The benefits of the Extended
Project Qualification
Higher education guide
Date of publication September 2014
About this guide
This guide has been produced by Dr
Abigail Harrison Moore, Head of School,
School of Fine Art, History of Art and
Cultural Studies, at the University of
Leeds.
Russell Group universities are committed
to the highest levels of academic
excellence in both teaching and research.
Leeds University is one of the UK’s top ten
research institutions and is well
recognised internationally as a centre of
excellence.
The guide is packed with useful insight,
hints and tips and exemplifies what a
leading university regards as important
information to consider for A-level Art and
Design students wishing to progress onto
Art and Design/Art History degree
courses.
Why is the Extended Project
Qualification valuable to
students considering art and
design/art history at
university?
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
has been growing in popularity amongst
students, teachers and university
admissions tutors for the last few years. It
is at the heart of some of the changes
being proposed by the UK Government to
secondary education. Staff in universities,
particularly the research universities, have
identified it as a useful way of
demonstrating important skills for
transition to higher education, such as
skills in writing, referencing, critical
research, analysis, communication and
presentation. It encourages you to
become an independent researcher.
We hope the guide will help you to bring
out the best in your students.
Please be aware:


the particular requirements of each
university, and each course, are
different.
the guide is relevant to both AS
and A-level Art and Design, but
does not contain mandatory
teaching content. This is featured
in the AQA qualification
specification.
This guide aims to help you understand
what the EPQ is, will think about some of
the ways you can meet the qualifications’
requirements and will indicate why it is
useful for your university applications.
There are many really helpful activities
and courses offered by universities to help
you through your EPQ, such as the ‘Skills
at Library’ web resources
(library.leeds.ac.uk/skills) that we
encourage you to use.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
University of Leeds
Higher education guide: Extended Project Qualification
The best way to access such resources is
to go to the university web pages and
follow the links, and they are often located
on the university library pages or the
education engagement/teacher’s
resources pages.
There are also some short films available,
made by the University of Leeds with
AQA, on different research skills,
developed as a part of our EPQ project
that you can find on You Tube and at
www.leeds.ac.uk/info/125097/activities_for
_schools_and_colleges/1939/teachers_re
sources
A closer look at the EPQ
Students can opt to either complete a 56000 word piece of independent, research
informed writing, or they can produce a
‘product’ plus a 1000 word analysis of the
research process and the questions that
the product helps to address. This product
could be an art work or a series of art
works, but also could be a film, a
performance, a design object etc. All
students need to complete a ‘production
log’ which helps them demonstrate both
their research process and them thinking
critically about their research subject, and
a ‘presentation’ which addresses the
questions asked, the research undertaken
and the lessons learnt.
For Art and Design and Art History
students, the EPQ offers an excellent way
to test university study, in the fact that it
demands that you use the same skills you
need to demonstrate in your applications,
interviews and portfolio inspections and as
an undergraduate student. It demands that
you develop an independent research
question, review the literature on your
subject, critically analyse your research
and produce an extended piece of fully
referenced writing. Whether you choose
the product route or not, you will have a
chance to experience what university
study is like, and assess whether or not it
is for you.
What does a good EPQ look
for?
A good EPQ demands that you
independently identify your project and
produce an effective design and thorough
plan. This starts with finding a subject that
really engages you and one that you think
will provide you with enough research
sources but not so many that you cannot
find your way through them. Remember
5-6000 words is actually quite a small
word count, although it may be the longest
piece of writing you have done so far, and
so you have to find a subject that will
enable you to show your ability to analyse
in depth within the word count.. You will
also be tested on your ability to carry out a
project in a highly organised fashion,
which is great practice for when you are
writing essays at university.
Throughout your EPQ you need to use a
wide range of resources
critically, analyse data effectively where
appropriate and apply your findings to
good effect. This means that you need to
start by assessing the research field in
which your topic is located, looking at both
primary and secondary sources, and
comparing your research materials to test
and analyse them and to show clear links
between your sources of information and
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
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University of Leeds
Higher education guide: Extended Project Qualification
the themes of your project. Ultimately you
have to be able to fully explore the
complexities of your topic, identify
problems and/or issues, and address
them. You will be able to do this in the
extended essay, the production log and as
part of your final presentation.
