2020/21 candidate record form, production log

and assessment record

Level 3 Extended Project (7993)
Please attach the form to your candidate’s work and keep it at the centre or send it to the moderator as
required. The declarations should be completed as indicated.

Centre number Centre name

63251 Richard Huish College

Candidate number Candidate’s full name

1541 Jack Owen

Work submitted for assessment must be the candidate’s own. If candidates copy work, allow candidates to copy
from them, or cheat in any other way, they may be disqualified.

Candidate declaration
Have you received help/information from anyone other than subject teacher(s) to produce this work?

✘ No Yes (give details below or on a separate sheet if necessary).

Click here to enter text.

Please list below any books, leaflets or other materials (for example DVDs, software packages, internet
information) used to complete this work not acknowledged in the work itself. Presenting materials copied from other
sources without acknowledgement is regarded as deliberate deception.

Click here to enter text.

We may use examples of candidate’s work for standardisation or training purposes. Please see our privacy notice
for more information on how we use assessment data and on your rights under data privacy legislation.
I have read and understood the above. I confirm I produced the attached work without assistance other than that
which is acceptable under the scheme of assessment.

Candidate signature.
Date Click here to enter a date.

Supervisor declaration
I confirm the candidate’s work was conducted under the conditions laid out by the specification. I have
authenticated the candidate’s work and am satisfied, (to the best of my knowledge) that the work produced is solely
that of the candidate.

Supervisor signature.
Date Click here to enter a date.

AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England 7993/CRF
and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
 Candidate number Candidate’s full name
1541 Jack Owen

Submission checklist
To be completed by the supervisor

“We have the technology to tackle the issue of microplastics in the ocean, but
Extended Project working title
not the will.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

“Is the will of the Global population effective at dealing with the issue of
Extended Project final title
primary microplastic pollution in the ocean?”

Form of project
☒ Either written report

☐ Or Click here to enter text. and accompanying written report

Is this project part of a group project?

☒ No

☐ Yes If ‘Yes’, give brief details Click here to enter text.

Please note that failure to complete or submit a compulsory element may result in a mark of zero being
awarded.

Select/tick Items that must be included Notes

1. A signed and completed Candidate record

☒ form, production log and assessment record
This document. All pages must be completed.

If the project product is an artefact or a

☒ 2. Research based written report production, an accompanying research based
written report is also required.

Eg photographs of artefact, investigation or

☒ 3. Evidence of the project product production; a piece of creative writing (artefact);
research based written report.

Presentation on the project process. Where the

project product is itself a presentation (for a
4. Evidence of a presentation within the
☒ production log
specified audience), a presentation on the
project process must also be delivered to a non-
specialist audience

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The taught skills element

To be completed by the supervisor

Outline details of taught skills

Record here details of relevant skills taught in a class/group and details of relevant skills taught individually to
this candidate as described in the specification. Continue on a separate sheet if necessary.

All EPQ students were timetabled into taught classes beginning in September 2020 with a deadline aim for
completion of February 2021. Supervisor support continued until individual student project completion. Taught
skills sessions were also supplemented with individual supervisor meetings and supported Learning Centre
research. Individual on-line tutorial guidance and access to material was also provided for students wishing to
begin their EPQ research during the period of College closure. These students were introduced to the EPQ and
completed the on-line University of Bath Future learn course.

Taught skills sessions covered managing and planning their independent study with use of a Gantt Chart to
achieve appropriate knowledge based and generic aims and objectives Planning skills included the use of
MindGenius mindmaps (or similar software such as MindMup and Bubbl.us) and the development of planning
into logically structured essay plans for students completing written reports.

Taught skills also covered choosing an appropriate and evaluative project title to allow students to research
their topics from a wide range of sources and evaluate these using the RAVEN credibility criteria plus how to
meet the assessment criteria. Classes also covered primary research methods including the use of
questionnaires plus how to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data. Skills for writing up their reports
logically and coherently were covered plus an introduction to and monitoring of student use of critical analysis
in their reports and synthesis of their research.

Students conducting individual products were also given advice on the management of their product and layout
of their accompanying written report to identify a product brief, identify their aims and objectives and skills
needed and their planning, research and production, evaluating the skills they learnt and demonstrated.
The Learning Centre staff supported the introduction to web research databases such as the Gale Database
and Google Scholar, and how to access University Library catalogues. All EPQ students were also taught how
to reference their sources using the Running Footnote system or the Harvard system and how to complete
bibliographies with full citations and how to sort into author alphabetical order.

Additional individual and group sessions were available from June to February for discussion and advice on
research, the written reports and completion of logbooks with supervisors, the EPQ Centre Co-Ordinator and
the Learning Centre staff.

