EPQ Title Ideas: 100+ A*-Grade Examples by Subject

A strong EPQ title is not a topic with a question mark added. It is a genuine debate, compressed into one sentence: a question that well-informed people answer differently, that evidence can actually settle part-way, and that is narrow enough to judge properly within the dissertation format’s 5,000 words. Titles that meet those tests are what examiners mean by A*-capable — not because the wording is clever, but because the question forces the skills the qualification assesses: weighing sources, confronting counter-arguments and reaching an earned conclusion. The 102 titles below are grouped by subject, each with a short note on its angle or scope. Treat them as starting points to adapt — change the place, period, population or policy until the question is yours — rather than titles to lift unchanged, because your supervisor will expect the question to have developed in discussion, and your production log should show that development. For the full method behind the qualification, start with our complete EPQ guide; for turning a chosen question into a finished project, follow it with how to write an EPQ dissertation.

A reminder that applies to every title here: the EPQ is your own project, supervised and authenticated by your school or college. These ideas, and any guidance you take, can shape your question and sharpen your method — the research, argument and writing must be yours.

Medicine & Health

Health titles work best when they judge a defined intervention or policy against evidence, rather than surveying a condition.

Should the NHS fund weight-loss injections for obesity? — rationing versus prevention.
To what extent has the sugar tax reduced childhood obesity? — evaluate measured outcomes.
Should vaccinations be mandatory for school entry in the UK? — liberty against public health.
Has telemedicine improved or weakened patient care since 2020? — access versus quality.
Should genetic screening for cancer risk be offered to everyone? — benefit, anxiety, cost.
To what extent is antibiotic resistance a failure of prescribing? — apportion causes carefully.
Should e-cigarettes be promoted as a route to quitting smoking? — harm reduction debate.
Has social media measurably worsened teenage mental health? — test the evidence base.
Should opt-out organ donation be kept in England? — consent and outcomes.
To what extent do lifestyle factors explain UK health inequality? — behaviour versus structure.
Should dementia care be funded like other NHS treatment? — the health–social care divide.

Law

Legal titles gain marks when they test a rule against its purpose — what the law is for, and whether it achieves it.

Should the UK introduce a written constitution? — certainty versus flexibility.
To what extent does the jury system deliver fair verdicts? — evidence on bias.
Should the voting age be lowered — or the age of criminal responsibility raised? — consistency of legal ages.
Has the Human Rights Act strengthened or weakened Parliament? — sovereignty debate.
Should assisted dying be legalised in the UK? — safeguards and autonomy.
To what extent has stop and search achieved its aims? — effectiveness and trust.
Should online platforms be legally liable for user content? — publisher or platform.
Has restorative justice earned a larger role in sentencing? — reoffending evidence.
Should the UK legalise cannabis for recreational use? — compare other jurisdictions.
To what extent do non-disclosure agreements protect or harm? — workplaces as focus.

Psychology

Psychology titles should promise an evaluation of studies, not a description of a theory — name the debate, not just the topic.

To what extent is intelligence shaped more by genes than environment? — twin study evidence.
Should social media use be restricted to protect adolescent wellbeing? — correlation versus causation.
Has cognitive behavioural therapy earned its dominance in NHS talking therapies? — compare alternatives.
To what extent does eyewitness testimony deserve its courtroom influence? — memory research applied.
Should employers use personality tests in recruitment? — validity and fairness.
Has the replication crisis undermined classic social psychology studies? — pick two or three studies.
To what extent can mindfulness interventions reduce exam stress? — small trials, big claims.
Should violent video games be treated as a cause of aggression? — contested effect sizes.
To what extent is criminal behaviour learned rather than inherited? — classic nature–nurture ground.
Has positive psychology produced benefits beyond feeling good? — test intervention evidence.

Economics

Economic titles work when they judge a policy against data from a defined period, rather than debating a model in the abstract.

To what extent has the minimum wage reduced in-work poverty? — UK evidence since introduction.
Should the Bank of England’s independence be reduced? — accountability versus credibility.
Has globalisation benefited UK consumers more than it harmed UK workers? — weigh both sides.
Should university tuition fees in England be abolished? — who pays, who gains.
To what extent would a four-day week raise productivity? — trial evidence.
Should cryptocurrencies be regulated like other financial assets? — risk and innovation.
Has austerity after 2010 achieved its stated economic aims? — judge against original goals.
To what extent is the UK housing crisis a supply problem? — test competing explanations.
Should the government tax wealth rather than income more heavily? — efficiency and fairness.
Has foreign ownership strengthened or weakened British industry? — choose two sectors.