While you are carrying out your full, indepth evaluations, you will need to
demonstrate a high level of insight into
how you conducted the project and the
limitations of the resources at your
disposal.
By the time you have finished your EPQ,
you will have a deep and extensive
knowledge of your area of study, will be
able to communicate this to a range of
audiences and will be able to answer
questions.
Think about an exhibition
you have visited, a film you
have seen, or an article you
have read, and try to
develop a research question.
technical skills, and a better way of
communicating your ideas. You need,
however, to think carefully about this
decision and discuss it in detail with your
supervisor and/or EPQ Centre Coordinator.
DO NOT choose this route simply
because it means you can write less! As
our practice-led PhD students know, it is
much harder to demonstrate the
rigorousness of your research and the
depth of your thought in a shorter word
count. You have to meet the same
expectations for research, referencing,
criticality and an awareness of your
process in the ‘product’ version. This route
offers a really exciting and interesting way
to do this but it will not be assessed simply
on the finished product. The most amazing
design in the world will not receive a high
grade if the student has not demonstrated
the research and thinking process that
produced it.
 Think about projects that you
have already completed
either at school or at home.
 Do you find it easier to
express yourself in words or
through your creativity?
Which version of the EPQ
should students choose?
What are the implications of
doing the ‘product’ version?
For creative students the ‘product’ version
might offer a more effective way for you to
demonstrate your independence of
thought, research interests, criticality and
 What sort of research did you
do before you developed the
project?
 Did you enjoy the process of
turning your research into an
artwork, design, film, game
performance, etc? If so, this
version of the EPQ may be for
you.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
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University of Leeds
Higher education guide: Extended Project Qualification
How to do you develop an effective research question that
demonstrates your independence of thought?
While your EPQ should acknowledge and reference the work of others, it should not just
duplicate or paraphrase what has been written in the field. You should aspire to present an
original piece of work. This does not imply that you are expected to develop new
terminologies, methodologies and theories – even though you are encouraged to critically
and creatively engage with existing ones – but rather to show that you have a good grasp of
your subject’s main concepts, theories and analytical criteria and can make use of them.
There are various easy ways to strive for originality
Avoid broad and generic
subjects, for example, ‘Art and
Propaganda’, ‘Women in Art’,
‘The work of Pablo Picasso’ etc.
If you try to do too much, you
will run the risk of writing a
superficial EPQ and you are
bound to include sweeping
statements and too many
paraphrases of existing
literature. As a general rule you
will be able to do less than you
envisage when you start your
project. Accept narrowing down
your subject as an indication of
striving for greater depth and
specificity. Think instead about
how you can focus in on your
subject. For example ‘Art and
Propaganda in Banksy’s Wall
and Piece’, ‘Mary Cassat’s
Images of Motherhood,
1870-80’, or ‘What influenced
Picasso’s Demoiselles
D’Avignon?’
Do not choose over-researched
topics, such as ‘Palladio’s
Villas’, or ‘Dali and Surrealism’.
If you take on such a topic, you
will face enormous quantities of
secondary material, making it
hard to work out your own
thoughts. If you want to work
with celebrated artists or works
of art, choose an unused angle
or new approach so that you
can demonstrate your analytical
creativity. For example, ‘The
Use of Sculpture and
Architectural Ornament in the
Late Villas of Andrea Palladio’
or ‘The Influence of Dali’s
‘Arabic lineage’ on his early
work’.
Consider minor, unusual or nonmainstream resources, new
exhibitions, films and texts as
well as your own experiences
and knowledge. Perhaps you
have access to a particular
archive (it could be a family or
business archive or that of a
community organisation) or to
artists or experts, possibly you
have insider knowledge in a
certain area (as a member of a
society); maybe you can draw
on your ethnic origins, foreign
language skills, etc. Remember,
however, that activities such as
browsing through archives,
conducting ethnographic
research or travelling can be
time-consuming and expensive.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street,
Manchester M15 6EX.
