Course Details
Awarding Body: Edexcel
Staff Contacts: Miss S. Mackie (smackie@quarrydale.notts.sch.uk)
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Key features of the course
Fine Art
A level Art allows you to develop an exciting and extensive range of creative and technical skills. You will also gain a strong understanding of historic and contemporary visual art practice, through supporting contextual studies. Unique to studying Art at A Level, you build up a very personal and continually evolving body of practical work, guided and supported by your teachers. Individual exploration and development of your personal skills and creative directions is a special aspect of this subject.
A level Art prepares you to produce two major pieces of assessed work. The first is a Personal Investigation, which allows you to devise and put together a personal body of creative coursework, including extensive practical work, a 3,000 word illustrated essay and a fully developed and resolved Final Piece Project. You do this without time limits, during the course
The second practical component is called the externally set Timed Test. On the 1st of February in your final year, the exam board publishes its Timed Test Paper which suggests a theme and possible starting points for you to work on. For the next three months you work extensively on your chosen theme, and you then sit a Timed Test, where you have a total of 15 hours under exam conditions to create and complete a personal, creative Final Piece.
Under the collective title of ‘Art & Design’, the exam boards offer a variety of Art A level specifications, each with a different emphasis. The one on offer here are Fine Art and Photography. Whichever Art A level you take, the pattern of work and assessment is the same. The exam boards have four Key Assessment Objectives that recognise the range of creative and practical skills students develop and refine throughout the Course.
Photography
This is a course for students who want to study an introduction to Photography and is ideal for those who want to go on to study an Art or Photography related course at university.
A Level Photography students will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of ideas within Photography. They will learn about contemporary and historical photographers and develop relevant industry skills in both the use of DSLR cameras, software packages such as Adobe Photoshop and studio lighting equipment. Students can explore a combination of the following areas:
- Portraiture
- Landscape photography
- Still life photography
- Documentary and photojournalism
- Fashion photography
- Experimental imagery
- Multimedia
The A level Art & Design: Photography course is made up of two components that stretch across the 2 years of study:
Entry Requirements:
Minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including Maths. Grade 5 or above in Art and Design or Photography and English Language.
What could this course lead on to?
Successful A level Art students can go on to study on a range of Art & Design foundation and degree courses, nationally and internationally, and train in their area of specialisation such as:
- Graphic design
- Fashion styling
- Art and design
- Printmaking
- Media
- Performing arts
- Photography
- Fine art
Future prospects and careers
Animator, Architect, Arts administrator, Beauty therapist, Cabinet maker, Computer-aided design technician, Costume designer, Fine artist, Florist, Garden designer.
What type of student is this course suitable for?
Assessment Structure
| Title | Style of Assessment | |
| Component 1 | Personal Investigation | 60% of the overall grade |
| Component 2 | The externally set Timed Test | 40% of the overall grade |