EPQ Presentation: What Is Assessed, Length and Questions

By Michael Thompson · Education Specialist; 10 years teaching the IB at Bromsgrove School · Published 24 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026

The EPQ presentation is a live account of your project delivered to an audience - a non-specialist one on AQA and WJEC - followed by questions, and it counts towards your final grade on every board. On AQA, Pearson Edexcel, Cambridge OCR, and WJEC it evidences the Review assessment objective; on WJEC it also carries its own 10-mark learning outcome under AO4. Most students underestimate how much the question-and-answer session matters: on AQA, the record of the presentation must include examples of supervisor questions and your responses. This guide covers length by board, how to structure your talk, the questions to prepare for, and what to submit as evidence.

Key Takeaways

In This Article

  1. What the EPQ presentation is and why it matters
  2. How long should the EPQ presentation be?
  3. EPQ presentation structure: what to cover and in what order
  4. EPQ presentation questions: what supervisors ask and how to prepare
  5. Slides and evidence: what to submit and how to present it
  6. Artefact and performance EPQ presentations
  7. What to do next

1. What the EPQ presentation is and why it matters

The EPQ presentation is a live account of your project, delivered to an audience and followed by a question-and-answer session. Every board requires it, and AQA and WJEC specify a non-specialist audience; Pearson's specification says the audience 'may, but does not need to, contain a subject specialist' and must at minimum include your tutor-assessor. On AQA, Pearson Edexcel, and OCR it evidences Assessment Objective 4 (Review). On WJEC it does that and more: the presentation is a discrete learning outcome, LO7, worth 10 marks of the qualification's 100-mark total.

The non-specialist audience requirement is deliberate and worth taking seriously. You cannot assume the people in the room know your subject, which means the way you pitch the talk, the vocabulary you choose, and the examples you reach for all need to be accessible without being shallow. That constraint is written into the AQA and WJEC requirements, and it is good practice on every board.

Here is how each board frames it:

BoardWhere the presentation sitsMarksNotes
AQAAO4 Review10 of 50Specification requires the record to include 'examples of questions from supervisors and the student's responses'
Pearson EdexcelAO4 Review9 of 54 (17%)Specification states the presentation 'will be assessed as part of AO4'
OCRAO4 Review12 of 60 (AO4)Specification H857 requires a presentation at the end of the project; the summer 2024 moderators' report says the portfolio must include 'a presentation and evidence that the presentation has taken place'
WJECAO4/LO7 (Review and Communicate)10 of 100Specification also requires a Presentation Reviewer Statement in the Candidate Assessment Record

One detail that catches students out on AQA: the supervisor's record of the questioning session must go into the Production Log and Assessment Record alongside your own account of the questions and your responses. The presentation is not simply a box to tick at the end. The evidence you generate during it feeds directly into your assessed portfolio.

2. How long should the EPQ presentation be?

The honest answer is: it depends on your exam board, and more importantly, on what your centre tells you. The specifications themselves are less prescriptive than most students expect.

Exam boardDuration in the specificationDuration in student guidanceNotes
AQANo time limit statedNone found on AQA's EPQ page eitherMedia and format are the student's choice; AQA's specification requires a record of the presentation including supervisor questions and responses
Pearson EdexcelNo time limit stated"No more than 10 minutes"The Pearson specification explicitly says longer presentations are permissible; the student guidance plans for ten minutes; your centre decides which to follow
OCRNo duration statedNo duration statedEvidence that the presentation took place must appear in the portfolio
WJECNo duration stated in the specificationAround 20-30 minutes including questionsThe WJEC student guide gives this as a planning figure, not a hard limit

The counter-intuitive detail for Pearson students is that the specification and the student guidance give different signals. The specification sets no cap; the student guidance suggests ten minutes. Your tutor-assessor's briefing is what settles it, so ask directly before you plan your timing.

Whatever your board, your centre's instructions fill the gap the specifications leave. Check the brief your supervisor gives you, not just what the published documents say. If you have not received one, ask before you build your EPQ presentation around an assumed duration.

3. EPQ presentation structure: what to cover and in what order

The most common mistake in an EPQ presentation is treating it as a show-and-tell of the finished product. The boards frame it as an account of the whole project: Pearson's specification calls it 'a succinct summary of the main features and an evaluation of the project', and OCR's Guide 3 says the emphasis 'should be on the process of managing the project and not solely about the final product'. The marks for the presentation sit under AO4 (Review), but a good talk still walks through all four objectives: AO1 (managing the project), AO2 (evaluating sources and resources), AO3 (developing and realising the outcome), and AO4 (reviewing and communicating what you learned). A talk that skips straight to your conclusion gives you little to review, no matter how impressive the result.