All EPQ students had taught skills sessions on presentation skills including how to use Prezi and gave
individual PowerPoint or Prezi presentations. Presentation rehearsal workshops also took place in the week
prior to student presentations.

At the end of their projects, evaluation skills lessons took place on how to write a conclusion, a summary and to
reflect on all aspect of their completed project work.

When completed, all written reports were uploaded into Urkund software to detect and prevent any potential
plagiarism.

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Record of marks

To be completed by the supervisor

Marks must be awarded in accordance with the instructions and criteria in the specification.

Summary information to show how the marks have been awarded should be given in the spaces below in addition
to comments in other pages of this document and any supporting information in the form of annotations on the
candidate’s work.

Maximum Mark
Skill area Supervisor’s supporting statement
mark awarded

A01 Manage 10 Click.

Click here to enter text.

A02 Use resources 10 Click.

A03 Develop and Click here to enter text.

20 Click.
realise
Click here to enter text.
A04 Review 10 Click.

Total mark 50 Click.

Supervisor’s concluding comments

Click here to enter text.

Internal moderation comments if appropriate

Click here to enter text.

Supervisor declaration
I confirm that no work assessed for the award of the marks above is also to be submitted, or has been submitted,
for any other accredited qualification(s).

Supervisor signature.
Date Click here to enter a date.

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Record of initial ideas

To be completed by the candidate

This page records initial meeting(s) with your supervisor to agree your project ideas. Additional pages can be
submitted if more than one idea has been explored.

My idea(s) for topic/title

I intend to do a report on plastics in the ocean. One possible report could be on the microplastics in the ocean
which would allow me to explore the technology within the industry and the politics. However, this can be applied
to other topics under the subject area of plastics in the ocean. Another topic that I considered was the chemicals
being released by plastics into the ocean and the effect of this on marine communities. Lastly, away from plastics
in the ocean I considered doing research into the effect of global warming on corals in tropical coastlines and the
effect this has on the marine communities. I prefer my project to be on microplastics in the ocean.

My ideas for research and development of my project

In terms of the report in general I must take individual responsibility for my project which can be done through
organising my time and self-evaluation of my report as the report develops. I can also use my learning
experiences to support my aspirations for higher education which for me will involve my mentioning of my EPQ in
my personal statement since I wish to apply for a marine biology course. But lastly, I will develop and apply-
decision making and problem solving by using my research in order to answer my project question of whether
microplastics are truly being acting upon or whether the effort is being limited by either technological
advancement or the general public. But the research required to write this report will involve deeper research into
each of the sub sections of the report. This will first be for microplastics and their effect, including a set study to
analyse for context on the severity of the issue. Next will be research into the technology, which will involve
finding a set of examples which can be used to conclude on whether the availability of technology is a problem.
In terms of the will of the government, I will need to do further research into their policies at multiple levels,
covering local policies and at a national and international level. Further research will also have to be done for the
public’s involvement, especially the phenomenon of “the Attenborough effect”. This research will have to be in
detail since the depth of analysis requires a detailed understanding of each factor but should be along the lines
of my previous knowledge since I am interested in the topic and am in a society that is seeing the damage being
done through the news. The main aim of this report, apart from covering the individual section of the report (see
mind map), is to provide a final answer on such an important question, as well as increasing my knowledge of
the topic.

My summary of the comments and advice from my supervisor

I must be self-organised which can be done by being pro-active when finding research matter by finding the
reference of that material and noting how to then find that material if ever needed again. I can also use the
searchers provided which are Gale power and the Science Reference Centre to find relevant material to apply to
my research. This must be 50 documental research strong, of which 30 will be mentioned. This should be kept in
the form of a bibliography. I must be a critical learner, always backing up my statements with evidence. Being a
critical learner can also be done by properly organising my notes, using keywords correctly and always linking
back to the question of ‘” We have the technology to deal with the issue of microplastics in the ocean, but not the
will.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?’

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Modifications I have made as a result of my discussion with my supervisor

 After talking to my supervisor I will use reliable sources which were edited or released within the last 5 years
and no less in order to remain relevant and to gather a minimum of 50 sources when writing my report. I will
also rethink my title question in order to make it into a statement with a question of what extent I believe that
statement to be true. I will furthermore make sure that all my statement are backed up by evidence from a
reliable source which will allow me to be more critical. Lastly, I will change my topic question to be a question
on what extent I agree with a statement which will mean I can consider both sides of the topic and show an
understanding of the topic which is relevant to my intended course: to better discuss the significance of
technology and public action in the fight against microplastics.

Date 29 September 2020

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Part A: Candidate proposal

To be completed by the candidate

Working title of my Extended Project.

Present the topic to be researched in the form of a short statement/question/hypothesis with clear focus.

