Our School proudly boasts a large cohort of creative students from across the city who bond together forming a strong Art and Design identity. The course itself is an exciting and fast paced two-year experience with clear focus on individual creative development. All A level Art and Design courses comprise of a Personal Investigation worth 60% and an externally set assignment worth 40%

• Fine art
• Graphic communication
• Photography
• Textiles
• 3D design

What do I need in order to study Art and Design at A Level?

Students who wish to follow any of these courses need to be highly motivated, creatively inquisitive, proactive and enthusiastic about the subject. Ideally students will have attained at least a grade 5 at GCSE in one of the following subjects: Art and design/photography/graphics/textiles. Occasionally we do take students on the course without this qualification but these students will be expected to submit a portfolio of work and have an informal interview to chat about their aspirations.

What does the course involve?

Students will produce a coursework unit (personal investigation 60%) and an examination unit titled “externally set assignment” (E.S.A. 40%). This unit ends with a controlled test component during which time students produce their final outcomes.

Students are required to:

• Understand and explore the concepts and contexts of the work of contemporary artists, crafts persons, designers and photographers, plus other critical sources such as film, music and literature
• Explore and experiment with a range of materials
• Record from observation including taking photographic images
• Experiment and develop ideas through a range of practical and conceptual processes, working towards a final piece showing clearly how you have been informed by the work of contemporary artists, crafts persons, designers and photographers, plus other critical sources such as film, music and literature
• Present the work in an appropriate context e.g. sketchbook, mounted sheets, virtual folder, website, with an introductory written element
• Produce a substantial final piece (or pieces) of work

Art & Design: Fine Art

Art & Design: Photography

• AO1 – Research – understanding the work of others
• AO2 – Development – experimentation and refinement
• AO3 – Observation - recording ideas
• AO4 – Outcomes – clearly linked personal responses

Component 1 Project Portfolio (60%)

Students will be asked to produce a range of images, artefacts and samples leading into either two dimensional or three dimensional pieces of creative work.

Portfolios will include:

• A selection of thoughtfully presented pieces that demonstrates the breadth and depth of the course of study
• At least one extended collection of work or project, based on an idea, concept, theme or issue. This should demonstrate the student’s ability to sustain work from an initial starting point to a final outcome
• Evidence of their ability to research and develop ideas and link their work in a meaningful way to relevant critical/contextual materials 

Component 2 Externally Set Assignment (40%)

Students will choose one question from a choice set by AQA. Students must cover all four assessment objectives thoroughly during the examination period.

Preparatory period – from 1 February 

Preparatory work should be presented in any suitable format, such as mounted sheets, design sheets, sketchbooks, workbooks, journals or models.

Supervised examination – 15 hours

In the 15 hours spread over a week, students must produce a finished outcome or a series of related finished outcomes, informed by their preparatory work.

Click below to watch the video to find out more about the subject.