EPQ tips & advice | is it worth it?

EPQ advice about choosing a topic/question, referencing, essay writing, does it lower uni entry, my experience
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age? 17
a levels? eng lit, history and geography
location? south-east England
like, sub and suggest any video ideas in the comments! xx

[@MeganMahoney1]

Update: I got an A* in my EPQ!

[@peachymins2419]

Congratulations !!!

[@Dylan-hy2ix]

Can I have it?

[@sm1purplmurderedme583]

@@Dylan-hy2ix LMFAO

[@asy001]

!!!congratulations!!!! Did it make a different to your uni?

[@yvonne3902]

getting writer's block as soon as you start writing the essay is the worst possible situation to be in 🙃🤧

[@MeganMahoney1]

sounds like an absolute mare! but once you get started the momentum builds and the words flow I think xx

[@justineparker5475]

A colleague reminded me the other day that you should tackle big projects one chunk at a time. Good luck and keep on keeping on.

[@sy8112]

There are not enough videos about EPQ on youtube, thank you!! I started my epq in september of year 12 but I'm only handing it in year 13 (slightly weird ik) . I'm feeling more anxious about my epq since we're at home but this video has calmed me haha

[@MeganMahoney1]

Aw no problem, thank you for watching! What’s your epq about? Ah no don’t worry mine took about a year too. Good luck with your a levels as well ❤️xx

[@sy8112]

@@MeganMahoney1 Thank you! It's about stigmas attached to menstrual practises in Nepal :)

[@MeganMahoney1]

s y ooh that sounds interesting! Hope it all goes well x

[@isabellah7235]

you really deserve more subs! I’m going into y12 and as our year has ended so suddenly I have a lack of knowledge from the school and your videos are helping sm!!! I’m doing an EPQ so this is so helpful. Thanks SO much, subbed :)) xxxx

[@MeganMahoney1]

aw thank you Isabella! It must be rubbish to be a year 12 right now so my thoughts are with you. So glad I can help in a small way! Nope thank you for watching aha and good luck with the EPQ. Hope you have a lovely week xxx

[@daisymellen2944]

I’m submitting my EPQ in a couple of weeks (I’m in Year12) and I’ve written a musical about Lady Jane Grey for mine!! Very nervous but excited for the performance and I’m so glad that I’ve done it because although it’s been so much work, I’ve loved it! Would highly recommend doing one xx

[@rubybrigden2719]

Daisy M oh my gosh that’s so coool!!!

[@MeganMahoney1]

Ah wow that’s such a unique idea, sounds well exciting! Yeah it’s so satisfying at the end to have this piece of work xx

[@daisymellen2944]

Ruby Brigden Thank you!!

[@daisymellen2944]

Megan Mahoney thank you! X

[@ea.fitz216]

That sounds very interesting, are you doing a drama/music A Level?

[@iamastupidkat6662]

I'm in Year 11, and I spoke to the Sixth Form staff about doing the EPQ when I got my interview after the January Mock Exams. I love the question that was suggested to me as a topic: What are the mental health impacts of video games? This video really helped my understand how the EPQ works, thank you!

[@MeganMahoney1]

ah good luck for your gcse results! that is such an interesting question. someone in my year did about the mental health impacts of tv shows like 13 reasons why, and a girl in the year before did about how music impacts mental health on young people so the mental health route is an interesting one to go down that appears to work really well! ah I am so glad you liked it, stay safe :)

[@xenqor5438]

Crazy how you made this comment before alevels, and now you’re in your first year of uni (if you went). How did it go?

