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You may have an interest in and want to know more about the Visual Arts. You may want an opportunity to develop and express your own ideas. You may want to pursue a career in the Art, Craft or Design industries. Either way, this course will give you the skills to enjoy, engage with and produce Visual Arts throughout your life.

Edexcel Art

Core topics covered will be:

  • Develop, review and refine ideas
  • Analyse contextual and other sources to inform your investigations
  • Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes
  • Record your ideas, observations and insights
  • Present personal and meaningful responses

A Level Art & Design is a broad and flexible course.

Course content

Year 1

  • Experimental workshops [six weeks at the start of the course] working on various skills-based techniques and processes. Portfolio development with criticism, tutorials and independent studio time. Extended project theme given at the beginning of January, working on roughly 10 weeks up until May mock exam time, when you will sit a 10 hour controlled assessment.

Year 2

  • The A Level course incorporates three major elements: supporting studies, practical work, and a personal study. This year is highly independent; students develop a coursework portfolio based on their own research for the personal study essay in their own areas of expertise and interest.

Assessment

Personal investigation

This component is worth 60% of your A Level. It requires you to produce a portfolio of practical and written work based on personal starting points.

Externally set assignment (ESA)

This component is worth 40% of your A Level. It requires you to produce preparatory studies and personal outcome(s) based on a theme set by the exam board. The theme will be released to you in February of your final year. You’ll have 15 hours to produce your personal outcome or outcomes.

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."

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