All about A level Art – course information

What’s A level Art about?

A level Art allows you to develop an exciting and extensive range of creative and technical skills. You will also gain a strong understanding of historic and contemporary visual art practice, through supporting contextual studies. Unique to studying Art at A Level, you build up a very personal and continually evolving body of practical work, guided and supported by your teachers. Individual exploration and development of your personal skills and creative directions is a special aspect of this subject.

A level Art prepares you to produce two major pieces of assessed work. The first is a Personal Investigation, which allows you to devise and put together a personal body of creative coursework, including extensive practical work, a 3,000 word illustrated essay and a fully developed and resolved Final Piece Project. You do this without time limits, during the course

The second practical component is called the externally set Timed Test. On the 1st of February in your final year, the exam board publishes its Timed Test Paper which suggests a theme and possible starting points for you to work on. For the next three months you work extensively on your chosen theme, and you then sit a Timed Test, where you have a total of 15 hours under exam conditions to create and complete a personal, creative Final Piece.

Under the collective title of 'Art & Design', all the main exam boards offer a variety of Art A level specifications (syllabuses),  each with a different emphasis. The most popular are Fine Art, Art & Design, Photography, Graphic Communication, Textiles, and 3-Dimensional Design. The EDEXCEL board calls these 'pathways'. Whichever Art A level you take, the pattern of work and assessment is the same. The exam boards have four Key Assessment Objectives that recognise the range of creative and practical skills students develop and refine throughout the Course. 

What sort of work is involved?

All A level Art courses introduce you to a wide range of media and processes. These will always include drawing, whatever specialism you choose, but can also include a range of other techniques and processes: painting, printmaking, collage, photography, digital work, mixed media, sculpture, film and performance. The area you spend most time on will depend on the direction and focus of your chosen specialism. You will develop an extensive range of creative practical work, with some supporting 'contextual skills'.

Reading about Art & Design in books as well as on the web and in magazines is an important part of the contextual studies which underlie the development of your practical skills. The project work you do requires an exploration of the influences which inspired how you have tackled your chosen topic, and you need to explain how your own work has evolved over time. Artist research and visits to relevant exhibitions and galleries, are all part of reviewing, analysing, and developing your personal interpretations and directions in the creative work you do throughout the Art A level course.

What background do I need? 

Many students taking A level Art have a GCSE in Art (B or above) and enjoy the combination of practical, technical, creative, and contextual demands involved in such a practical, coursework-laden subject. Especially if they are international, students without an Art GCSE should have some equivalent experience, that reflects their creative and practical interests.

Most important, you should enjoy the process of developing your skills, ideas and understanding, as you progress through the course. Successful students are hungry to improve and diversify their expressive skills, supported by their teacher’s advice and guidance. You will need inspiration, perseverance, good time management, and independent working skills to realise your full creative potential.

Where can it lead?

Successful A level Art students can go on to study on a range of Art & Design foundation and degree courses, nationally and internationally, and train in their area of specialisation, before going on to become an Artist, Designer, Architect, or Arts Professional in a broad variety of specialist areas.

The creative and cultural Arts industries express and reflect the importance of creativity and culture in our society. All around us artists create the world we inhabit, and contribute to a thriving and important industry which has a vast range of exciting career options and choices. These can include working in Fine Art, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, or Architecture, for example, as well as many other possible creative Art & Design jobs and careers.

A strong Art training can also develop highly valuable transferable skills, including creative ideas development, problem-solving, contextual interpretation, and visual communication, as well as organisational, presentation, and team-working skills.

One year course?

Due to the considerable academic and creative challenges of the new syllabus and assessment pattern, you will find it tough to do well in Art and Design A Levels in less than two years of study. Developing your skills takes time to experiment and think, and isn't easily compressed into three terms.

Assessment

As described above, your A level mark is decided by two major pieces of coursework: the Personal Investigation and the Timed Test. Both pieces of coursework are marked by your college according to a detailed 'taxonomy' of assessment objectives. In May the marks are go to the examining body, who send a Moderator to view the coursework and check your teachers' marks for accuracy. The Moderator submits his moderated marks and the results are announced in August. Component 1 (The Personal Investigation) provides 60% of the possible overall mark, Component 2 (the externally set Timed Test) 40% of the possible overall mark.

This article was written by Jonathan Parkhouse, Art Foundation Co-ordinator/Art & Design Teacher, DLD College London