A recommended arc

The following order is written for this guide, not prescribed by any exam board. It maps each stage to the objectives the boards assess.

  1. The question and why it mattered - introduce your project question, explain what drew you to it, and set out the scope. (AO1, AO3)
  2. How the project was planned and what changed - describe your initial plan, the tools or methods you chose, and the significant changes you made along the way. A plan that never changed is usually a plan that was never really followed. (AO1)
  3. The research process and how you judged your sources - explain which sources you used, how you assessed their reliability, and what you rejected and why. (AO2)
  4. The outcome or artefact - present what you produced: the argument of a dissertation, the design of an artefact, or the core findings of an investigation. (AO3)
  5. What you would do differently - identify one or two genuine weaknesses in your approach, not cosmetic ones. Supervisors ask about this directly, and Pearson's specification lists it as an example audience question. (AO4)
  6. What you learned about working independently - close by reflecting on your development as a self-directed learner, not just on the topic itself. (AO4)

Approximate timings

These timings are written for this guide. Your centre's instructions take precedence.

Stage10-minute version20-minute version
1. Question and context~1 min~2 min
2. Planning and changes~2 min~4 min
3. Research and sources~2 min~4 min
4. Outcome or artefact~2 min~4 min
5. What you'd do differently~2 min~4 min
6. Independent learning~1 min~2 min

The twenty-minute version is not simply a slower delivery. Use the extra time on stages 2 and 3, where deeper discussion of methodology and source evaluation shows the reflective judgement the review objective rewards. The WJEC student guide is the document that plans for around 20 to 30 minutes including questions, so WJEC candidates in particular should expand those middle sections rather than pad the introduction.

One structural note worth knowing: the AQA specification requires the presentation record to include examples of supervisor questions and your responses. That means the Q&A is not an afterthought - it is assessed evidence. Structure your talk to leave genuine thinking time at the end, not a rushed two minutes.

4. EPQ presentation questions: what supervisors ask and how to prepare

The Q&A that follows your EPQ presentation is not a formality. Per the AQA specification, the presentation record must include "examples of questions from supervisors and the student's responses to these," and that record sits inside the Production Log and Assessment Record. The Pearson specification goes further and lists sample questions directly, including "Which of the resources used proved to be the most useful to you and why?" and "Looking back at your project, is there anything you would have done differently?" Both boards treat the Q&A as evidence, not as an informal chat.

Questions written for this guide (not exam-board exemplars)

The following fifteen questions represent the type a supervisor is likely to raise across any board. They are written for this guide, not drawn from any official exemplar bank.

Preparing answers without scripting them

The counterintuitive preparation strategy here is to avoid writing a polished answer to each question. Supervisors notice when a response sounds rehearsed, and a scripted paragraph tends to collapse the moment a follow-up lands.

Anchor every answer to something specific in your log (AQA's Production Log and Assessment Record, Pearson's activity log, OCR's Project Progression Record or WJEC's Candidate Production Record). If you are asked about your weakest source, point to the log entry where you noted its limitations. If the question is about a change of plan, name the decision point and what prompted it. If you are asked which source was most useful, give the author and explain the mechanism, not just a general impression.

This matters because the Q&A is itself part of the assessed evidence. An answer that refers back to a documented decision demonstrates exactly the kind of reflective practice the review objective rewards. An answer that sounds polished but vague does the opposite.

Prepare by reading through your log the evening before and making a short list of five or six specific moments: a source you almost discarded, a search that failed, a structural change you made after your supervisor's feedback. Those moments are your raw material. The questions above are just different angles on the same material.

5. Slides and evidence: what to submit and how to present it

Slides should prompt what you say, not reproduce it word for word. A slide packed with full sentences pushes you towards reading aloud, which fragments eye contact with the audience and makes the Q&A harder to handle. Keep each slide to a heading, a key point, or a visual, then speak the detail. The slide carries the argument; you carry the explanation.

Permitted aids by board

The specifications give examples of aids rather than exhaustive lists; the table summarises what each names.