In order to answer this, I will evaluate the severity of microplastic in our oceans, then discuss the available
technology of alternate functions and the actions being taken on a local, national and international level. Once
this has been discussed I can draw a conclusion.

 my initial resources will be

BBC news ( an article on a bacteria which could break down plastic fibers in the ocean), National Geographic
( an in depth explanation of what microplastics are and the issue of microplastics in the ocean and “European
action against pollution”), Gale power search ( “Plastics in plan” and “Innovative nanocoating technology”),
Science reference center (“ AI spots sea plastic in satellite images”), Plymouth University ( “scientists express
concern”), Exeter University (“Biological impact on marine life”), Somerset Waste (policy), UK plastic pact (“UK
roadmap to 2025”). Most of these sources are from research through the College’s link to Gale database and
the Science research center, but Google was used to access individual articles, as well as google scholar for
further articles. For videos youtube and other in-depth video websites were used for research in the form of
videos. By using these resources, I could research my factors, including: the microplastic problem itself, the
technology involved and the will of the government, before then going into more specific sources for individual
studies and the facts.
 the courses of study or area(s) of personal interest to which the topic relates
I intend to go to a university which specialises in marine biology and do a masters course in marine biology and
as such I wished to do a project in this field. I was curious about plastics in the oceans and became aware of
the issue of microplastics in the ocean through events such as nurdle hunts which I have partaken in and so I
felt that this topic would be relevant to my study and relates to prior knowledge and experiences which can be
extended in the process.
 my intended product
My product will be in the form of a 5000-word written report. Major factors involve the evaluation of the issue of
microplastics in the ocean which will involve the explanation of the problems relating to microplastics in marine
ecosystems. Once done I will discuss the already available technologies that can be incorporated and the
realistic use of such technology. I will then discuss the actions being taken on a local, national and international
level (see mind map). With this done I will then use the research I have done to explain the question. I plan to
complete my research by the 5th of October 2020, then to complete my report by 28th of December, with my
final presentation being completed by 25th January (see task list with timescale).

Provide details of the courses that you are currently studying

Qualification type Awarding body & subject Qualification type Awarding body & subject

eg A-level, Modern eg AQA Mathematics, OCR Click to enter text. Click here to enter text.
Apprenticeship, BTEC Computing, WJEC English Click to enter text. Click here to enter text.
A-level AQA Mathematics Click to enter text. Click here to enter text.
A-level OCR biology Click to enter text. Click here to enter text.
A-level OCR Classical civilisations Click to enter text. Click here to enter text.

Notice to candidate You must not take part in any unfair practice in the preparation of project work required for
assessment and you must understand that to present material copied directly from any book or any other
sources without acknowledgement will be regarded as deliberate deception. If you use or attempt to use any
unfair practice you will be reported to AQA and you may be disqualified from all subjects.

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Candidate declaration
I certify that I have read and understood AQA’s Regulations relating to unfair practice as set out in the notice to
candidates above.

Candidate signature.
Date 02 October 2020

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Part B: Supervisor’s comments on candidate proposal

To be completed by the supervisor

Please comment below on the validity and feasibility of the candidate proposal (Part A) as an Extended Project

Supervisor’s comments
Indicate the relation to, and
development/extension outside of, the
main course(s) of study or interest

Comment on the suitability of the Click here to enter text.

proposed initial sources and research
base

Confirm that the project is feasible in the Click here to enter text.
proposed timescale and/or indicate any
potential difficulties that may prevent the
candidate from meeting the assessment
objectives

Indicate the expected format of the project product that will be submitted for assessment
Research based written report
Artefact (for example prototype, model, artwork, scientific investigation, creative writing) plus written report

Is the project a contribution to a group exercise? YES NO

If Yes, confirm that there is a defined individual contribution by the candidate YES NO

List the other group members below.

Candidate No. Click. Candidate Name Click here to enter text.

Candidate No. Click. Candidate Name Click here to enter text.

Candidate No. Click. Candidate Name Click here to enter text.

Supervisor signature.
Date Click here to enter a date.

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Part C: Centre coordinator’s approval of candidate proposal

Supervisor’s name
Click here to enter text.

To be completed by the centre coordinator

If you are acting as both the Centre coordinator and the supervisor, please seek counter signature from a senior
colleague

Centre coordinator’s comments on the feasibility and acceptability of the proposal (parts A & B) as an Extended
Project

☐ Approved ☐ Approved subject to the implementation of ☐ Resubmission required

the centre coordinator’s recommendations

Centre coordinator’s name

Click here to enter text.

Centre coordinator signature.

Date Click here to enter a date.

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Planning review

To be completed by the candidate

This page records your outline plan once your proposal has been approved.

