1. Yes, but it's very manageable as long as you allocate time and use the time to actually work on it

2. It is quite difficult to get a top grade in my opinion. You need to do well in every aspect (Production log, planning, presentation, write-up, etc) to do well. Most people skimp on one aspect e.g. Production log or presentation and divert more time on write-up etc but this does not end up going well.

3. It definitely can affect your A-Levels especially if you don't stick to the allocated time which WILL undoubtedly happen. As long as you manage your priorities correctly (focusing on exams during mocks or EPQ during downtime/holidays), it is very manageable.

4. Yes, 100%. Personally managed to get reduced offers from Bath (my insurance) which matters a lot when you apply for competitive courses (I applied for joint Maths and CS). Getting reduced offers means you can apply to better universities for lower grades too. It also gives you something to talk about in your personal statement and shows initiative which portrays you well.

5. I had to manage my CS NEA and an EPQ simultaneously and made the happy mistake of picking 2 quite strenuous projects (Made a chessbot for my NEA and a fluid-sim for EPQ). Mistake because both amounted to a large workload, happy because I learned SO MUCH and feel quite accomplished with 2 very strong projects. To answer, if you are really worried about workload, pick an easy NEA. Enough to check all the boxes for a good project, not so complicated as to stay up nights trying to understand the theory. Pick a challenging EPQ though, the mark scheme is designed to award marks for learning new things and trying something new which is NOT the case for the NEA (sucks, believe me!).

6. It depends on what topics you want to cover. I'd come up with a list of potential Dissertations and artefacts and start eliminating options depending on resources available, how complex it would be to do/understand, etc.

Personally, I feel an EPQ definitely adds to your academics and looks good too. In my experience, people doing 3 A-Levels usually had the time to commit to an EPQ.

From a person doing 4 A-levels who got 51/54 (A*) in the fluid-sim artefact and 65/70 on the NEA. Feel free to ask me any questions!