Maths EPQ artefacts: ideas, rules and how to evidence one
Instead of a dissertation, you can make something: a simulation, app, teaching resource, game, physical model or instrument. You still write a research-based report, and you are still marked on the process.
The rules, by board
- AQA: an artefact must come with a research-based written report of at least 1,000 words; photographs of each stage can evidence it (AQA specification ).
- Pearson: Unit 4 (Artefact), with a written report estimated at 1,500 to 3,000 words (Pearson Unit 4 ).
- WJEC/Eduqas and OCR (H857): see the board's specification (WJEC , OCR ).
Maths artefacts that work
- A simulation or interactive model (an epidemic, a queue, a pendulum).
- A teaching resource tested with real learners (with consent).
- A game designed to be fair, analysed with probability.
- A physical model whose shape or strength the maths predicts.
- A program that implements and explains an algorithm.
- An instrument tuned by calculation.
How to do it well
- Research first: what exists, what the maths says, what users need.
- Write a design brief and measurable success criteria.
- Build in stages and record each with dated photos or versions.
- Test against your criteria, with real users where it fits.
- Evaluate honestly and say what you would change.
Artefact ideas
- An interactive epidemic simulatorCan an interactive simulation help Year 12 students understand how epidemics spread?
- A puzzle resource for teaching inductionCan a set of puzzles teach proof by induction better than a textbook explanation?
- Designing a fair board gameCan a board game be designed so that every player has an equal chance of winning?
- A spaced-practice formula appCan a spaced-practice app improve how well students remember A Level formulae?
- Building an arch from a hanging chainCan a model arch shaped by a hanging chain carry more load than a semicircular arch?
- An honest climate data visualisationHow can an interactive visualisation make UK climate data clearer without misleading?
- A working cipher machineCan a working model cipher machine show why rotor ciphers were strong, and where they were weak?
- A fractal art generatorHow can iteration with complex numbers generate fractal art, and why is the Mandelbrot set's edge so intricate?
- Building a tuned instrumentCan the mathematics of vibrating air columns be used to build an in-tune set of pipes?
- A Sudoku solverCan a program solve any Sudoku, and how does computer backtracking compare with human logic?
All 93 ideas: 33 can be done as an artefact (filter by product).
Frequently asked questions
Can a maths EPQ be an artefact?
Yes. A simulation, program, teaching resource, game or model can be the product, as long as it comes with the research-based written report your board requires.
How long is the written report for an artefact EPQ?
AQA: at least 1,000 words. Pearson's Unit 4: an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 words. For WJEC/Eduqas and OCR, see the board's specification.
Your EPQ must be your own work. These pages coach: ideas, structure, checklists and planning. Submitting text, proofs, code or analysis written by someone else or by an AI tool as your own is malpractice. How to use help and AI honestly.