My next steps in planning, researching and deadlines that I will set myself. What I intend to do, by when, what
resources I will use and how I will implement the recommendations of the centre co-ordinator (where
appropriate).
During this stage of planning, I have updated my bibliography with a variety of different resource types, such as
articles and visual media such as documentaries and YouTube. I have also, after discussion with my supervisor,
considered using my primary research on behalf of the marine conservation society in my project. Among this is
organising my research by what that material contains and how that is relevant to my research. I also created my
EPQ timetable which encapsulates all the necessary stages involved in the project production. I have set the
times so that, using colour coordination for easy recognition, I have a set of tasks to complete on a fortnightly
basis when I will then partake in a 1:1 meeting with a designated reason but also for clarity on the tasks to avoid
facing issues in later tasks. Using a structure which I found through study and analysis. This plan continues my
previously decided sections of what microplastics are including the effect they have on ocean communities,
technology being developed, the actions being taken through policy and the public awareness. This has been
taken further by exploring the sections and separating the individual ideas within those sections which I was able
to recognise through my research. My next step is to produce background context in the form of statistics which I
possess in my research, but I must convert this into a document. I also shall consider how I will use my research
in a logical and coherent order in my decided structure. I must also write the first 1500 words of my report which
involves the abstract and introduction. The introduction can involve me modifying my previously constructed
introduction using the new research I have found, but this will be a part of my mid project review. Lastly, in terms
of planning I also wrote an essay plan for my report after deciding on the question.

My summary of the comments and advice from my supervisor

My current concerns with my project, that are recognised by my discussion with my supervisor, are that my
chosen field is quite large in terms of the amount of research which I could use. To resolve this, I am remaining
focused on the areas I have appointed in my plan and will not consider anything additional, with consideration in
my plan for scaling back. This became evident in my meeting with my supervisor when we discussed the plan
and decided on the limits, such as by limiting the term “ocean” to the open ocean and “technology” to a set of
specific technology. I also am mildly concerned with using my primary research since this may alter the report
from a solely secondary research report to a primary research dissertation which could be harmful to the grade
achieved. But my supervisor suggested that I should include the primary research anyway. Other suggestions
she gave was that I should produce a background context sheet which would contain all the statistics I could
refer to in my report. This would be extrapolated from my current bibliography, but also would require further
research into specifically the statistics involved in microplastics in the ocean. It was also recommended that I
should consider the order of my report so that it is logical and coherent, but once all these suggestions are
undertaken, I could begin writing the first 1500 words of my report for my mid-project report.

Modifications I have made as a result of my discussion with my supervisor and/or the comments from my centre
coordinator
After consultation with my centre coordinator, I have decided to keep my current title and structure, using the
same aims and objectives but I have altered my plans by using my primary research in the report. This will be in
the in the section of the research review where I will be discussing the actions undertaken by the public in the
form of charities. This is effective since it allows me to link the primary research to my role in the marine
conservation society and therefore my primary research is not what my report is built on but is an example of
what organisations such as this could do. Other than this I will produce a document which will encapsulate all my
statistics which will allow greater ease when writing my report since I won’t have to skim my bibliography each
time I want to include a statistic and can improve the search by using categories in the document so that specific
statistics can be found. I will keep my current title of “People have the technology to tackle the issue of
microplastics in the ocean, but not the will” with an extent question. The content has been realised as follows.
First it will be looking into microplastics in the ocean. This will involve describing what microplastics are and then
stating what the issue of microplastic is which involves discussing the causes of the release of microplastics and
then the effect. I will then move on to the technologies we currently have which can benefit the issue. This can
be categorised into technology which prevents microplastics entering the ocean; that removes pre-existing
microplastics and that are used to analyse the microplastic issue as it develops. I will then move on and consider

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what action is being taken on a local, national and international level. Finally, with all this considered I will make
a judgement on whether the technology is an issue or whether the problem is with the public with reference to
the Attenborough effect (making the public aware). I have now decided that the structure of the report will be the
same since I will have an abstract, then have an introduction with an explanation and identification of my chosen
topic in all sections, a research review where I will state all my research, an analysis where I explain what my
research suggests, a conclusion and a bibliography of any sources I have used in my research. Further detail
can be found in my report plan which is a separate document.

Date 16 October 2020

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Mid-project review

To be completed by the candidate

This page records your outline plan when you have completed your research.

Is my project following my original plan? How has my plan developed?

After reaching the 1500 words point, I have come to realise that my report in its current state encapsulates too
much information, and without change will be longer than the 5000 words limit. This issue was a concern
originally due to the subcategories of microplastics having separate problems and solutions that affect the title
question, all of which are relevant. This can be corrected by modifying my title question to better accommodate
the research I have done while also refining what I can discuss in respect to the question. However, my research
remains useful to my report and are applied well, even if there are occasions when I fail to fully analyse the facts
in favour of description. The introduction may need future modification due to its length and inclusion of non-
coherent which is for superficial reasons. This can be removed, instead moving forward to the explanation of my
aims and objectives. Also, while the quality of my context is good, there’s too much which must be made more
concise in order to improve the consistency of my report. These changes may involve changes from the original
plan but should follow the same basic plan of discussing the problem and causes, then evaluating the technology
and the application of such technology, before discussing the action being taken on a local, national and
international level, continuously evaluating whether that factor is the issue when dealing with microplastic
pollution. The source evaluation has been produced, and uses the RAVEN criteria to evaluate a set of example
sources.