[@fluffyanna1140]

Thank you so much for this! I’ve been thinking of doing an epq 💓

[@MeganMahoney1]

Ab no problem! yeah you should go for it ❤️ stay safe x

[@harrycraftedgaming]

im starting the EPQ in year 12 now, im basing my topic completely around law to make it as relevant as possible for university and trying to find proper sources is frustrating but google scholar sounds great i'm going to try it out today :)

[@MeganMahoney1]

ah that will be cool, what unis are you thinking of applying to? yes definitely google scholar is the way to go, and see if you school or anyone you know who goes to uni has a 'jstor' login, which is a website full of academic articles and journals x

[@harrycraftedgaming]

@@MeganMahoney1 Birmingham university is my main one at the moment i haven't thought too much about what uni i want to go to specifically which i probably should get on, yeah i dont know anyone who goes to uni but i've found plenty of great sources on google scholar its great and the citethisforme page i tried it out is also great so thanku x :)))

[@luminarymani]

@@harrycraftedgaming what topic did you end up choosing? im in your exact situation lol

[@gracetheleopard7483]

i've never seen anyone do the same subjects as me at a level! thank you for this video, so helpful!!

[@MeganMahoney1]

Yeah most people aren't silly enough to take that many essay subjects aha!! They work very well together though. Aw no problem, I am glad it was helpful xx

[@amelia2394]

this video is just what i need!! thankyou💖

[@MeganMahoney1]

ah I'm glad you found it useful! thanks for watching xx

[@samiyachoudhrey6880]

Congrats u got so good xxx I’m so scared for mine I literally have no idea what to do it about 😭and I have no interests😭☹️

[@nadia2679]

DO NOT TAKE EPQ IM LITERALLY CRYING TO WRITE THIS AT 2 AM AND ITS DUE TOMORROW AND NONE OF MY UNIS PUT IT IN MY OFFER

[@oil6029]

I’m crying right now I only have 6 months left and haven’t written anything

[@MillyMhayla]

your videos are so helpful!

[@MeganMahoney1]

Aw that’s so nice of you to say milly!! xx

[@rhett-says-hullo4229]

Hello! Thank you for the video. We don’t really get any supervision on this and I only found what an EPQ was on the internet lol. So thank you for the information. I was wondering who you presented your research to? And did you just read out your essay or did you have to make a separate presentation with the same info?

[@maggie7960]

I want to apply for Cambridge in 2 years, an EPQ is definitely something I am going to do. Thank you for this very insightful video :)

[@MeganMahoney1]

go for it!!! no problem, glad you found it useful xx

[@loiscarrigan7319]

Thank you so much, this video is so helpful, it really explains what an epq is and it has inspired me to do an epq 🙂

[@MeganMahoney1]

Aw thank you! That means so much. Good luck with it all xx

[@loiscarrigan7319]

Megan Mahoney Thankyou for replying!

[@katierobinson849]

this is so helpful!! i was literally talking to my supervisor today talking about how i carry on bcos i have so much going on with work & extracurriculars but i really, really, really want to do it and not drop out!!

[@MeganMahoney1]

Yeah it is tough to do epq whilst doing everything else and I know a lot of people who dropped out too, but I’d just say crack on with it. The sooner you finish it the sooner you can concentrate on your other subjects! xx

[@moonkitty5274]

I'm thinking about doing one but my teachers advised me not to because I do quite a bit of extra-curricular (will probably cut down at some point) and I take 4 a-levels (maths, RE, english lit & history); history and english lit already have coursework segments, including a 4000 word essay and a 2500-3000 word essay. I know the workload would probably be a nightmare, but I'm still kind of tempted 😅

[@jackmcgowan623]

I’m doing my EPQ at the moment and I’m finding it really hard because I’m behind in my deadlines, my question is to what extent should cloning prioritise the preservation of life over morality? IS there any sources you would recommend for this plz

[@agrimakaphle4115]

this is so helpful thankyou 🤍

[@MeganMahoney1]

ah I'm glad you found it useful! thank you for watching x

[@haera7142]

What could u base it on if u want to do graphic design at uni

[@user-sf1td2rq4g]

Do you have any Geography related EPQ questions please?

[@productivity7587]

Thanks for the vid! Was your production really long? Do you mind if I send you mine for a bit of feedback??

