EPQ guide: choosing a topic, structuring your research, and acing the viva

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is taught in Year 12 (sometimes early Year 13) and is graded A* to E. It carries half the UCAS points of an A-Level and is widely valued by universities — many will offer one-grade reductions on conditional offers for an A.

Choosing a topic

The strongest EPQs are narrow and related to your intended degree. 'The ethics of AI' is too broad; 'How GDPR shaped facial recognition deployment in UK retail' is workable. Aim for a question you can answer in 5000 words.

Research structure

A typical EPQ runs over 6–9 months. Spend the first third reading widely, the second third narrowing and writing the literature review, and the final third drafting and refining the main argument.

Sources that count

Academic journals (Google Scholar), books with citations, primary sources where possible. Wikipedia is fine as a starting point but not as a cited source. Mix recent (last 5 years) with foundational (older but seminal) sources.

The production log

Half your marks come from process documentation. Update your production log weekly with: what you did, what you read, what changed in your thinking. The log is the difference between an EPQ A* and a B.

The viva

A 10-minute discussion with your supervisor where you explain what you found and what you'd do differently. Practise reflecting on your own work, especially weaknesses. Honest self-critique scores higher than defensive perfection-claims.