By Dr Snook, EPQ Co-Ordinator

Last Wednesday we held our EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) presentation afternoon, which marked the culmination of the Year 12 students’ work on their projects this year.

An EPQ is an independent research project which involves writing an essay of around 5,000 words, or creating a product and must be accompanied by extensive research, a written report and a presentation.

Tailored towards Sixth Formers, an EPQ enables students to develop their abilities to learn independently, use their learning experiences to support their plans for further study or career development as well as transfer skills developed as part of the project to other areas of study. It can also add considerable value to university applications. When choosing a topic, girls are encouraged to consider a wide variety of ideas for inspiration, including their hobbies/interests, current affairs, but also their career/university course aspirations or which A level they would have liked to take but did not.

Staff and pupils in Years 11-13 were invited to attend a variety of virtual presentations given by the Year 12 EPQ candidates, who were assessed by their supervisors.

A record number of thirty nine students gave presentations on a wide variety of EPQ projects ranging from hip hop to period poverty via the paintings of the Spanish Golden Age and the viability of socialist economies.

The topics featured included:

Is our democracy no longer democratic? With a direct focus on technology and its impact on the 2016 US presidential election with solutions and viable replacements.

Should we be worried about the potential of robotics becoming independent?

Is claiming insanity a loophole in the law for criminals?

Is it realistic to expect the UK to become a cashless society by 2030?

To what extent is gender a barrier to entry into UK politics and what measures to overcome this can be made?  

To what extent does the UK secondary school education system perpetuate racial bias and how can it be solved?

‘To what extent has the development of our understanding of mental health been reflected in the law?

Should social media companies be responsible for the content on their platforms?

To what extent will the potential of AI in the diagnosis of diseases change the future of healthcare?

Will abolishing the tampon tax solve period poverty?

How does nature contact benefit human health and consequently how is biophilic design being introduced?

To what extent does hip hop serve as a form of protest

How will robotic warfare affect international relations? (case study of US, East Asia, Gulf States)

What are the most important factors in determining how historical disasters are remembered? Focussing on the sinking of the Titanic and the Wilhelm Gustloff.

Would a Universal Basic Income be the best solution to poverty and welfare problems in the UK?

The impact of climate change on African-Americans, with a specific focus on Environmental Disasters

The main impacts faced with living on Mars and will they be overcome in the next 15 years? 

How did the Turkish coup in July 2016 and Fetullah Gulen’s surge to power affect President Erdogan’s autocracy?

To what extent is psychopathy the result of nature or nurture.

To what degree is the internet responsible for the rise of the far right in British youth?

How important was the factor of gender bias in allowing the Yorkshire Ripper to evade the law from 1975-1980?

To what extent has religion made the Argentinian public health care service unethical? 

To what extent can the 21st century economic expansion of China be explained through the study of empire? 

To what extent could we see the fashion industry shifting to a more sustainable future?

To what extent should professional runners prioritise physical strength over mental health?

What is intelligence and how important is it?

Why do people join cults and how are they made to stay? 

How does social media impact eating disorders in adolescents?

How can psychometric testing be used by the Big Four for recruitment and management purposes?

To what extent was The Black Death the most important cause of the changes in religious art from the Medieval period to the Renaissance?

For an elderly woman whose diabetes led to dementia, what was her experience, what was the statistical probability of her disease progression, and how reliable are these statistics and the sources they originate from?

To what extent was the Indian government and central bank more effective than the UK in overcoming the financial crisis of 2008?

The power of fashion: How do we show our political beliefs through the way we dress?

Do socialist economies always fail?

To what extent should Roald Dahl’s The Witches be considered misogynistic?

How impactful was the British Raj in changing women’s fashion trends and ideals in India, and how do these differ between social classes?’

How have costumes in period dramas changed through time and to what extent are they historically accurate?

The impacts of the drug trade on the Mexican economy.

To what extent were the paintings of Velazquez and El Greco influenced by the political and religious climate of the Spanish Golden Age.

Congratulations to all the EPQ candidates who took part, having worked incredibly hard on such a diverse range of topics over the year. The candidates would also like to thank all those who attended, either virtually or in person, to ask questions and show their support.