[@hannahbrown2817]

Loved this video! We’re being told to think of ideas at the minute, does it have to be something to do with one of your A levels? I’m doing maths psychology and Spanish but I’m thinking I want to do the EPQ on juvenile delinquency in spain vs uk? Since I don’t know what I want to do but it interests me and is kind of linked to spanish which I enjoy! Thanks for the great vid💞

[@MeganMahoney1]

no, you can do it about anything academic of your choice! that sounds interesting! if you have any idea about what you want to do at uni you could link it to that but as I said, it is not a problem if you do it about something completely unrelated. thank you xx

[@hannahbrown2817]

Megan Mahoney thank you!! Sorry for the late reply I completely forgot to reply xxx

[@liyamin]

hi, i presume you have already started Spanish as-level,so how is it, do u like it,because I am thinking about taking it Will be very glad if you can send a feedback)

[@hannahbrown2817]

Liya Min hiya!! Spanish is going well!! We’re starting on the topics of singers and musicians and the internet (I have two teachers) and I’m really enjoying it!

[@liyamin]

@@hannahbrown2817 cool,have you studied it before I mean in gsce?

[@amarzein8676]

Im doing the EPQ but im not sure if im going to manage to finish it. Im afraid i wont have enough time to do it.

[@katewigglesworth8217]

I am doing mine on home schooling! UoN (for my course at least) can lower entry requirements for having it! For unis like NTU who accept for example BBB or the equivalent UCAS points, EPQ can lower the grades you need to get in

[@MeganMahoney1]

ooh that’s a cool idea. What course are you looking at? Is that Nottingham uni? Xx

[@katewigglesworth8217]

Megan Mahoney yeah! For Natural Sciences. My offer got lowered too because of the summer school i went to there :)

[@MeganMahoney1]

That’s so cool! I did a summer school there too, did you do it last summer? xx

[@alishak9425]

i am thinking of doing mine on the effects of ascii code/the latin keyboard and modern technology on international languages, so like people started typing in latin phonetically then converting it to their language for others to read. i just don’t know where i would get my sources from

[@MeganMahoney1]

sounds interesting! google scholar is a good place to start. If you know anyone at uni, they could give you a jstor login or access to the online uni library and see if they have any resources, as without being a uni student articles, journals and academic books can be super expensive. I wish I did this!

[@j_1239]

Hey! I’m a foreign student, not very good in English in my country here they do not enroll epq.. but I’m in desperate need of it for the university I wanna appiy to ; could u please show me how are the steps or you actual research so I’d read it throughly and understand how do I need to follow such as steps .. thank u very much , appreciated.

[@haseebniwaz4478]

I was wondering if you had any tips on a EPQ on geography? As it the subject I want to do at university and I was thinking about doing natural hazards and how they've affected Literature as I'm doing A level eng lit.

[@MeganMahoney1]

That’s such an interesting topic idea! maybe speak to your geography teacher first, then have a google to see if there’s any uni professors or lecturers who maybe specialise in that kind of thing? I emailed a uni lecturer from Southampton who was really lovely, so just do your research and put yourself out there really. Good luck with it :)

[@kconfess4281]

I do geography and history for a level and yes it is painful

[@kconfess4281]

How do u plan what to write for the essay

[@SN-gb9ip]

I’m in year 13 and I only had 6 months to do my EPQ. Also my supervisor didn’t show up to my presentation. 😂

[@MeganMahoney1]

that sounds so stressful! wait how did that even get marked then? aha. What was your EPQ about?

[@SN-gb9ip]

Megan Mahoney My coordinator has to fill in the final parts of my log instead of supervisor. 😂😂 My EPQ was about how new technologies will affect different groups in banking industry.

[@georgikaradzhov8899]

Hey I do A level history on Germany and Italy. I chose my topic to be the economic development of China under communist rule. I noticed around 2 weeks ago that edexcel does an exam paper all about China under communism, but I don’t do that course/route. Would this be a problem still?

[@MeganMahoney1]

Definitely speak to your epq and a level teachers! It shouldn't be an issue no, I remember a girl who did psychology a level and covered psychology-related material in her epq that she didn't do specifically in her lesson and that was all fine. But double check with them, they will have the correct answer!

[@wiccawicca7359]

I'm in year 9 doing the hpq and it's basically the same thing but younger. And I'm doing "how does crochets affects on mood differ between personality types" And my artifact will be A final piece, a personality type, and a survey from each student I will teach. My presentation will be comparing the final pieces and survey results with the personality types. (extrovert, introvert, creative, ect ect) I'm so exited!!!!

