Art and Design

Assessment

Art & Design A Level course begins in Year 12 when students study a range of in-depth skills and techniques workshops, focussing on developing their unique and individual art practice. Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Ceramics, Sculpture, Installation, and Digital Media are just some of the specialised workshops covered. Life drawing is an an essential skill for portfolio success and all A Level students have the opportunity to partake in Life Class; something which is not openly offered until degree level. Students are taught by specialist teachers, who are practising artists themselves giving our students extensive contemporary knowledge of skills and understanding of concepts. Towards Easter of Year 12, students will be supported to devise their Investigation – an individual programme of study tailored to their chosen line of enquiry. This sustained project runs from the Summer Term in Year 12 through to the end of the Autumn Term in Year 13. All coursework equates to 60% of the overall mark. From the beginning of February in Year 13, students begin their Externally Set Assignment (ESA) set by the examination board. This is a series of set questions in which the students choose one theme and then produce a body of work, over approximately ten weeks. This then results in a fifteen-hour examination over three full school days set under exam conditions in the summer. The ESA equates to 40% of the overall mark.