BoardPermitted aids
AQAFlipcharts, posters, Prezi, PowerPoint, short excerpts of video material
Pearson (Edexcel)PowerPoint slides, OHTs, wall displays, printed handouts, notes, prompt cards
WJECNot specified; the specification gives 'powerpoint, and speech notes, video' as examples of presentation evidence to submit
OCRNot specified in the specification; OCR's Guide 3 says it 'could be done as a conventional powerpoint talk, or be on video, animation or podcast; whatever is most appropriate to the subject'

Sources: AQA specification 7993 v1.4, Pearson ZPJ30 specification Issue 4, WJEC Level 3 Extended Project specification v2, OCR H857 specification v2.1 and OCR Guide 3: Presenting evidence.

What to submit as evidence of delivery

The slides themselves are not enough. Boards require a record that the presentation actually happened and that questions were asked.

If your centre requests a recording, that recording joins the submission package alongside your notes or prompt cards. Check your centre's instructions early, because assembling this evidence after the fact is harder than collecting it on the day.

6. Artefact and performance EPQ presentations

If your EPQ product is a physical artefact, a performance, a design, or a piece of creative writing, the epq presentation has to do something a dissertation presentation does not: it must show the thing itself, not just talk about it.

AQA says large artefacts need not be submitted themselves - 'photographs or other media will suffice' as evidence - so photographs and short clips are the natural way to show the product in the presentation too, rather than wheeling a full-scale model into the room. Short excerpts of video material are also explicitly permitted as presentation media under the AQA specification, which makes a short clip of a performance or product in use a straightforward evidence option.

For Pearson Edexcel, the four routes each have their own unit: P301 Dissertation, P302 Investigation/Field Study, P303 Performance, and P304 Artefact. The Pearson specification allows the presentation to be delivered as a video or DVD, a wall or hall display, or a traditional face-to-face session. One thing that does not change across formats: a face-to-face Q&A with the tutor-assessor is required in every case, regardless of how the presentation itself is delivered.

A practical approach for any non-dissertation route:

The counter-intuitive point is that the development record does more work in a performance or artefact presentation than the product does. A well-documented record of decisions, dead ends, and changes is stronger evidence of independent thinking than a polished final outcome with no visible process behind it.

7. What to do next

Your centre sets its own presentation date, and that date determines everything else. Before it arrives, you need two things confirmed: when the presentation is scheduled, and which evidence documents your board requires to be ready on the day.

Ask your supervisor this week. If you are entered through AQA, check that your Production Log and Assessment Record will be complete before you present. WJEC candidates need both the Candidate Assessment Record and a Presentation Reviewer Statement arranged in advance. Pearson learners should confirm the activity log record is in order, remembering that the assessed presentation can only be given once. OCR candidates need their portfolio to include evidence that the presentation took place.

Confirm the date with your supervisor and check which documents must be submitted alongside it. Do that before your next project session, not the week before you stand up.

FAQ

How long should an EPQ presentation be?

Length depends on your board: AQA sets no time limit in its specification; Pearson's specification sets no limit but student guidance anticipates no more than ten minutes; WJEC's student guide says around 20-30 minutes including questions; OCR states no duration - your centre's own instructions are what you must follow.

How is the EPQ presentation marked?

The presentation is assessed under AO4 (Review) on all boards, alongside the evaluation: AO4 is worth 10 of 50 marks on AQA, 9 of 54 on Pearson and 12 of 60 on OCR; only WJEC gives the presentation its own mark, LO7, worth 10 of 100.

What questions do supervisors ask in an EPQ presentation?

Supervisors typically ask about your choice of question, your most and least useful sources, what changed during the project and why, what the evidence cannot prove, and what you would do differently - AQA requires the record to include examples of these questions and your responses, and Pearson's specification lists sample questions including 'Is there anything you would have done differently?'

What should an EPQ presentation include?

It should cover your research question and rationale, how you planned and managed the project, how you selected and evaluated sources, the outcome or artefact, critical reflection on what you would change, and what you learned about independent working - structured to show evidence across all four assessment objectives.

Can I use PowerPoint for my EPQ presentation?

Yes: AQA's specification names flipcharts, posters, Prezi, PowerPoint and short video excerpts as examples; Pearson's names PowerPoint, OHTs, wall displays, handouts, notes and prompt cards; WJEC's gives 'powerpoint, and speech notes, video' as examples of presentation evidence - check your centre's guidance for any additional requirements.

How much is the EPQ presentation worth?

No board except WJEC gives the presentation a mark of its own. On AQA it is assessed within AO4, worth 10 of 50 marks (20%); on Pearson within AO4, 9 of 54 (17%); on OCR within AO4, 12 of 60; on WJEC LO7 (the presentation alone) is 10 of 100 marks, with LO8 (evaluation and review) carrying a further 10 under AO4.

References