Art and Design (Fine Art or Graphics)

The A Level Art courses offer a wide range of opportunities: painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture are all available and taught by specialist members of staff. We offer two endorsements: Fine Art and Graphics. The courses are the same in structure but offer our pupils an opportunity to display their abilities in a variety of artistic disciplines and to demonstrate their understanding of these contexts.

Aims of the course

The Fine Art and Graphic courses based on the AQA specifications should encourage students to develop:

• intellectual, imaginative, creative and intuitive capabilities
• investigative, analytical, experimental, practical, technical and expressive skills, aesthetic understanding and critical judgement
• independence of mind in developing, refining and communicating their own ideas, their own intentions and their own personal outcomes
• an interest in, enthusiasm for and enjoyment of art, craft and design
• the experience of working with a broad range of media
• an understanding of the interrelationships between art, craft and design processes and an awareness of the contexts in which they operate
• knowledge and experience of real-world contexts and, where appropriate, links to the creative industries
• knowledge and understanding of art, craft, design and media and technologies in contemporary and past societies and cultures
• an awareness of different roles, functions, audiences and consumers of art, craft and design.

Course content

The three terms of Lower Sixth Art will consist of set briefs which will enable you to discover new techniques and methods of working, together with the opportunity to develop your own expertise and personal interests in terms of approach. They will be concerned with observing, recording and drawing – basic skills which students should try to master in the early part of the course. Personal interests and expertise will be actively encouraged during the final part of both years of the course, when you will be expected to develop a more individualistic high-level approach to the subject matter and to the handling of materials. In each module, the quality of your preparatory work will be the key to success.

Assessment

The coursework modules of A Level in Art & Design are subject to end-of-course assessment, comprising internal marking and external moderation. It is important to work hard from the outset, and gradually to increase your output to expand your range of skills and expertise throughout the course, with the objective of satisfying the demands of the syllabus.

Fine Art/Graphics 60% coursework/ Exam 40% 15-hour Exam/ 1000 – 3000-word essay

Career Opportunities

The transferable skills that are developed in the study of art and design will allow access to a range of career opportunities. However, there are certain sectors that are particularly relevant:

• Film and TV production
• Advertising and marketing
• Graphic design
• Photography
• Architecture
• Interior design
• Illustration
• Fashion
• Digital industries eg, game design, web design, etc.