[@MeganMahoney1]

ooh that's a good plan!! good luck with it xx

[@wiccawicca7359]

@@MeganMahoney1 thank you! I'm super exited to start!

[@liaaaaaaaaaaaaawa]

I want to do EPQ but I have no clue what to do it on.. people say to pick something you’re interested in and I was thinking I could do it on Dissociative Identity Disorder as I’ve always been genuinely interested on how it works, how it appears and effects people. But how would I make this INTO an EPQ question?

[@MeganMahoney1]

ah that sounds interesting, I have never heard of that before! honestly just stick a 'to what extent' in front of a statement about your topic and run with it. Good luck!!

[@user-sf1td2rq4g]

I really want to study Geography in Uni but I have no idea what to write it about it I’m really lost. :(

[@megang3515]

did you get into cambridge?

[@ana-qy9wy]

i’m going to start year 12 next month and i wanted to do an epq. i want to go into medicine so would doing something medical related (i was thinking of eating disorders because that would be good to research about) potentially help with my personal statement and interview? as in, would it show like commitment to medicine that unis are looking for and possibly help me stand out?

[@MeganMahoney1]

If I'm being honest, I have no idea how medicine applications work at all! They're so much more competitive than geography, and I wouldn't want to give you any false advice. Maybe get in touch with a prospective uni application team and ask them how they view EPQ. Because EPQ does take up a lot of time, so it is a balancing act between maintaining the good grades that you need for medicine while doing things that will make your application stand out, like EPQ and work experience. So seek advice from someone more qualified basically 😂xx

[@ana-qy9wy]

@@MeganMahoney1 okay thank you!! that sounds good, i’ll definitely do that and yes that is definitely true 😭 thank you so much for your help! xx

[@peachymins2419]

I’ve been stuck trying to figure out a good epq topic. I’m planning on doing Criminal Justice at uni or maybe even Psychology so if anyone has any suggestions please let a girl know 😭

[@MeganMahoney1]

Ooh interesting! Maybe ask a psychology or criminology teacher at your school? Sorry I have not a clue about that sorta thing Xx

[@dannywhatman7520]

You could do an EPQ on how child development may introduce criminal behaviour later on in life. For example, the absence of fathers and the raising of children in single mother households may lead to a stun in child development and make it more likely for the child to pick up maladaptive schemas in relation to crime and how childhood predetermines your personality and/or characteristics later on in life. I'm not sure if you still needed help as I have replied 3 months later but i hope you manage to figure it out!

[@samuela775]

i have no idea how to answer the "why do you want to do an epq" question

[@hannahstewart8299]

exeter have lowered my offer to abc for epq!

[@MeganMahoney1]

honestly if exeter wasn't five hours from me I would've applied, that's amazing! what course did you apply for? and what was your epq about? x

[@hannahsmith5687]

Would you recommend to choose a topic for your EPQ that related to your A-levels or what you want to do at uni? I want to do one but I have no clue what I would study at uni agh! Xx

[@MeganMahoney1]

I was in your position too last year, I had no idea too about what I wanted to do at uni but knew I wanted to do an epq. Maybe just do something that you’re interested in, and if that ends up being what you do at uni great but if not oh well at least you’ll have a good epq out of it. Like I did a history/English/media sort of epq but ended up applying for geography at uni, but still in my personal statement I made it somehow link to geography. Deffo shows you’re passionate about researching, so I don’t think it matters too much what you’re passionate about. Hope that helps xx

[@hannahsmith5687]

Megan Mahoney Thank you! xx

[@yas1046]

My school started EPQ so late, I'm in year 13 and have to submit a draft by February half term. I haven't written a single letter.

[@hennauwu8669]

I joined super late and im so behind. good luck to us lol!

[@Ktg234]

Henna uwu yep that makes two of us I’m just starting next week

[@yas1046]

@@Ktg234 when’s your deadline?

[@forallthehogs]

Mine is due tomorrow and I've done fuck all.

