A-Level Art & Design
Introduction
Our qualification board is AQA and you will be taking a general Art, Design & Craft qualification, which means that you will complete projects within at least two of the following areas of study (endorsements):
At School 21, we currently only offer a two-year A-level course, giving you the opportunity to explore and experiment with a range of techniques before specialising in the second year and taking the full A-Level qualification |
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What will I learn?
You will learn primarily to think and act like an artist and designer by refining skills within the above areas of study. We will set you tasks and project briefs that require you to develop ideas and work towards final exhibition outcomes that shows imagination, craftsmanship and originality. There will also be basic activities to help introduce you to new media and techniques.
The qualification assesses the creative process of coming up with ideas, experimenting and refining different media, researching, analysing and responding to the work of other artists and designer, and making your own personal outcomes. We will also help you to develop a strong visual literacy so that you are familiar with the formal elements and principles of design that underpin the visual arts. There is an expectation that you will annotate/make notes explaining your intentions and evaluating your work and the work of others. The examination board haver included a specific expectation that students demonstrate evidence within AO3 of drawing and annotation. DRAWING Drawing is an essential skill in Art & Design and all projects will involve using drawing as a process of recording ideas. You will learn about how drawing is used as a form of perception, communication, invention and action (Campaign for Drawing). ANNOTATION Annotation is essentially making notes to explain your ideas and thoughts. You will be expected to annotate and explain your process (story of learning) demonstrating a critical/analytical understanding of both your own work and work of others. |
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Components
There is synoptic assessment in both components of the A-level that provide stretch and challenge opportunities for students as follows:
In Component 1, students develop work based on an idea, issue, concept or theme leading to a finished outcome or a series of related finished outcomes. Practical elements should make connections with some aspect of contemporary or past practice of artist(s), designer(s), photographers or craftspeople and include written work of no less than 1000 and no more than 3000 words which supports the practical work. In Component 2, students respond to a stimulus, provided by AQA, to produce work which provides evidence of their ability to work independently within specified time constraints, developing a personal and meaningful response which addresses all the assessment objectives and leads to a finished outcome or a series of related finished outcomes. |
Assessment
At the end of the qualification, Component 1 and 2 are marked separately. There are four main Assessment Objectives against which your work is assessed:
A-Level Mark Scheme The mark boundaries for each level change each year so your teacher will be able to give you a basic idea of the boundary based on the previous year. |
Exhibition
An important part of your course is to exhibit your work and get feedback from an audience. Depending on the nature of your work, you should think carefully about who your audience is.
Within the fine arts, it is generally assumed that the audience will be the general public but, if you are designing a product for a particular client or users, then it might be the case that you have a slightly different audience. At School 21, we have regularly whole school exhibition points throughout the year when you will be expected to exhibit your work. |