Most students at Elliott Hudson College will complete the EPQ within their first year.  We believe that equipping students with this qualification will help to make them a competitive applicant for universities, higher level apprenticeships and employment  opportunities. In addition completing an EPQ will help you develop a wide variety of important skills.

What is the EPQ?

The EPQ is a project management qualification. It is the equivalent of half an A Level with an A* grade available. The project is chosen, planned and managed completely independently by the student.

You have a choice of writing a 5000 word essay on a topic of your choice, or producing an artefact and writing a 2000 word supporting report outlining the project process. In both cases you will also complete a log book which records the process of planning and managing the project. Almost any topic that you are interested in can become a project.

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Past examples of questions are given below:

Essays

  • Do video games cause violence?
  • To what extent does mindfulness have a measurable and positive effect on college students?
  • Is time travel possible?
  • ’The Pankhurst sisters were the most important figures in the suffragette movement.’ To what extent is this true?
  • Should firearms be banned in the USA?

Artefacts

  • The design and creation of an activity book to help dyslexic children aged 5-7.
  • Can student war game players make their own gameboard to industry standard?
  • Can a classically trained singer give a convincing performance of a pop song?
  • What is the best way to create a scale model of a Formula 1 racing car?

How is this assessed?

Project management skills are the most important part of the assessment of this qualification. A good final product is evidence that you have managed the project well, but the essay or artefact is not marked on its own.

Marks are awarded for many aspects of project management including:

  • Planning
  • Preparation
  • Research
  • Critical reading and thinking skills
  • Review and evaluation
  • Presentation skills

FOR STUDENTS

Students can research something they are really interested in but would not normally study. It develops research, study and project management skills. It can be a chance to explore possible career or university options.

FOR EMPLOYERS

It shows that students have wider interests and gives them something to discuss in interviews. It can be based around career interests.
It demonstrates considerable project management skills.

FOR UNIVERSITIES

To ‘show off’ to universities, particularly where interviews are involved or on competitive courses. It will always be looked on favourably. It may form part of an offer, particularly an offer based on points.

Structure of the course

The EPQ course is made up of three different elements:

  1. Your independent planning and management of the project. This includes independent research and creating and evaluating your final product, as well as keeping a record of your progress in the log book.
  2. A taught skills element where your EPQ supervisor will help you to develop the skills necessary for successfully completing an EPQ.
  3. Discussions with your supervisor about your specific project. These conversations are opportunities for you to discuss and get advice on your ideas.

You will have two timetabled EPQ lessons a week which is when the taught skills will be delivered and when you will have the majority of discussions with your supervisor. You will be expected to allocate a further three hours a week to working on your EPQ independently.

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