Summary EPQ: Skills Audit (FULL MARKS)
Slide 1 - ansSo, why did I want to do an EPQ? I initially wanted to begin the EPQ course as I
heard that it looks good on university applications and personal statements. As I wanted to
go to uni I thought I would take the opportunity. At first, I didn't really know much about
what it entailed but I chose my topic of Psychology and I had a pretty clear idea of what I
wanted to focus my project on. Learning more about the course I realised that I was not
only able to choose a topic I was passionate about and wanted to study further but I was
also able to develop important skills which are transferable to the future like essay writing,
time management and organisational skills.
Slide 2 - ansHow did I choose my topic? After choosing psychology as my initial topic area I
knew that I wanted to talk about something that wasn't only relevant to today's society but
also something that I was passionate about personally. I did this as I knew that something
that I was already passionate about would help me be more motivated and interested to
write an entire project on it. After making a mindmap and writing down my potential ideas
and changing it halfway through I eventually settled with the research question. 'The false
reality of social media: To what extent does social media have an impact on self- esteem
and body image?'. I felt that this question is an important one to think about especially how
social media has become such a staple thing in our lives.
Slide 3 - ansWhy is my topic important? I feel as though my topic is important for a number
of reasons. Firstly, like previously said it's very relevant to current society. I think it's
something which isn't talked about enough despite it being something that everyone has
the opportunity to experience. The effects of social media can impact anyone regardless of
age or gender which is why it is important.
Slide 4 - ansDuring the course of my project, I aimed to do a few different things. One of my
main aims was to develop my skills. As this was an independent project I wanted to be able
to prepare myself for university, by this I mean I wanted to learn how to work to my own
initiative, keeping on top of my own deadlines and using my time effectively in order to
create a university standard project. These skills I have developed will not only help me in
further education outside of college but also in anything I do in the future. I also aimed to
create a high quality, detailed project which effectively talks about my topic. Over the
course of my project, my aims have slightly changed as the further I got into my project the
more I realised what I was actually aiming to do.
Slide 5 - ansHow has my project developed from the beginning? So, let's start from the
beginning. My initial ideas never really changed at all, as I said from even before starting
my project I knew roughly what I wanted to focus on. I managed to cover everything that I
wanted to do for the most part. One of the changes I did make was to my question which I
altered slightly from 'Does social media have an impact on self-esteem and body image' to
'to what extent does social media have an impact on self-esteem and body image'. I felt as
if though adding to what extent, despite it being such a small change it makes it clear from
the beginning that yes, it does have an impact and I just needed to explain how within my
project instead of saying does it which is more of a closed question.
I also extended and changed some deadlines in my timeline document. For example, I had
intended to have my draft introduction completed by the 30th however, I felt as if other
areas of my project needed tending to so I extended my deadline to the 7th so I could focus
on other areas. During my project, I also changed my initial plan. I created a new one in
order to incorporate all of my new key ideas into one clear and concise document, getting
rid of anything that I no longer was planning on including, for example, the sub-topic on
screentime. Doing this helped me out massively when it came to re-writing my final
dissertation as I could see what I wanted to include and talk about in each sub-topic. I also
began to create a questionnaire around half-way through my project this was in order to
gather some primary research for my project. I would consider this a change as it was
unexpected and it helped me develop my project.
Slide 6 - ansMy research. For my project, I collected both primary and secondary data. My
secondary research consisted of trying to use a range of sources. I watched a variety of
different documentaries which linked nicely to my project including Jesy Nelsons 'Odd one
, Summary EPQ: Skills Audit (FULL MARKS)
out' documentary on BBC as well as the five-part 'Naked Beach' documentary which aired
on Channel 5. Watching these were very useful and helped me gain a better understanding
of my project. I also researched using online websites from
Slide 1 - ansSo, why did I want to do an EPQ? I initially wanted to begin the EPQ course as I
heard that it looks good on university applications and personal statements. As I wanted to
go to uni I thought I would take the opportunity. At first, I didn't really know much about
what it entailed but I chose my topic of Psychology and I had a pretty clear idea of what I
wanted to focus my project on. Learning more about the course I realised that I was not
only able to choose a topic I was passionate about and wanted to study further but I was
also able to develop important skills which are transferable to the future like essay writing,
time management and organisational skills.
Slide 2 - ansHow did I choose my topic? After choosing psychology as my initial topic area I
knew that I wanted to talk about something that wasn't only relevant to today's society but
also something that I was passionate about personally. I did this as I knew that something
that I was already passionate about would help me be more motivated and interested to
write an entire project on it. After making a mindmap and writing down my potential ideas
and changing it halfway through I eventually settled with the research question. 'The false
reality of social media: To what extent does social media have an impact on self- esteem
and body image?'. I felt that this question is an important one to think about especially how
social media has become such a staple thing in our lives.
Slide 3 - ansWhy is my topic important? I feel as though my topic is important for a number
of reasons. Firstly, like previously said it's very relevant to current society. I think it's
something which isn't talked about enough despite it being something that everyone has
the opportunity to experience. The effects of social media can impact anyone regardless of
age or gender which is why it is important.
Slide 4 - ansDuring the course of my project, I aimed to do a few different things. One of my
main aims was to develop my skills. As this was an independent project I wanted to be able
to prepare myself for university, by this I mean I wanted to learn how to work to my own
initiative, keeping on top of my own deadlines and using my time effectively in order to
create a university standard project. These skills I have developed will not only help me in
further education outside of college but also in anything I do in the future. I also aimed to
create a high quality, detailed project which effectively talks about my topic. Over the
course of my project, my aims have slightly changed as the further I got into my project the
more I realised what I was actually aiming to do.
Slide 5 - ansHow has my project developed from the beginning? So, let's start from the
beginning. My initial ideas never really changed at all, as I said from even before starting
my project I knew roughly what I wanted to focus on. I managed to cover everything that I
wanted to do for the most part. One of the changes I did make was to my question which I
altered slightly from 'Does social media have an impact on self-esteem and body image' to
'to what extent does social media have an impact on self-esteem and body image'. I felt as
if though adding to what extent, despite it being such a small change it makes it clear from
the beginning that yes, it does have an impact and I just needed to explain how within my
project instead of saying does it which is more of a closed question.
I also extended and changed some deadlines in my timeline document. For example, I had
intended to have my draft introduction completed by the 30th however, I felt as if other
areas of my project needed tending to so I extended my deadline to the 7th so I could focus
on other areas. During my project, I also changed my initial plan. I created a new one in
order to incorporate all of my new key ideas into one clear and concise document, getting
rid of anything that I no longer was planning on including, for example, the sub-topic on
screentime. Doing this helped me out massively when it came to re-writing my final
dissertation as I could see what I wanted to include and talk about in each sub-topic. I also
began to create a questionnaire around half-way through my project this was in order to
gather some primary research for my project. I would consider this a change as it was
unexpected and it helped me develop my project.
Slide 6 - ansMy research. For my project, I collected both primary and secondary data. My
secondary research consisted of trying to use a range of sources. I watched a variety of
different documentaries which linked nicely to my project including Jesy Nelsons 'Odd one
, Summary EPQ: Skills Audit (FULL MARKS)
out' documentary on BBC as well as the five-part 'Naked Beach' documentary which aired
on Channel 5. Watching these were very useful and helped me gain a better understanding
of my project. I also researched using online websites from
