GCSE 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):
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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, whilst responding by coming up with 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. 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 story of learning. |
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Components
The course is split into two key components:
Component 1 Component 1 is a portfolio of work over the first four terms from Year 10 to the end of the autumn term in Year 11. Within this portfolio, you must show evidence of one project fully developed from start to end and a selection of work that could include: experiments; skills-based workshops; mini and/or foundation projects; responses to gallery, museum or site visits; work placements; independent study. Your teacher will set you at least three projects based on the areas of study during the first four terms so you can choose the best from them. Component 2 Component 2 is a project set by the examination board (AQA). You will receive an exam paper with seven possible titles and can choose one to develop as your starting point. You will be given the paper on the first day back of the Spring Term of Year 11 and given 10-12 weeks to develop work in response. The exam project will end with a period of 10-hour (a day and a half) in the workshop finishing your final outcome. At the end of this, you will hand in all work linked to Component 2 and this will signal the end of your GCSE. |
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:
GCSE GRADES In the past, there has been an A*-G grading system, which has now been replaced by the 9-1 grading system. The following conversion should help you gain a better understanding of the grade you have been given and its relative value: A-A* = Levels 7-9 B = Level 6 Level C = Level 4-5 D-G = Levels 1-3 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. |
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Exhibitions
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. |