[@m3_wilf]

My epq is due this Friday and i'm stressing about it so much!!

[@MeganMahoney1]

aw good luck girl! I did the bulk of my write up in the final week so don't worry, you've got this xxx

[@m3_wilf]

Megan Mahoney thank you! I wish I’d seen your video sooner, it was really helpful xx

[@ea.fitz216]

Quarantine has ruined my GCSEs, but on the bright side I have several months to knock out my EPQ before I spend two years wasting away on history, business and economics.

[@Rxsietk2]

FitzInAFritz I’ve been debating starting my epq now to give me a break in year 12 but finding the motivation is hard

[@tiffanyyazmin8784]

Did you do economics at gcse?

[@ea.fitz216]

@@tiffanyyazmin8784 Yes, I did triple science, history, drama and business/economics.

[@MeganMahoney1]

ah that's a good idea to do epq now! good luck for gcse results day :)

[@preciousa6099]

im in year 12 and my epq is due in a month and ive bearly started

[@MeganMahoney1]

you can 100% bash it out in a month. 1,500 ish words a week, then time for checking it through and finishing the production log. you've got this!!

[@preciousa6099]

Megan Mahoney thankyou for the boost of motivation 🤗🤗

[@MeganMahoney1]

Daniella A aha no problem, good luck babe!! ❤️

[@ea.fitz216]

how'd it go?

[@iman6814]

I am in Year 13 as well, I finished my report and presentation (it’s about immunotherapy treatments for Lung Cancer) and I have to do my production now😭 and I don’t know how to write it out. I am writing it under dates and then writing what I did on that day but I feel like it’s so time consuming that way. Please help🙏

[@MeganMahoney1]

ooh that’s a cool project! I just answered the prompts the production log gave really. So for the mid project review for example, I said I was starting to write the report and just briefly described any problems I encountered/how I overcame them. Didn’t do anything fancy! Definitely couldn’t be bothered with keeping such a detailed log as that aha. Good luck with everything!

[@iman6814]

Megan Mahoney thank you so much! Hope your epq goes well!

[@willgreen8310]

Iman Al Zaeim I just finished by Draft today (yr 12) mine is on gene therapy treatments in pancreatic cancer so quite a similar title. My presentation has been cancelled tho 😞

[@iman6814]

@@willgreen8310 same my presentation was cancelled as well 😭 I did so much for it I was meant to do it this week... but I was told to continue making my production log and any other work

[@katierobertsx2622]

who do you present it in front of?💘

[@MeganMahoney1]

I did it in front of my epq supervisor, others in my epq group and my history teachers. But it varies with each sixth form ❤️x

[@scarlettbower1768]

What do you have to do in your presentation? Reiterate what you’ve said in your essay?

[@MeganMahoney1]

Yeah kinda, and talk about the process of producing your epq. So any challenges you faced, how you collected your data, how your epq is going to help you in the future etc x

[@caitlinjob1505]

I’m in year 12 and we received an email yesterday about EPQ. I’m not sure if I want to do it or not because we have to do it after summer in year 13 and I know it’s really time consuming. I’m also not entirely sure what topic I would do it about x

[@MeganMahoney1]

is there any chance you can start it in summer? because I think it is such a good thing to do, particularly if you're thinking about going to a competitive uni. but if you can't think of anything that proper interests you or they make you do it alongside ucas application and year 13 mocks and stuff then it is probably not worth it aha. just what I think! good luck with it all and stay safe xx

[@emmalacote5192]

Am i the only one who is in year 12 and was given only 6 months do to my EPQ?

[@laurendoyle2485]

We started ours in October and our teachers have kinda given us no support on what we should be doing except question ideas etc so most of my class are only just starting research now and its the end of March so thats great lmao

[@chantellegutierrez2007]

I failed lol don't do it if you want to enjoy y12

[@MeganMahoney1]

aha aw bless you :(

[@DeliaLange]

well my school is forcing us to do it *u*

[@MeganMahoney1]

hahahhaha jokes on you guys!!! I'm kidding, you'll be fine and might end up enjoying it :)

[@ofunne892]

LAE?