My summary of the comments and advice from my supervisor

My supervisor made me aware of a few issues that must be addressed at this stage of production. One such
issue was that my context was not as relevant to my question, and so they suggested that I may want to change
my title question. The question was originally on whether technology was the main issue when dealing with
microplastic pollution or if the action being taken on a local, national and international level was the issue. The
advice given was to focus on the will (the actions being taken) and evaluate the extent of the will to tackle
microplastic pollution, including technology as a reason why the will is greater or lower, not as a comparison.
This will require changes to my report plan and to my introduction but should make my research more relevant
and make the information I gathered on the state of the microplastic issue more coherent to the question. They
also suggested that I may want to focus on a single type of microplastic: either Primary or secondary. Due to the
specific cause and solution of the individual type, the discussion of such a large topic would increase the length
of the report and decrease the depth of analysis. By being specific on the type of microplastic, I can go into much
greater detail. This will involve a few minor changes to my plan, but mostly just making certain areas larger and
making others more minor, favouring a specific microplastic and the solutions to that type. They suggested that I
may want to include more in terms of companies and their involvement in microplastic pollution, which would be
within my action area which currently only includes governmental action and public education. Lastly, my
supervisor improved my use of figures, which I had not done successfully in my first draft. Instead of using a text
box, I should simply use the footnote that I had been using in addition to a text box, putting the description from
the text box into the text itself.

Modifications I have made as a result of my discussion with my supervisor at this stage

After consultation I will change my title to be more along t “To what extent is the will of the global population
effective at dealing with the issue of microplastic pollution in the ocean?” In addition, I will modify my introduction
to be more suitable to this question. Both these modifications should make my title question more relevant to my
research while also improving the coherency of my report. I also will focus solely on Primary microplastic rather
than discussing both types individually, which will also impact later sections as the technology currently covers
the solution to the causes of both microplastic types. This would reduce the amount of detail I will need to
include, allowing me to go into greater detail for the analysis of the factors. I will also increase the priority of the
action section in my plan, including the actions of corporations as well as governmental and education, which
should better capture the ethos of the situation. Lastly, I will be using the referencing techniques for figures that
my supervisor suggested for me, removing any text boxes and simply footnoting the figure, improving the
aesthetics of the report while also preventing any plagiarism.
My final title and agreed form of project product
After discussion I will change my title to “To what extent is the will of the Global population effective at dealing
with the issue of primary microplastic pollution in the ocean?” is the question for my report, using the adjusted

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report plan which focuses on primary microplastics and the will in terms of the development of technology, the
actions of corporations and the government, and education of the problems. It will follow the flow of problem,
cause, technology to prevent/remove microplastics from the ocean, companies and governmental before
concluding whether the will is effective with dealing with the issue.

My planned next steps to complete my project

The changes to my current plan should only delay my schedule by a few days, but due to problems in
communicating with my supervisor I have been put back by a week, which luckily I accounted for in my schedule
by providing excessive time with a clause to allow earlier finishing. I will try to stick to the deadline that will not
require me to use the excess time, but this delay will be felt. Nevertheless, the consultation with supervisor over
my first 1500 words has been enlightening and after discussions I will cut down on context and modify my
introduction to better suit my question, hopefully by the end of the week starting with the 30th of November. The
source evaluation will be sent off for checks on the 2nd December, along with all other noteworthy materials.
Currently, I still look on progress to have completed my report by the 28th December at max, but this may vary
by being earlier. With all other tasks completed by the week of 16th November, the writing is the only task left
and should continue over the next 4 weeks, with regular consultation with my supervisor for further information.

Date 02 December 2020

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Project product review

To be completed by the candidate

This page records the (near) completion of your project product. Outline the successes, failures, additions and/or
changes you made as you followed the plan in your mid-project review

Did my project follow my revised plan (from the mid-project review)?