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University of Leeds
Higher education guide: Extended Project Qualification
What is the role of the
supervisor in your independent
EPQ?
Although you will be allocated a supervisor
in school or college, you need to be able to
demonstrate excellent independent working
skills in your EPQ while showing clear
evidence of responding very effectively to
guidance given.
Supervisors will guide your process and let
you know if they think you are going in the
wrong direction or plan to do too much. By
the time of your final submission, however,
you will have accumulated a great deal of
in-depth knowledge about your subject,
and your readers (and markers) are going
to be genuinely interested in learning from
you and will appreciate it greatly if you offer
them your own ideas and research results.
It is important therefore to have a good
understanding of the student-supervisor
relationship.
Supervisors are not necessarily experts in
your specific field of inquiry. You will meet
with your supervisor several times before
you submit your EPQ. Your first task is to
convince your supervisor of the viability of
your research idea and agree with her or
him on a clearly specified topic.
Supervisors monitor the running and
academic content of the project. They
provide general advice, will be available for
discussion, and give you some general
feedback on your draft submission. They
do not propose or develop your topic,
structure your project, or supply you with
books and bibliographies. They will
comment on your progress and offer
assistance, but they do not ‘fix’ or
proofread your final paper before
submission. On the whole, you can gain
the most from your supervisor if you
consider him or her as an informed and
curious person with whom you can enter
into a subject-centred debate.
Your supervisor’s job is not to take the
initiative or do the research for you.
 Think about a time when you
discussed a subject you were
interested in with your friends,
teachers, or parents?
 How did you convince them about
your knowledge of the subject?
 What was the value of listening
to their opinions and how did this
modify your ideas?
Referencing, writing and
thinking skills
Please refer to the Higher education guides
on Research practice in Fine Art and
Critical thinking and contexts.
 Select a research resource and
think about how and why it might
be useful for your EPQ.
 Select a second research resource
on the subject and compare and
contrast this with the first.
 What do you learn from this?
Try using our ‘Evaluating Information
Checklist’ at library.leeds.ac.uk/skillsfinding-and-evaluating
information#activateevaluating_the_information_you_find.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
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University of Leeds
Higher education guide: Extended Project Qualification
How the EPQ can help you to
select a degree course.
Both the process of completing the EPQ
and the subject you choose to focus on will
help you make some important decisions
about life after school or college. If you find
the process too challenging or simply
rather dull, it might be that university study
is not for you? If you really enjoyed the
process of producing a product,
researching it, testing it and demonstrating
how it might improve/enhance the world,
then maybe you should be thinking about a
career that allows you to do this, an
apprentiship scheme or even setting up on
your own and becoming an entrepreneur.
If you think you are ready and wanting to
go onto higher education, then the EPQ
might help you both decide on your subject
and demonstrate to the admissions tutors
why you are the perfect recruit.
Remember that universities offer a much
wider range of subjects than you can study
at school or college and each course will
be different, even if the title is the same! So
do your research carefully, think about
what you enjoy and whether you have a
particular career in mind.
Your EPQ is really useful for your UCAS
application, as you will be able to
demonstrate in an original way your
motivation to study your subject, will be
able to include your EPQ subject in your
personal statement and will be able to
speak knowledgably about a subject close
to your heart, in a research-informed way,
at interview and portfolio inspection. If you
are applying for a different subject to your
EPQ, simply think about the transferrable
skills it has helped you develop that are
useful for university study.
Conclusion
The EPQ offers students a chance to experience university level study, or to test an idea that they
would like to build a career around. It will give you the chance to think deeply and research widely
about a subject that you have been curious about for a while and helps you show the world what
you have to offer in terms of your skills and independence of thought. It will probably be one of the
most challenging things you do at school or college, but try to embrace and enjoy the challenge
and use it to help you make some decisions about your future.
To view other guides produced by University of Leeds go to: inset hyperlink below
Research practice in Fine Art
Critical thinking and contexts
Thisinsert
guide has
weblinks
been produced by the University of Leeds in association with AQA.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
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