Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

EPQ is an extended research project on the A-Level curriculum where students can choose to explore any topic of their own choice.

In my comparative study of Stoicism and Madhyamaka Buddhism, I argue that both schools offer insights for overcoming suffering. Stoicism triumphs against pain through self-mastery, while Madhyamaka eliminates suffering by dissolving the self. Madhyamaka’s approach is based on intellectual realisation and hence is more radical.

This project affirmed my passion for Philosophy and Religious Studies. After internal marking, it received 50/50—the first full mark my school awarded in many years.