History

Historical titles need a historiographical edge: historians disagreeing, and sources you can weigh — not a narrative waiting to be retold.

To what extent was the First World War caused by alliance systems? — classic causation debate.
Should Britain return the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece? — heritage and ownership.
Has the NHS been Labour’s greatest achievement? — judge against criteria.
To what extent did women win the vote through militancy? — suffragettes versus suffragists.
Should statues of controversial figures be removed? — memory and public space.
To what extent was the British Empire a force for good? — evidence both directions.
Has the Cold War really ended? — continuity in foreign policy.
To what extent did propaganda decide the Spanish Civil War’s image abroad? — media and perception.
Should the school curriculum prioritise British or global history? — purpose of history teaching.
To what extent was appeasement a rational policy in the 1930s? — judge with contemporary knowledge.

Politics

Political titles score when they evaluate an institution or reform against what it claims to do — representation, accountability, stability.

Should the UK replace first past the post for general elections? — compare electoral systems.
To what extent has devolution strengthened the Union? — Scotland and Wales evidence.
Should sixteen-year-olds vote in UK general elections? — competence and consistency arguments.
Has social media improved or damaged democratic debate? — participation versus polarisation.
Should the House of Lords be replaced by an elected chamber? — expertise versus legitimacy.
To what extent do opinion polls distort election campaigns? — media effects.
Should political donations be capped by law? — money and influence.
Has the UK become a presidential system in practice? — prime ministerial power.
To what extent should referendums decide major constitutional questions? — Brexit as case study.
Should local government in England be given more power? — centralisation debate.

Biology

Biological titles thrive on applied questions — conservation, biotechnology, agriculture — where evidence and values both have to be weighed.

Should gene editing be used to eradicate malaria-carrying mosquitoes? — benefit versus ecological risk.
To what extent can rewilding restore UK ecosystems? — pick defined sites.
Should human genome editing ever be used on embryos? — therapy versus enhancement.
Has captive breeding saved species — or merely delayed extinction? — compare programmes.
To what extent is the decline of UK bees driven by pesticides? — weigh multiple causes.
Should laboratory-grown meat replace conventional farming? — environment, ethics, feasibility.
To what extent do zoos justify themselves through conservation? — test the claim.
Should the badger cull continue as bovine TB policy? — contested trial evidence.
Has the theory of evolution been strengthened by genetic evidence? — modern synthesis debate.
To what extent can algae biofuels replace fossil fuels? — scale and land use.

English Literature

Literary titles need a critical argument — a reading that critics dispute — anchored in one or two texts you can know closely.

To what extent is Frankenstein a warning about science or about abandonment? — competing readings weighed.
Should Shakespeare remain compulsory in schools? — relevance and canon debate.
To what extent is Gatsby a critic of the American Dream? — narrator reliability matters.
Has feminist criticism changed how Jane Eyre should be read? — Bertha’s role central.
To what extent is dystopian fiction a reliable political warning? — choose two novels.
Should authors’ biographies influence how their work is judged? — the intentional fallacy.
To what extent does Atonement succeed as a novel about guilt? — unreliable narration.
Has young adult fiction earned serious critical attention? — define literary merit.
To what extent is Hamlet’s delay a moral choice? — critical traditions compared.
Should classic novels be edited for modern sensitivities? — text, author, reader.

Technology & Computing

Technology titles date quickly, so frame them around a durable tension — safety, ownership, employment, privacy — not a product launch.

To what extent will artificial intelligence replace professional jobs? — pick two professions.
Should facial recognition be banned in public spaces? — security versus privacy.
Has open-source software improved or endangered cybersecurity? — transparency debate.
To what extent do algorithms shape what people believe? — filter bubble evidence.
Should children be given smartphones before secondary school? — developmental evidence.
To what extent can blockchain solve problems beyond cryptocurrency? — test real deployments.
Should self-driving cars be allowed before they are perfectly safe? — the standard question.
Has remote working technology improved work–life balance overall? — evidence since 2020.
To what extent is personal data a fair price for free services? — the surveillance economy.
Should AI-generated art be eligible for copyright protection? — authorship debate.
To what extent has gaming improved social connection among teenagers? — beyond the harm narrative.

