Extended Project Qualification EPQ Choosing a topic for

Extended Project Qualification - EPQ Choosing a topic for EPQ 15 th June 2020 Mrs Fordham

Starting To Think Of An EPQ Topic EPQ is an independent study which you will complete during Y 12. In addition to one timetabled lesson per week, you will be required to put in up to 100 hours of independent work. Therefore, it is essential that you choose your topic carefully to ensure it is something you will enjoy researching, will work on wholeheartedly and has adequate resources available to ensure you can complete the task you set yourself. Inspiration for your EPQ might come from many different things: Ø Watching a TV documentary or film; Ø Reading an article in a newspaper or magazine; Ø Something you are looking forward to studying at A Level; Ø Career aspirations; Ø Role model; Ø Hobby you are passionate about; Ø Something you wish to study at university. The following activities will help you choose a suitable topic for EPQ.

Activity 1. Starting To Think Of A Topic Use this table to consider how you could extend topic(s) you will study at A Level (see Sixth Form Induction for course details) or more general areas of personal interest. A Level Subjects OR Area of Personal Interest Topics already studied/ looking forward to studying How could I extend this topic?

Activity 2. Starting To Think Of A Topic 1. Use this diagram to write down topics you are interested in. 2. Draw a line between any topics that link together. 3. You should end up with a web of ideas and connections.

Identifying Potential Topics You should now be able to identify clear topics which you could use for your EPQ. Activity 3. List the topics you have identified in the chart below:

Identifying Potential Topics Things to think about: Ø You must avoid dual accreditation; • You cannot choose a topic that you have already studied at GCSE or is an element of one of your A Level subjects. Ø Try not to be too narrow or too broad; • If your topic is too broad, you may find too much information and struggle to focus. • If your topic is too narrow you may struggle to find relevant, easily accessible information. Ø It can be difficult to deal with emotive issues, socially sensitive issues and issues where you have a personal axe to grind; • You do not need to avoid these issues but must be aware of limitations, bias and anecdotal evidence. Ø Don't be too original; • If you are too original or obscure you may struggle to find enough material on your topic.

Generating EPQ Ideas Activity 4. 1. In the centre of the mind map write a topic you identified in Activity 3 (use a different mind map for each topic). 2. Write down ideas/sub sections that might relate to or extend the topic. 3. Identify a potential EPQ topic from your mind map. An example has been completed to help you understand the process. US and Europe statistics Champions of healthy eating e. g. Jamie Oliver/Joe Wicks Sugar content in fizzy drinks Childhood obesity Eating habits/fast food Guidelines from government/GPs Increasing amount of children classed as obese in UK Potential EPQ Title: _Causes of the childhood obesity epidemic in the UK___________ Potential EPQ Title: _________________________________________

Generating EPQ Ideas cont. TOPIC 3 TOPIC 4 Potential EPQ Title: _________________________________________________

Evaluating Your Ideas Working through Activity 1 -4 should have given you many ideas for your EPQ. You must now look in detail at one or two of your ideas to see if they are suitable tor EPQ. Activity 5 and Activity 6 will guide you through preliminary research to help you decide on a suitable topic for EPQ. Activity 5. TASK Potential EPQ Topic What subsections relate to this topic? What aspects of this topic particularly interest you? Search for relevant materials for each subsection. Is there too much or too little information on your topic? How can you evaluate the sources you have found? Are they reliable? Are they biased? Is this topic suitable for EPQ?

Evaluating Your Ideas Activity 6. 1. Write your potential topic in the red square. 2. In each blue circle write a research task which will help you find information on that topic e. g. I will search Google Scholar for recent articles. 3. Carry out each research task to see if you find suitable information on your chosen topic. Is this topic suitable for EPQ? ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Deciding on Your EPQ Topic I HAVE COMPLETED: Yes/No Activity 1: I have identified topics I am interested in. Activity 2: I have made links/connections between topics I am interested in. Activity 3: I have identified potential topics for EPQ. Activity 4: I have created mind maps of potential topics. Activity 5 & 6: I have evaluated each potential topic by doing initial research to test its viability. You should now be ready to choose your ONE topic that you would like to research for your EPQ. When you have decided on that topic you will be ready to complete the Extended Project Qualification – Initial Ideas and Planning form. You will find the form Extended Project Qualification – Initial Ideas and Planning on the school website under Sixth Form–Y 12 Induction 2020. Please complete this by Friday 3 rd July.