Art & Design

QUALIFICATION
Advanced Level
Exam Board: OCR
REQUIREMENTS
GCSE grade 6 or above in Art and Design and/or D&T

Why study Art and Design?

Study A Level Art to develop creative thinking, experiment with media, explore the imagination and express yourself. Students are instructed on higher level practical, contextual and technical skills. They then develop their own personal projects linked to a theme. The course covers different areas of Art and Design so students can specialise in Fine Art or Art and Design.

What skills are required?

• Students need to have a good understanding of Art and Design techniques, media and processes, hence the grade 6 requirement at GCSE.
• They need to be able to study independently and develop their own creative ideas.
• Students will be expected to carry out background reading for the artist personal study and a range of primary research methods for imagery and contextual studies. This supports and strengthens their understanding of material covered in the specification.

Course Content

Year 12:
Students study a foundation course where they are initially introduced to A Level techniques, processes, contextual studies and experimental work. They then respond to a variety of themes in a personal way, producing artist research, ideas and a final piece. They develop a mock practical exam piece to give them experience of responding to an A level exam paper.

Unit 1: Personal practical study

Students start the A level major project in May.

Year 13:
Students continue with their Unit 1 practical personal study. To accompany this they develop a written essay that supports their practical work. They have lessons to develop their writing and a support booklet with tasks to structure the essay. They produce a personal final piece, or pieces, in response to their theme.

Unit 2: Externally set assignment
This is an exam paper with set starting points from which students develop their own ideas with inspiration from artists. They create a final design board with a full plan of their final idea. They then produce a final 15 hour practical piece, in exam conditions.

How will it be assessed?

Unit 1 : Personal study 60%

Continually assessed.
Feedback and development targets set in support booklet.

Unit 2: Externally set assignment 40%

Externally set exam paper with creative starting points.
Exam preparation lessons structured to meet assessment criteria.
15 hour practical exam

Progression

A level Art can lead onto a foundation course or direct entry onto Degree courses. In the past students have gained entry onto Degree courses in Fine Art, Graphics and Illustration, Fashion, Textiles, Jewellery Making, Film Studies, Art History, Photography and Primary School Teaching.

Staff Contacts
emma.wycherley@oldburywells.com
liz.bell@oldburywells.com