Environment & Geography

Environmental titles work best at a defined scale — one coast, one river, one policy — where outcomes can actually be evidenced.

To what extent can rewilding reduce flooding in UK river catchments? — natural flood management.
Should the UK build new nuclear power stations? — baseload versus waste.
Has plastic recycling been more reassurance than solution? — follow the material.
To what extent should tourism be limited in the Lake District? — economy versus landscape.
Should HS2 have been built in full? — cost, capacity, environment.
To what extent are electric vehicles a net environmental gain? — full lifecycle accounting.
Should coastal towns threatened by erosion be defended or relocated? — managed retreat debate.
Has the UK’s net zero strategy matched its targets? — policy against trajectory.
To what extent does fast fashion drive global water stress? — supply chain evidence.
Should green belt land be released for housing? — two shortages collide.

Narrowing a broad topic into a title

Most students start with an area, not a question, and narrowing is a skill in itself. Work through four moves. First, add a judgement word — “to what extent”, “should”, “has X improved or weakened” — so the title demands evaluation rather than description. Second, restrict one dimension: a period (“since 2010”), a place (“in England”), a population (“among teenagers”) or a single policy, text or site. Third, name the tension: state or imply the two things in conflict — cost against access, liberty against safety, conservation against livelihoods — because that conflict is your argument’s engine. Fourth, check the sources: spend one research session confirming that credible material exists on both sides and is accessible to you, before you fall in love with the wording. Our guide to how to choose a dissertation topic takes that process step by step, and it is worth logging each version of your title as it narrows — that evolution is straightforward evidence of project management.

Titles to avoid

Some shapes fail reliably, whatever the subject. Pure description — “The History of…”, “An Investigation into…” with no judgement promised — caps the grade from the first line. Questions with one obvious answer, where no informed person disagrees, leave you nothing to weigh. Questions whose evidence does not exist or cannot be reached: company-confidential data, classified material, studies behind paywalls your centre cannot open, or primary research a school timetable cannot contain. Questions so broad that 5,000 words can only skate across them — a whole war, a whole religion, “the effects of social media” on everyone, everywhere. And questions borrowed wholesale from essay banks, which supervisors recognise and which fit nobody’s genuine interests. If your draft title matches one of these shapes, it is not a disaster; it is a draft. Narrow it, add the tension, check the sources, and log the change.

Choosing a title is the first piece of assessed work

If two or three of these questions have caught your interest but you cannot tell which will hold for two terms, that is exactly the stage where advice pays. We can stress-test a shortlist with you — scope, sources, debate, fit with your other subjects — review the plan you build around the winner, and prepare model material you can learn the standard from, with guidance priced from £20 per 1,000 words. The project itself stays yours, supervised by your centre, as the EPQ requires. Send your shortlist and your deadline, place an order through the site, or message us on WhatsApp and tell us which titles you are torn between — a short conversation now is cheaper than a restart in November.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if an EPQ title is A*-capable? Apply the four tests: a genuine debate, arguable on both sides, researchable from sources you can access, and narrow enough to answer in 5,000 words. A title passing all four gives you the raw material the higher grades are built from; the grade itself then depends on execution, the production log and the presentation.

Can I use one of these titles exactly as written? You can start from one, but adapt it — change a period, place, population or text — and develop it with your supervisor. A question you have shaped yourself is easier to defend, easier to log honestly, and far more likely to hold your interest for two terms.

What if my subject is not listed here? Use the shapes, not the subjects. The patterns — “to what extent has X…”, “should X…”, “has X improved or weakened…” — transfer to any field. Apply them to a tension within your subject, then run the narrowing and source checks described above.

Can someone choose and write my EPQ for me? No. Choosing the question is part of the assessed process, and the project must be your own work, authenticated by your centre. Guidance can legitimately stress-test your shortlist, teach the research method and give feedback on your drafts — the decisions and the writing remain yours.

How many titles should I take to my supervisor? Two or three, at different levels of narrowness. A shortlist shows genuine exploration for your log, gives the discussion something to work with, and leaves you a fallback if your first choice fails the source check.