After the changes from the mid-project review, there are changes from the plan revisions which mainly were due
to a lack of space. The lack of available words meant that in order to remain below the word limit the sections on
available technology was minimised to just product substitutes, and the section on education in the general
public was cut out. The local action was also removed for this reason. However, apart from these changes the
rest of the report is as planned. The sub-section for the effect of microplastics on the environment still includes
the detailed explanation of the problem and the effect on organisms, and the products section also follows the
guide of the plan. The sections on the private sector and the government are also as planned. Overall, the report
has not seen changes to the content, but the content used has been decreased. In terms of the schedule, the
report is behind due to errors in communication with my centre co-ordinator. This failure to communicate has
meant that in general the first draft completion has been put behind by 3 weeks. Still, the report is behind the
plan, since by the 28th December 2020 the intended plan had been to have completed the report and continue to
the presentation section, which even with the 3 week interlude means the report is behind. The timetable for the
report had the presentation occurring on the 25th of January which is still possible but will require better
communication with my centre coordinator. However, the concern over this short timescale is minimal since I
have considered the final date for the completion of the EPQ and moved it back for this schedule. Therefore, the
timetable can be moved forward by 2 weeks. The image referencing, due 16th November 2020, still occurred by
that date, and so the only stages that are necessary now are the completion of the EPQ report and logbook till
the presentation. The first draft did highlight both good content and areas of concern where improvements could
be made. The good content was that the images were well selected and useful for the sections they are laid in,
and the content for the report is accurate and correct for the topic. However, apart from SPAG errors the main
concerns were a failure to properly reference images. This was resolved quickly with an example of how to do it,
with the changes being made on return. Another area of improvement was the referencing of experts. This can
be improved by going through the content of the report and including the experts that found the data used in the
sources. Lastly, a weakness of the report is that the tone is repetitive and requires more evaluation in areas. This
will require changing those sections in order to improve this lack of the correct tone, whether it is removing text
or including further in-depth analysis. But in terms of the objectives of the report, I am succeeding to be
organised and be pro-active in the production of the report, but need to improve in being more critical in my
thinking and better answer the set question.
My summary of the comments and advice from my supervisor at this final stage
My supervisor found that I had unsuccessfully referenced the images used in the report, using the wrong format
for the reference. I had also gone over the word limit and included irrelevant sections in the report. The
suggestion of my supervisor was to remove the irrelevant sections and go into greater detail in other sections
that can be more evaluative. It was recommended that I should reference expert opinions more, since currently
there are few expert views referenced. There were also SPAG errors that I had not found during my
proofreading, and so it was recommended that I should be more careful during my proofreading. But the
changes as a result of proofreading did involve clearing some of these errors, as well as improving the lay out of
the page. There were also changes which were made to the order of the content in the product section, changing
the order of the substitutes to improve the flow of the report. In terms of the assessment criteria, the report does
generally recognise the sections, but this must be improved so that the report does properly represent the
criteria. Currently it is not as analytical as I would wish, and I could better use the data in the governmental
section of the report and in the graphs of the organisation section. Currently, this report is not quite at the high
standard that would achieve well. The conclusion is good but there are changes that need to be made to make it
answer the question better, since the question is “to what extent” and as such the report should answer the
question on a scale, not as a yes or no. However, the conclusion is valid since the data is there to properly
answer the question.
Modifications I have made as a result of discussion with my supervisor at this final stage
Do I need to do anything else to complete my product?
As a result of the discussion with my supervisor, I will improve the analytical tone of my report so that it better
analyses the data provided. This will put me further over the word limit, but I will also remove areas where there
is less relevant information. I will also remove any repetition in the report, especially in the section explaining the
microplastics. To better improve the referencing of images, I will implement the structure suggested by my

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supervisor and put the reference by the image instead of being in the text. In terms of the lack of expert views,
this can be improved by editing the report sections to include expert views that support the opinions made in the
report. I will also change the answer in my conclusion to better answer the question, since currently it only seems
to answer as a no, rather than being on a scale between success and failure. I will also change the use of data in
the report, analysing the data in graphs and other representations of data and going further in already applied
data. Lastly, I will improve my proofreading by going through multiple readers to better check the report of errors
in SPAG. This should improve the report, making it high standard.

Date 06 January 2021

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Presentation record part A

To be completed by the candidate

This page records your presentation and its preparation.

Planned format of my presentation (eg timing, audience, use of visual aids, slides, use of notes, etc.)
The presentation should be around 10 minutes or less, being presented to a group of 5 fellow EPQ students and
the supervisor. The Q&A section should also be around 5 minutes since there is plenty to discuss and I am
mildly aware of possible questions. The presentation will be aided by a PowerPoint in the background as a guide
which supports the points being discussed. The PowerPoint consists of 13 slides, which covers the evaluation
and the EPQ content. These slides will have images related to the section as a better visual aid as well as
providing a little extra detail. Where images were not needed, I made sure that the theme of the slide was
appealing to viewers to encourage greater interest, as well as putting the text in similar colours and styles which
improves the aesthetics of the slide. For each slide I have produced a point card which will have figures and
facts that could be discussed as well as a general rhythm which I will stick to, remaining within the time limit.
There are preparations ready to explain certain terms which are required for the topic, which will help members
of the audience who are not aware of the topic, keeping it non-specialist. The rest of the language will also be
non-specialist.

