EPQ Presentation Guide: What is an EPQ?

An Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is one of the most exciting projects you can work on alongside your A-Levels. It's your opportunity to delve deep into a subject you're passionate about and present your findings to others. But here's the challenge: how do you make your EPQ presentation engaging and easy to follow, even for people who aren't experts in your subject?

In this Adobe Express guide, we’ll look at essential tips that can help you create a compelling, easy to understand, and visually appealing presentation for your upcoming EPQ project.

What does EPQ mean?

EPQ stands for Extended Project Qualification. Essentially, it's a type of qualification that you can do alongside your studies at college or sixth form.

The EPQ gives you the freedom to choose a subject you're passionate about and present your findings in a way that suits you. You can choose to present your research in a 5,000-word essay or report, or as an 'artefact' such as a piece of art, a play or even a musical composition - depending on the subject, of course.

As a Level 3 qualification, equivalent to an AS level, an EPQ can also make a big difference to your university applications. It can highlight your ability to research independently, think critically and make clear links between your subject and your career aspirations.

How many UCAS points is an EPQ worth?

Depending on the final result, your EPQ can give you anywhere between 8 to 28 UCAS points.

It all depends on the grade you receive for your EPQ project:

• A* gives you 28 UCAS points.
• A gives you 24 UCAS points.
• B gives you 20 UCAS points.
• C gives you 16 UCAS points.
• D gives you 12 UCAS points.
• E gives you 8 UCAS points.

What is an EPQ presentation?

As well as your main essay or artefact, you’ll also need to produce a final EPQ presentation. This is where you get to showcase the hard work and effort you’ve put into your project.

This presentation is a compulsory part of the EPQ assessment.

What to expect from the EPQ presentation format:

• Purpose: Demonstrate your research, project development and personal reflection.
• Duration: approximately 10 minutes.
• Follow-up Q&A session: 5-10 minutes.
• Weighting: makes up about 20% of your final grade.

Your presentation will highlight your ability to communicate and describe your topic effectively. So, it’s important to polish up on your presentation skills to make your presentation engaging.

What to include in an EPQ presentation.

The EPQ presentation allows you to bring your project to life and showcase all your hard work. Here’s how to go about making it more informative and engaging.

1. Start with an engaging introduction.

Have a strong introduction that outlines the topic of your EPQ and captures your audience’s attention from the get-go. You can include a hook – which can be anything from an anecdote to an interesting fact or a thought-provoking question related to your work. This can help ease your audience into the discussion by letting them know what to expect from your presentation.

2. Explain your decision for choosing the topic.

You can then touch on some of the reasons why you decided to choose this EPQ topic. It might be an area you want to specialise in at university, or it might be related to your career goals and other interests.

3. Outline your research question and objectives.

You’ll also need to map out your research question and the objectives of your EPQ as clearly and succinctly as possible. This will provide you and your audience with a clear direction of your thought process and what you were aiming to achieve.4. Recap your methodology.

One of the key parts of your presentation should focus on your methodology. This includes any primary or secondary research you conducted, alongside any challenges you faced along the way.

You should also mention how your research aims or arguments have changed or developed – if at all – during the research process, and why this occurred.

5. Summarise your key learnings.

Then it’s time to reflect on the project as a whole. Discuss what you learned about your topic, and whether you found an answer to your research question. Mention any key skills you picked up along the way, from project management to presenting.

6. Tie your project to your future career.

One of the biggest advantages of doing an EPQ is that it allows you to showcase your passion for a particular career or academic pursuit. Provide further information in your presentation on how this project has shaped your career aspirations. You can then adapt this section when summarising the project in your personal statement or cover letter.

7. Prepare for the Q&A session.

Do some prepping beforehand on Q&A questions. During the session, encourage the audience to ask questions. This shows that you’re confident and knowledgeable about your project. It also gives you the chance to expand on areas you might not have covered in detail during the main presentation part.

How can Adobe Express help with your EPQ presentation?

Bring out the best in your EPQ presentation with Adobe Express’ easy-to-use tools and interactive user interface. You can:

1. Plan out your project timeline.

Make the most of timeline templates to plan out your EPQ. Factor in key dates for research, essay-writing and building your presentation slides, and make sure they align with the overarching deadlines for the project.

2. Map out your EPQ presentation ideas.

Use Adobe Express to map out your ideas, filter through your research and organise your EPQ presentation. Inform the content of your essay, artefact or presentation with a spider diagram, then organise the structure with a simple flow chart model.

3. Craft your own EPQ presentation with editable templates.

With access to dozens of editable EPQ presentation templates, you can quickly build up your presentation without starting from scratch. Simply choose a design that best aligns with your topic or subject area, then customise the different features and content to reflect your work.

4. Add your own animations.

Looking to make your EPQ presentation more engaging, relatable, and exciting? Add interactive or visually appealing animations with Adobe Express to keep your audience glued to your presentation.

You could also include video content where needed to capture the process of constructing your EPQ.

5. Include it in your personal statement.

Once you’ve completed your qualification, don’t forget to add the details of your EPQ presentation to your personal statement for any upcoming university applications.

Harness the power of AI for your EPQ presentation with Adobe Express.

Need a little inspiration or want to add the perfect finishing touches to your EPQ presentation? With Adobe Express's AI Presentation Maker, you can create impressive presentations in moments.

Using innovative AI technology, the tool can generate visually appealing, informative slides in just a few clicks. Simply import your PowerPoint, start from scratch or choose one of the high-quality templates to get started – you can search by industry to find one that best aligns with your EPQ topic.

We also keep things customisable, so you can add some final flourishes in the form of Adobe Stock images, icons and AI-generated text. The tool offers a seamless solution to help bring your ideas to life. Enhance your EPQ presentation and create something spectacular with the AI Presentation Maker.

Try Adobe Express for free now

Good to know.

How long should my EPQ presentation be?

You’ll need to keep your EPQ presentation relatively short and sweet. That’s because you only have about 10 minutes to present. Ideally, keep your presentation to just below 10 minutes to ensure that you finish explaining all your important points on time.

How much of the EPQ is the presentation worth?

Your EPQ presentation will make up 20% of your EPQ assessment grade, and it will fall under the Review section of your EPQ project.

Who is the audience for an EPQ presentation?

Your audience can be anyone from teachers, admission tutors, and people with limited knowledge of the subject matter, such as your fellow students. Make sure you factor in your audience when crafting the material for your presentation.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 5 GB of storage. See our pricing page for details and to compare plans.