EPQ Dissertation Masterclass: Complete 5-Week Essay Writing Toolkit (Drafting to Submission)

Help your EPQ students conquer the 5,000-word dissertation with this comprehensive 5-week “Essay Writing Masterclass.” This toolkit is designed to move students from a blank page to a polished, submission-ready essay, tackling common hurdles like writer’s block, weak analysis, and poor referencing.

The resources are divided into 5 distinct stages (Weeks), which can be delivered as taught lessons or given to students as an independent “survival kit.”

Week 1: The Drafting Toolkit (Getting Words on Paper)

• Overcome writer’s block with the “Zero Draft” and “Vomit Draft” concepts.
• Strategies for different learner types: “The Frankenstein Method” for note-gatherers and “Talk to Type” for verbal explainers.
• The “Bricklayer Method” to break the essay into manageable 200-word chunks.

Week 2: Structure & Signposting (The Flow)

• The Paragraph Architect" guide using the P.E.E.L. method to ensure every paragraph has a purpose.
• The Academic Bridge Builder" to upgrade connective language and stop students using basic words like “and/but/so”.
• Link Sentence Cheat Sheet" to help students seamlessly transition between complex ideas.

Week 3: The Critical Analysis Upgrader (Higher Grades)

• Reporter vs. Judge" test to help students shift from describing facts to evaluating them.
• The Synthesis Toolkit": A guide to connecting sources using Corroboration, Contrast, Extension, and Evaluation.
• Templates for high-level academic phrasing to boost AO3 marks.

Week 4: Academic Integrity & Referencing (Source Handling)

• The RAG Rating" system to categorize sources (Green/Amber/Red) based on reliability and bias.
• A step-by-step guide to “Automated Referencing” using Microsoft Word.
• Clear flowcharts on when to cite facts, quotes, and ideas to avoid plagiarism.

Week 5: The Final Polish (Intros, Conclusions & Formatting)

• The Introduction Funnel": How to hook the reader and narrow down to a thesis statement.
• The Conclusion Checklist": Avoiding “New News” and ensuring the question is directly answered.
• Submission Flight Check": A final formatting checklist for font, spacing, and page numbers before PDF conversion.**

Format:
4 x Student Handouts (Word Docs) - Editable for differentiation.
1 x Master PowerPoint Presentation (With Printable handouts) - Covers the drafting strategies.

Part 2: Teacher Instructions (How to use this resource)
You can include the following text in your “Teacher Notes” or purely for your own planning.

Option A: The “Self-Service” Menu (Flexible Student Choice)
Best for: Mixed-ability groups or students at different stages of their project.

Explain to students that this is a “Troubleshooting Toolkit.” Instead of forcing everyone to do every worksheet, ask them to identify their current “pain point” and choose the relevant resource

Option B: The “Taught Skills” Bootcamp (Teacher-Led)
Best for: Delivering the “Taught Skills” requirement (30 hours) of the EPQ specification.