If you have an aptitude for art, are creative, imaginative and enthusiastic, but above all, have ideas to communicate, then you will love this subject. You will also need to have good general drawing and painting ability and a sound knowledge and understanding of art media in order to succeed. Exploration and experimentation at A level are certainly encouraged and so it is important to understand that you will be trying new ways of working and taking a few more risks than perhaps you did at GCSE. If you have a genuine interest in the world of art, from the old masters to the contemporary and you love the process of creating art, then this could certainly be the course for you. A level Fine Art is an incredibly rewarding course for motivated students, however you should be prepared to work hard at developing your skills and please remember that the production of quality work takes time. Success in this subject requires determination and dedication but above all, self-motivation, organisation and a love of art. During the first two terms, students will produce a portfolio of practical work which demonstrates their personal response to an initial starting point which we will provide. Students will be encouraged to experiment with their own ideas, a range of media and develop their critical/contextual awareness. The development and exploration of this starting point should conclude with a final realisation which brings together the students’ ideas. For the rest of the year, students explore their own interests and create starting points that they wish to pursue. This work will be used as part of the ‘personal investigation coursework’ which makes up 60% of the overall A level. Component 1: Personal Investigation. Candidates will be required to submit two elements for this component. A portfolio of practical work showing their personal response to their own starting point and a related written study. Within this unit (the personal investigation), students develop a personal project based entirely on their own ideas, issues or concepts. This is supported by a written element (a related personal study) of between 1000-3000 words. Component 2: Externally Set Task. The paper is issued in January and provides candidates with a number of themes, each with a range of written and visual starting points, briefs and stimuli. From these, one must be selected and students develop their ideas over a 12-week period. At the end of this there will be 15 hours of supervised time in which students will aim to realise their ideas into an outcome. Areas of study You are required to work/experiment in one or more of these areas: • Painting, drawing and mixed media including collage and assemblage • Sculpture, including ceramic sculpture • Land art, installation and construction • Printmaking • Photography/Film