Planned content of my presentation

The presentation starts with the title page which displays the question which I was researching, then the required
information for my report. This slide provides a mild overview of the entire presentation but primarily for the
report rather than the evaluation. The next slide displays the basic idea for my aims and objectives, covering the
4 points. The first is learning to use critical analysis, then improvements to my research skills and independent
learning skills. This is all related to their benefit when I go to University. It also discusses the growing knowledge
of the subject which had occurred as the report progressed. The next slide will aid the evaluation of the research,
showing the points of discussion as well as a range of logos for the companies I used in the report. The content
for this section includes the wide range of articles and papers and the reliability of sources but will also discuss
how there is variation in how much content there is in certain sub-sections of the topic. The next slide has a
summary of the planning, with all the planned meetings and stating how the report remained to this plan until the
last two meetings, where it went astray. After this the slide shows the major factors of the report, with the next 5
slides discussing these points in greater detail with the key points being displayed. The first major factor is the
Microplastic Pollution problem, discussing a study by Katsia Pabortsava and the opinion of two prestigious
scientists who have opinions on the issue. The next factor is the possible alternatives to microplastics for
products that need microplastics, with the examples being the products of Naturbead and Spinnova. Another
major factor that is discussed is the responses of private companies and global governments. At the company
level the response is measured through surveys done by groups such as the European Chemicals Agency, The
Carbon Disclosure Project and Greenpeace, with the opinions of individuals such as Seb Dance emphasizing the
points these groups made. The Governmental response is stated on a national and international level, mostly by
looking into plastic pacts as well as other set goals. The 10th slide states the conclusion briefly that there
currently is not effective but may be in the future with growing interest in the pollution before continuing to further
evaluation. The skills learnt are stated on the next slide with four points of discussion, with knowledge of the
topic being a useful skill for going to university for a marine biology course where this may come up. The rest of
the points focus on the skills mainly relating to the production of the report, the referencing, consolidation, and
the logging being the most developed. Then the next slide will use a table to state the strengths and weaknesses
of the report. The first strength is the planning which was easy due to practice in earlier tasks, with the next being
the abundance of content for possible use. This links into the next strength which is the relevance of the topic in
current news, with more articles and papers which could be used. The weaknesses start with the challenge I
experienced consolidating the report, then the variation in the amount of content in certain sub-sections (such as
the private company section). The next weakness is the inability to access certain resources, such as private
companies’ data, and finally the lack of certain medias (linking to COVID-19 preventing access to libraries). The
last slide will then just move the presentation into the Q&A segment as well as thanking the audience.
Modifications I have made as a result of rehearsal and/or discussion with my supervisor
One modification that I have made is that I have better ordered my presentation’s content after rehearsal with my
family, who said that at times the order of the discussed material was strange and could be improved. To
improve this, I re-ordered the content within the sections, to improve the fluidity of the presentation another

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improvement I made was to include images of the companies’ logos I used as sources on the slide about
evaluating my research. This was after a discussion with my supervisor who recommended it to me. It improves
the aesthetics of the visual aid as well as being relevant. Lastly, a change that has been made after a few
rehearsals was that I decrease the length of the major factors section since it was making the presentation
longer than 10 minutes that was allowed. A few minor tweaks that occurred at this stage were modifications to
the position of the text and images to make the presentation easier to appreciate, as well as changing the text to
improve the fluidity of the language. These changes have resulted in the presentation being much more
audience friendly.

Date 19 February 2021

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Presentation record part B

To be completed by the supervisor

Record and comment below on the delivery of the presentation

Supervisor’s record/comments
The nature of the audience (include
numbers of staff, students and others
present)

The nature of the presentation (include Click here to enter text.

use of notes, use of display items, and
use of presentation software)

Comment on the content and delivery of Click here to enter text.

the presentation (for example clarity of
ideas, structure of presentation, pace,
engagement with audience)

Comment on the response of the Click here to enter text.

candidate to questions that
demonstrated understanding and grasp
of the project and/or its production. Give
examples of questions asked and
answers given.

Supervisor signature.
Date Click here to enter a date.

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Summary and reflection

To be completed by the candidate

This page records your summary, reflection and evaluation when you have completed your project product and
given your presentation.

Focused solely on primary microplastics, the effectiveness of the global response to microplastic pollution is
measured by first considering the severity of the microplastic pollution in the ocean and the associated risk to
marine communities. Through multiple case studies over alternate locations, the consensus was that
microplastics were already present across the ocean and were doing harm to marine habitats and the
communities. The response was measured by comparing the actions taken by the companies which distribute
products which contain primary microplastics and evaluating the governmental limits on commercial microplastic
use. Although there were limits to the use of microplastics in products it favoured secondary microplastics and
therefore there was little discussed as such there was variation due to this choice of the companies. This report
concludes that not enough is being done to truly be effective but is nearly effective with global populations
putting pressure on the private sector so this may change.

