Art
Course title: Edexcel GCE A level in Art and Design
What are the knowledge and skills that students will gain over Key Stage 5?
A’ Level Art and Design is made up of two components.
Component 1 Portfolio The contents of the portfolio will be determined by the title students select The emphasis of this component will be on the development of understanding and skills using an appropriate range of materials, processes and techniques. Students should produce a collection of materials that exemplifies work carried out during the course. Each student must include in their portfolio which includes a selection of thoughtfully presented work, demonstrating the breadth and depth of their course of study This should demonstrate the student’s ability to sustain work from an initial starting point to a realisation. It should include evidence of their ability to research and develop ideas and link their work in a meaningful way to relevant critical/contextual materials resulting in an essay. Research from books, journals, moving images, photographs, digital presentations and the internet, as well as studies made during, gallery or museum visits. Work should be presented in sketchbook and as outside pieces. Students should carefully select, organise and present work to ensure that they provide evidence of meeting all four assessment objectives. All the work submitted for this component will be marked as a whole. Students must identify and acknowledge sources which are not their own.
Component 2 Externally Set Assignment Students must select from a separate question paper set by the exam board. The paper will consist of a choice of five questions to be used as starting points. Students will be provided with examination papers on or as soon as possible after the 1 February. They then complete a project where they carefully select, organise and present work to ensure that they provide evidence of meeting all four assessment objectives, this includes 15 hours examination to complete a final outcome. This makes up the remaining 40%.
Why is it delivered in this way?
Students complete a skills building unit that allows them to understand processes, techniques, and a range of media and materials to give them a foundation on which to build through their portfolio project. At the beginning of February Year 12 students are given a list of titles from which they choose one to complete a major portfolio project. They choose from the titles listed below:
Hidden, Flaws and Perfection, Transformation, Create and Destroy, Out of Place, Truth, Fantasy or Fiction, Patterns of Life, Discarded, Urban Decay, Snapshot Moments. This is an independent and individual project that will be supported by tutorials.
Students need to show a wide range of materials and techniques within their work. The essay needs to be between 1500 and 3000 work and must have references, bibliography and images.
From February in year 13, students will work on the externally set assignment completely independently.