scheme for your examination body. You will have a better understanding of what is required for success with an EPQ.

This depends on each student and where their academic strengths and motivations lie. Students that benefit from a structured learning approach may find the EPQ harder than an AS-level.

On the other hand, students who prefer to set their own learning goals and are comfortable with time management are more likely to find success with an EPQ.

As with all qualifications, the EPQ is what you make of it. If you don’t work hard and you get a low score, then it may well feel like a waste of time. If you don’t choose to study something meaningful to you, it will be a long and arduous process. 

The idea behind the EPQ is that you get to choose something that you are passionate about, and you use that to showcase your ability to excel independently. 

According to an article in London Local, the long-term benefit of an EPQ is that it shows “future employers that you’re a self-motivated character with useful skills”.

This suggests that the value of the EPQ is not only in applying for university, but also in giving you experiences which will help you after uni. 

How many UCAS points is A* A* A*? 

An A* is worth 56 UCAS points, so if you manage to get an impressive three A*s at A-level, you have racked up a grand total of 168 UCAS points. 

If you got three A*s at A-level and also an A* in your EPQ you will have 196 UCAS points. That is a UCAS score universities can’t ignore. 😏

There is a wide range of topics that are suitable for an EPQ. However, it all boils down to finding a topic that you are interested in, won’t get tired of, and you can delve into significant detail with. 

AQA advises that you ‘focus on a topic that's interesting and may not be available through other qualifications’.

It is also a good idea to consider a topic which bears some relation to what you want to study at university. 

Once you have chosen a general area that interests you, you need to focus even deeper on a specific part of that topic. The idea is that your EPQ should be unique and there shouldn’t be too many people writing about it. You will need to become an expert! 

There are many benefits to doing an EPQ. As well as gaining UCAS points, and having something to put on your personal statement , the EPQ gives you important transferable skills such as independent research and critical thinking. 

Ignoring UCAS and university applications, if you throw yourself into your EPQ, it can be an amazing experience. 

You have around six months to complete your EPQ (that is around 130 week days). The AQA website suggests that students should spend 120 hours on their EPQ – this includes brainstorming, planning, researching, and writing. 

This means that, if you spend around an hour every working day on your EPQ, you’ll have more than enough time. Undertaking an EPQ is a big commitment. You will have a supervisor who you will probably meet with on a regular basis. 

It is very important that you plan ahead and don’t leave it all to the last minute. 

In theory, you can do your EPQ at any stage of your education. Usually, people begin thinking about it in year 12, and spend the summer before year 13 doing their preliminary research. 

If you want to do an EPQ in year 13, you should talk with your school beforehand to make sure they’re happy to support you with it.  

Do you have to write 5000 words for EPQ? 

Usually, people write 5,000 words for their EPQ. If you present an artefact, then your report should be a minimum of 1,000 words. 

Many people think that using an artefact is easier, but it can be just as challenging. If you have an artefact, you need to have a very clear and cohesive report which justifies your project.

Yes! You can write a book for your EPQ. The only thing that we advise before you embark on this mammoth task, is to acknowledge the scope of the project. You will need to be realistic about time requirements. Your book will count as your artefact and will still need a report to accompany it. 

Academia has become more inclusive of different writing styles. Most universities (including Cambridge), say that it is perfectly acceptable to write academic essays in the first person. So if it’s good enough for the University of Cambridge it is probably good enough for your EPQ. 

We hope that our article has given you some useful information on the EPQ and how you should approach it. Remember, our website is full of useful articles about A-levels published by our wonderful GoStudent experts. Check out the exams section of our blog for more A-level content. 

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A* (53/54 )Extended Project Qualification (PEARSON EDEXCEL) L3 (EPQ)

Subject: English

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

2 July 2019

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This is an A* EPQ dissertation for anyone taking part in the Edexcel variation. The piece received 53/54 marks and was also moderated to ensure it was a high A grade. * This is 50 page, and approximately 17000 word document. This is an an EPQ dissertation fully meeting every criteria outlined in mark scheme, clearly laid out and includes a fully descriptive and analytical activity log , which is the bulk of the marks for the EPQ. The question I answered was: ‘Public offenders deserve the right to rehabilitative programs in preference of being punished in prison or given lengthy sentences’. This is a great resource for any student doing an EPQ on law/crime/justice etc.

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