So in reflection, I have learnt a great deal by doing the EPQ. I have developed my knowledge and understanding
of the topic, as well as about how to properly carry out an investigation and produce a dissertation. This will be
beneficial when I go to University in September, as will being able to reference sources, preventing plagiarism. I
have also developed my ability to consolidate drafts, which was a new experience since it is not necessary at
lower levels of education. Lastly, the logging of activities is a key skill which has been improved by the EPQ.
This, like the others, is a good habit to take into higher education. But during the production of the EPQ I was
grateful for my ability to properly plan and organise my time as it allowed me to stay within my timescale for most
of the report and easily plan the report using sub-sections. I also appreciated being able to write essays, a
benefit of taking a humanity subject. This provided me a balance between being able to analyse data
scientifically and write the essay correctly. This was a strength of my report. Another strength was the planning
since the topic itself was simple to categorise into section and sub-sections. Equally, the topic being in the news
currently is a strength because there is recently update information and greater interest which means more
studies being undertaken. However, a weakness of the report was that although I developed the ability to
consolidate the report, the large amount of content meant that it was difficult to consolidate. This was only
possible by limiting the topic into a sub-topic, such as primary microplastics. Another weakness which was only
overcome through extensive research was the variation in the quantity of content in different sub-topics. This
originally was the case for finding governmental responses at a local level, the amount being inferior to the
responses at a national and international level. Certain resources were also restricted, a downfall of the report.
Although some resources are open to everyone, resources such as private companies’ data is private and
inaccessible. This made the section on companies’ response more challenging but was overcome by looking into
the studies investigated into these companies. A final weakness was the lack of certain medias, with little video
and book sources. This is due to the current inability to visit libraries but also due to the general consolidation,
resulting in large sections being removed which contained video-based sources. Even so, care was taken to
have a wide range of websites, varying between articles, papers and manifestoes. If I was to do the report again,
I would better focus the report straight from the start, instead of looking at microplastics in general at first and
then having to cut down to just primary microplastics. I would also attempt to do more primary research and
include more books as sources. But if I were to take the report further, I would compare the public’s opinion on
microplastics and possibly evaluate the existing primary microplastic pollution. But if I were to give advice to
another EPQ student or a possible future EPQ student, I would suggest being particularly focused on a specific
topic, preventing any large-scale consolidation. I will also recommend investigating a topic only if it interests
them, because at times the EPQ can be challenging. Therefore, you must be interested in the topic to get
through the hard times. A pre-existing knowledge of the topic, no matter how small, is also something I would
recommend, since the detail required for the EPQ is high so previous knowledge will aid in this. Lastly, I would
recommend putting extra time into the timetable of the report for a precaution against unforeseen incidents, as I
did, allowing then to remain on track for their report no matter what may occur.

Lastly, reflecting on the presentation, the evaluation of the report was delivered well. Each section was
discussed in-depth, consisting of the positive and negative aspects of the report as well as covering the content

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of the report successfully. This section was also kept short in favour of the evaluative section, the correct amount
of time for each section. The final time for the presentation was around the 10-minute mark, improving from the
original time of 22 minutes through consolidation and less discussion of the content. The preparation for the
report originally focused on producing the presentation which could be used to plan the order of evaluation,
which I then used for producing the prompt cards for the presentation. However, originally these cards were too
detailed and so had to be cut down, and by the end they were not necessary due to the amount of practice I had
done, but were mainly used for pace and key pieces of information, maintaining clarity of key figures in the
content section. The presentation slides themselves were effective, showing relevant images which could be
used to emphasize the information while being aesthetically pleasing. The information on these slides was brief,
providing an overview of the sections that I would then explore further. All other aesthetic-related options were
chosen to be easy for the viewers to process while also being relevant to the images and the topic in general.
Once this was prepared, I practiced by myself first to check the fluidity of the presentation and to also start
considering how I would word the presentation. After this I practiced in front of my family, with them providing
positive and negative notes along with a fast-paced question-and-answer segment to provide practice for any
questions that could be asked. All this practice gathered my thoughts but also improved my speaking, preventing
as many stutters and mispronunciations. The presentation was well-received, and the questions were answered
using the knowledge I had previously but also extra information that I had prepared for the questioning segment.
These covered the topic of the report as well as the report and my thoughts on both these areas. There weren’t
any specific questions that required too much random information, but this had been practiced anyway for if it
occurred. But in general, the presentation, through practice and preparation, was well received and went well,
with the information being present in the correct quantity while also not being too in-depth and the questions
being answered smoothly and with educated answers.

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